You didn't even need sound on the video, "Venezuela Rising", to be able to decipher just how terrible it must be to live in Venezuela. Henrique Capriles stated that "approximately 25,000 Venezuelans were murdered [in 2013]." The conditions in Venezuela shown in the video clearly are barely livable; Venezuela is clearly in dire need of help.
Tear gas, rubber bullets, and even riot shields were used on civilians by the Venezuelan government. "Colectivos" ran the streets, instilling fear into every member of society encountered. The video depicted the conflicts of Man v. Self, Man v. Society, and Man v. Man.
Man v. Self:
Having to wake up and decide whether or not leaving the house to protest because of physical dangers that await must be a tough decision. Some might even have to ask themselves, "is it even worth fighting for?" "It" being freedom from the reign of a dictator-like leader who clearly only cares about himself.
Man v. Society:
In "Venezuela Rising", the one year anniversary of their ex-leader's, Hugo Chavez's, death was shown. "This is the majority of Venezuela. These are the people who love Chavez..." This majority of the country in ruin is clearly blinded by the information that has been fed to them, not enlightened by what is really happening in their country. Each day, men and women of Venezuela fight to provide those ignorant to what is really happening in Venezuela with the information necessary to seek a change for the better (democracy).
Man v. Man:
The Colectivos and members of the Venezuelan police are only the beginning of the problem. From what is shown in the video, yes, they are the physical problem in Venezuela, however, the problems do not cease there. It was said in the video that Venezuela is home to the world's largest oil reserves. In addition, the world is experiencing record breaking oil prices. With that, the country of Venezuela and its people should be among the richest in the world (Venezuela Rising, 9:13-9:22). Venezuelans not only have to actually fight against those physically harming them, but they also have to demand that the government handles the country's business in a manner that benefits everyone.
The majority is isolated from what is happening in Venezuela. Everyday, families lose loved ones to the extreme acts of violence committed by Colectivos and their associates. The guilt? The guilt lies within the government officials allowing this barbaric behavior to provide "order" in a country going under.
I wonder if the guilt also sits with the rest of the world who sits around and lets corrupt governments function like this. Is it our place to step in though?
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the guilt lies within a solid percentage of us all, but most of us either don't have the guts to step in or don't know how to help. As a firm believer in the idea that everyone deserves a chance at a better life, not only do I think it's our place to step in, but I feel the rest of the world needs to wake up and unify in order to provide a greater good for its people.
DeleteThe idea that Venezuela is practically sitting on a "gold mine" and do not have any money is unreal. Instead, the government spends it on unnecessary things, causing the country to go even deeper down in this already large hole of debt that they seem to be in.
ReplyDeleteVenezuela's situation is just a classic scenario of power going straight to their leader's head. Not only are they sitting on that oil, but they're giving it away for a fraction of what it's worth! What's really mind boggling is the fact that there are still people in Venezuela that support this kind of leadership! I could not even begin to imagine backing someone who is not putting forth their best foot in order to better their people.
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