Everybody hates Chavez

Well, I do feel that I have been wasting your time somewhat, dear readers, inflicting the empty banalities of my daily existence on you when what you probably really want to hear about is the world-historical epoch-making political developments in Chavez' Venezuela, right? right? Or maybe not.

Well to start off with, my field of reference right now is unfortunately narrowed by the aforementioned problems of not speaking Spanish and only working with clients and fellow teachers drawn from the professional upper middle classes. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the class divisions in Venezuelan society, these people hate Chavez with a passion.

I've never been to Cuba, but according news recent BBC reports dissent there is discouraged and very hard to find - people need to be pressed to venture any criticism of the government. Well, such is not the case here - quite the opposite in fact. In my short teaching career, I{ve heard Chavez referred to as 'that crazy man' and blamed for the state of the roads, for 'manhandling the queen of england' (I missed that one) and for the country's slow decline into social collapse (alleged). One student asserted that life expectancy had steadily declined every year since Chavez came to power. Another claimed that although she agreed with some of the social programmes, and that Hugo 'may be the man of the future', she didn't agree with his policy of abolishing private property and moving strangers into her flat. Apparently this was 'announced last week'.

Far from people self-censoring for fear of retribution, dissent seems alive and well - except that it takes a form which appears to me to be exaggerated out of all proportion to what is really going on. It's almost as if a kind of hysteria has broken out about the state of the nation. It makes you wonder about the kind of sensationalist material that recently-deceased RCTV was putting out there. In fact, there{s a kind of subtle social pressure in professional circles to be anti government, I think. I{ve certainly experienced the dubious benefit of coworker after coworker marching up to me and giving me their political opinions, unsolicited, and expressing confusion and horror if i even question a statement, let alone disagree.

Anyway, I'd write more but internet cafe time has run out on me. I may try and chat a bit more about the 'misiones' next time.

Take care y'all.