Eight big lies of the Chavist propaganda

[ZooMetropolis]

**This** is an article written by Manuel Caballero. It was published in El Universal, and its comment is “Letter of a leftist intellectual Venezuelan to his European colleagues”.

It has some issues concerning racism between social classes (one of the issues that was discussed in this thread). It is a very interesting reading. It is written in spanish, but IMO it is worth a translation.

I found a decent translator on the net, and I used it on the first paragraph of the article:

Sectores del viejo continente miran la realidad venezolana desde la óptica que ha vendido Chávez. Para ellos somos racistas,tenemos un enfrentamiento entre pobres y ricos, los empresarios son fascistas, los medios son golpistas y todo ello no ha permitido al gobierno nacionalista luchar contra la corrupción y favorecer a las clases populares que soportan los desmanes de una minoría que quiere acabar con el proyecto pacífico y revolucionario.

Sectors of the old continent look at the Venezuelan reality from the optics that has sold Chávez. For them we are racists, have a clash between the poor and rich, the businessmen are fascist, the media are rebels and all this has not allowed to the nationalistic government to fight against the corruption and to favor to the popular classes that support the misbehaviors of a minority that wants to finish with the pacific and revolutionary project.

As well on the eight lies:

1. In Venezuela a white minority faces a dark majority that defends the President Chávez.
2. In Venezuela takes place a clash of poor against rich.
3. The popular classes are Hugo Chávez’s support.
4. The opposition to Chávez is rebellious and fascist.
5. That Chávez’s government is civil, legitimate, legal and fruit of the popular sovereignty.
6. Chávez attacks the corruption.
7. In Venezuela freedom of expression exists.
8. That Chávez’s govenment is nationalistic.

At the end of the article there is a little background on Manuel Caballero.

The author of this letter is a teacher of Contemporary History in the Universidad Central de Venezuela, of whose school of History was the director. He has obtained the National Prize of Journalism and the National Prize of History, as well as the Biennial Prize Simón Bolívar for his academic path. He is an author of more than fifty books published in several editions in Venezuela and abroad, being the first Venezuelan author edited for Cambridge University Press in all its history. He was imprisoned and exiled under the military, politicallly active communist dictatorship for 18 years, charter member of the Movement to the Socialism in 1970, today independent.

[GIGObuster]

I am not impressed at all.

Out of the 8 lies he mentions he then does a weasel move and say that well, that what I said is not the whole truth in this point, but I will show you what I mean. And then it shows very little to support his point, at least in four of those points.

Some lies though: (quotes traduced from the original and not necessary on the title of the “lies”)

1. “There is no racial hate or religious strife”

I have read reports that the Catholic Church did not like the reforms to education and land reform and so it is a power also trying to turn back to the way things were.

2. “No class war but this is a conflict between an authoritarian Chavez government and the democratic collectivism of the opposition.”

Look at that: “democratic collectivism of the opposition”

HA!

As I have read before this is the biggest lie of the opposition, some of the leaders were involved in the coup attempt. And the other leaders have contradictory ways to deal with a future without Chavez. That is the reason why I think getting rid of chavez is the recipe for an even bigger chaos.

3. “The proof is in his incapacity to mobilize the people to the streets, like the used to do before.”

As I saw in the photos of Narco news and V-headline, Chavez does have popular demonstrations for his support, lately more people there than in the opposition rallies, this is a certifiable lie from this author.

4. Here the author just recycles all the swill the Venezuelan media told about the movement to remove Chavez (the coup) complete with the Chavez resigned canard.

Opposition not in favor of the coup? One of the leaders of the opposition was hugging the coup leader while at the same time the military was rounding up all the people in government that were supporting Chavez. I have no patience for people who ignore history and forget that all that people were not going to be send to a happy place.

Unless I see a better source (he did not cite anything for this point!) I have to assume he is lying also about this; Chavez did not resign. And in a situation like that, who could ignore the possibility (if it happened) that he had a gun pointed at his head? (Figuratively speaking, although I suspect it was literally)
About the only thing I agree is with point 6: Chavez is not actively fighting corruption, but as the author of this sorry piece acknowledges, so were the powers before. His point is that he is business as usual. So I take that and say: lets go to business as usual, and kick Chavez sorry ass on the next elections.