Comments on: Venezuelan Bloggers’ Views on Chavismo

By: abdisamad

abdisamad — Tue, 16 May 2006 14:58:52 +0000

my name is abdisamad and iam british and i like so much venezuelan girl and i want go there in my future time

By: LuisCarlos

LuisCarlos — Thu, 15 Sep 2005 18:18:24 +0000

Thank you… A friend from El Nacional told me about this site. Yes, is a project… that’s the perfect word: a project.
Without censorship

By: Iria

Iria — Wed, 14 Sep 2005 14:39:27 +0000

RomRod,

Your post brought to me the breaking news on the Heinz case. Yours and Nieves’ posts were the only blog entries on the issue that I had read by the time I wrote this article. After the article was published, I found another post on the expropriations by Ana Julia Jatar

http://www.anajuliajatar.com/index.php?p=63&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1.

That is all I have seen in the issue.

By: Iria

Iria — Wed, 14 Sep 2005 14:23:51 +0000

Alex,

Usually, there are not proofs of media censorship, since censorship is formally illegal in Venezuela. In this case, there is some evidence confirming that the interview was censored. However, there is not—at least to my knowledge—undeniable evidence that the show cancellation was due to censorship. The sides (show producers / radio station executives) argue about it. As Larry said, we only know for sure that the show was cancelled immediately after Rodolfo wrote about the interview incident in his blog.

I certainly would like to watch Secuestro Express, given all the controversy. I will comment on the movie, if I got a chance to watch it. Unfortunately, violence in Caracas is a real problem not a fiction. Although I agree that there are other interesting topics beyond crime. Anyway, maybe the April 11 images, as well as the opposition demonstrations images that were also in the movie—according to several people that watch it—, were not the best choice for depicting violence in Caracas.

By: RomRod

RomRod — Wed, 14 Sep 2005 11:16:02 +0000

Good one Iria, thanks for the link. I’ve been also writing a little bit about the current attacks to private property, but yes, as you mention, except few cases here and there noone is worried in the Venezuelan blogospere.

By: Kira

Kira — Wed, 14 Sep 2005 08:59:52 +0000

I got here through a search, and it was a very good surprise. I think is quite accurate your article specially because you didn’t include the blogs which are dedicated exclusively to the political news. The personal blogs you are mentioning just include testimonies based on the experiences of the authors. I have been zapping from blog to blog this days and in many of them there are stories that just show the level of dissapointment and lack of hope in our current political system, stories where corruption, criminality and abuse are present. It is an amazing phenomenon that may be worth to study sociologically the way some chavistas exonerate the president Chavez of any responsibility whatsoever at the incontrovertible malfunctioning of the state and the government. It is related to this view of a dear family figure or as I suggested in my post, the presence of Chavez on the pop culture imagenery as a mythical figure. A person with powers above a common human being, protected by spirits, God, etc., that cannot be touched by ordinary measurements of judgment and justice.

By: Larry

Larry — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 14:07:02 +0000

Of course, Alex, the radio program turned bad after the guy made the comments on his blog. Of course you can always say it was coincidence!

By: Alex

Alex — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 12:59:39 +0000

Iria i cant translate ma opinion to english because its very poor ill wrote in spanish.

Eso de la censura a un programa de radio de un bloguero creo que es discutible es mas te apostaria que no existe prueba mas alla que el programa no era bueno.

El termino ecualido ya poca gente lo usa, creo que en el chavismo serian contados con los dedos.

Te recomiendo que veas Secuestro Express, las tomas del 11A puestas a drede en la pelicula, estan fuera de lugar, solo muestra la mania del director por sobre saturar a una caracas “llena” de violencia.

Bueno tu post y gracias a una pana llegue a el.

Bye

Editor’s Translation:

What you say of the censorship of the blogger’s radio program I think is arguable. I would even bet you that there is no real proof that the radio program wasn’t good.

Few people now use the term ecualido, I think that amongst Chavistas, they could be counted on one’s hand.

I recommend to you that you see “Secuestro Express” – taking the dreadful events of April 11th [Editor's note: see here for a good summary from an anti-Chavista] out of context only shows the mania of the director by saturating Caracas “full” of violence.

Your post was good and thanks to a friend, I was able to find it.