Politics & Current Events
LuckyDad
member
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Hugo Chavez is dead
I never really liked the guy, and he definitely engaged in Dictator behavior. I'm curious what changes might occur now that he's gone.
-My son was born in April 2012. He pretty much rules.
-This might be the one place on the internet where it's feasible someone would pretend to be an Adult Man.
Re: Hugo Chavez is dead
I actually was having a discussion about this with one of my friends about this yesterday. He is of the opinion that Chavez was good for Venezuela and is basing this on UN reports that the poverty level of the citizens actually decreased under Chavez, and when I disagreed with him, he then busted out the arguement that if Chavez was so terrible for the country, then why did the people vote him into office 3 times. When you change the laws to suit your own agenda, it's no wonder why you are able to remain in power for such a long period of time. When you promise people things like free cable - of course the poor and under educated will vote for you. When you nationalize every industry then force the workers to go to rallies or risk being fired, do you think people will actually vote against you when they are afraid?
I've been to Venezuela - in Caracas for a DJ gig - once in my lifetime and it was when Chavez was in power. It is a beautiful country, although dangerous, and Venezuelans are good warm people, but the amount of people living in complete poverty is really just awful. I don't think I met a person when I was there who had anything positive to say about Chavez.
When my H & I lived in EU, we also had a roommate who was from Venezuela, as well as many Venezuelan people who were living there that we became friends with - and every single one of them told us so many things that you would not even believe happen in this country. So I do not see how Chavez was good for the people of Venezuela. Ask the many people who left Venezeula why they left, and they will tell you how horrible he is. Anything you see that shows him in a positive light is propaganda.
This is a tricky topic for me. My husband is from Venezuela. His family moved to Canada seven years ago, because of Chavez, and have not felt safe enough to go back. They cried when he was reelected. While I do agree that he was a dictator and did many bad things, I have to admit that my H's family is upper middle class, well-educated, coming from the oil industry (which was nationalized under Chavez). It wouldn't surprise me at all to hear that conditions for the lower class did improve under his governance.
I recently read the book Something Fierce and attended a talk by the author, Carmen Aguirre. She and her parents participated in the Chilean resistance, trying to get rid of Pinochet. She applauded Chavez's socialist views, and also spoke highly of the government in Cuba. I really think perceptions of Chavez have much to do with SES.
my roommate`s family also came from the oil industry....small world
a lot of his family is still living there (maracaibo), but both he and his sister moved to Spain and their mother recommended they stay there as it is safer. it will be interesting to see what happens now when they hold new elections....