News of Hugo Chavez's death is spreading rapidly. In America, we can anticipate a large collection of articles noting his activities, articles that are nearly all a product of our American/corporate view of the world.
These American articles will be mostly negative, a one-sided portrayal of a complex leader who was beloved by much of his country, admired by large parts of the world, but nearly always portrayed in the American media as a one-dimensional character.
American articles will talk about when Chavez led an attempted coup, they will talk about his friendship with Castro, Ahmadinejad, Putin and other leaders, and they will reference his famous "devil" quote about George Bush but they will steer away from hints of Chavez's accomplishments.
These articles will not mention the fact that Venezuela has made strong steps in education and health. The expected number of years of education rose from 10.5 years in 2000 to 14.2 years by 2011, no doubt driven by the Missions that Chavez championed. Venezuela's life expectancy increased from 72.4 years to 74.4 years during that same time period.
These articles might mention that Chavez pushed through legislation to change the presidential term limits possibly even accusing him of being authoritarian. These articles will probably not mention that Chavez has been democratically elected with popular margins and higher turnout rates than we have seen in the U.S. in decades.
These articles will talk about poor prison conditions in Venezuela but not mention that Chavez pardoned those who attempted to overthrow his democratically elected government in 2002.
These articles will mention that his government benefited from a rise in oil prices but are not likely to mention that he used those inflated oil revenues to support citizens of many nations in need, including Americans in need of low-cost heating oil.
Years ago, I lived in Venezuela and have visited there many times. It is a challenging country, filled with both tremendous opportunity and national pride. For many Venezuelans, Chavez symbolized that national pride. While I didn't agree with all of Chavez's statements and beliefs, when I returned to America I found it nearly impossible to find any hint of fair reporting of news and political events in Venezuela. Almost everything I read in America was tinged with a strong anti-Chavez flavor.
As Chavez is now laid to rest, the one thing I am certain of is that the mainstream American media will once again fail to accurately and fairly capture the positives and negatives of this complicated leader.
Follow Howard Steven Friedman's Facebook Fanpage
Follow Howard Steven Friedman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/howardsfriedman
Fernando Espuelas: Hugo Chavez Is No Hero
Human Rights Watch reported just last year that “the accumulation of power in the executive and the erosion of human rights protections have allowed the Chávez government to intimidate, censor, and prosecute critics and perceived opponents in a wide range of cases involving the judiciary, the media, and civil society.” Although most Venezuelans accepted that he won more votes than his opponents in his reelection contests, he refused to allow international election monitors into the country after 2006."
- NRO
How is it that Howard Steven Fineman is a statistician and health economist for the United Nations and a teacher at Columbia University and he's still not aware of this?
First, in Venezuela, the private TV holds 90% of the audience, 706 of the 709 radios and virtually all of the newspapers. All of them supported Caprilles. He had 80% of the private TV time. In Brazil, where I live, the parties have free and mandatory time on TV during elections. In Venezuela, they do not
No one contested the elections, wich are conducted on eletronic ballots like in Brazil. Even former US president Jimmy varter, OAE and every international Observer regarded the elections as clean. The "mismanaged" economy of Venezuela was chaotic before him too. You should get yor facts straight.
Chávez was a little bit of a character, but he was way better than the oposition that made Venezuela one of the most corrupt and violent countries of Latin America during their years of power.
During Chavez's period, Venezuela has become one of the most violent countries of the world.
So please, again, get your facts straight before giving such an oppinion.
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/26564403/
Before you pack up and move to Alaska, they have a residency requirement of one year before you can cash in. Oh, and it will cost you all of that to stay warm through the Alaskan winter.
When I read of Chavez using the oil royalties communally, the Alaska situation occurred to me. Sometimes it’s all just semantics. Or population size? I’ll bet the Venezuelans wished they got a direct-deposited check.
His rhetoric? Who cares. I thought his UN speech at was suppose to be funny?
He surpressed the independent media and jailed his political opponents.
He stole private property from individuals, companies, and foreign governments.
He packed the government with inept, incompetent thieves.
He totally neglected the country's infrastructure leading to food shortages, water shortages, rolling blackouts, flooding, crumbling roads and bridges, and the need to import gasoline and diesel.
He wasted Billions on unnecessary military hardware.
He drove away foreign investment and tourism.
He gave away the country's precious oil at deep discounts to his friends. Cough, the Castros.
It will take 20+ years to undo the damage he has caused.
1. Wiki Leaks/the virtual end of free press and the rise of advertisements in news
2. Bank Bailouts
3. Almost all politicians for the last four decades
4. The state of much of our country's infrastructure
5. Do I really need to say much? Industrial Military Complex anyone???
6. We simply make sure our OWN citizens can't afford to travel anywhere! That way, Americans won't know any better!
7. We give away our precious tax dollars to, cough, billionaires like the Koch brothers and Exxon!
It will take MORE than 20+ years to undo the damage to our country, and sadly, no one has even started! And they're alive!
I agree when you say that we have to make our own point of view of the situation, instead of trusting every news/social media that we see, thus I invite you to see for yourself both sides of the pictures.
You have to dig into the numbers of murders, robberies, kidnaps, to realize that all of the social plans he created are overshadowed by the insecurity we are living.
You talk about health, I invite you to spend one day in a public hospital too get a real view of the situation, there are no supplies.
The few good things people could get access to, you have to be "subscribed" to the goverment's political party, otherwise you won't get any of the "goods".
Lands were taken from their owners without being paid for, claiming that they will be used for agriculture, but they weren't.
This, amongst other things, were the true actions of this goverment.
I invite you all to read further into the history of the last 14 years of my country.
we were shown by our media.
Chavez was a MAN not a GOD or Demon. He was a populist and spoke to the issues HIS people felt strongly about. His people as a hole are better now than they have been in a century. Better educated and more equal.
His passion for the majority of his PEOPLE is what we need in our government.
Most of those who fled the country because of him were the wealthy or those with ties with them. Yes he demonized them for the class distinctions they promoted and had produced for generations.
There are people who moved here like from any other country who want the American dream but how many are streaming across the border to do farm labor here just to feed their families?
How have they "suffered" from their relationship with us?
Columbia wanted to cross into his county so he PUT THE TROOPS ON HIGH ALERT!! Columbia's president had already lost his bid to be reelected and wanted a fare well jab on the world stage at Chavez. The proff was NEVER verified! There was no threat to INVADE only to protect their own border from invaders.