4 ms·

I agree. I have family still living there so watching out for when it is going to start. When people start dying because of lack of food and medication, I can't

I agree. I have family still living there so watching out for when it is going to start. When people start dying because of lack of food and medication, I can't imagine a transition happening without spilled blood. Also, the army and supreme court are still supporting him so what "democratic" means can you really resort to?

gjolund 10y ago
Why aren't they getting the fuck out now?
- scorpioxy 10y ago
  The ones who were financially able to/had a place to go to already did. But not everyone has those benefits. You also have to figure out what to do in terms of money after getting out(1000% inflation will eat up your savings). Sometimes the devil you know...
- jimmywanger 10y ago
  (Note: I've only been observing the situation from the sidelines, as an armchair economist. I have no skin in the game.) 1) The exchange rates are screwed. It's hard to get hard currency (Euros, Dollars) on the open market, as that goes through the government. Right now, I believe that 1000 bolivars roughly goes for 1 dollar on the black market, although the other commenter can correct me. There are two official exchange rates, one for 10 bolivars for one dollar. That rate you need government connections to get. (It's only for "essential goods" like flour and such) The other I think is about 600 bolivars for a dollar. So if you've saved up 100k in bolivars, all of a sudden it's only worth 1k american dollars when before it was worth like 70k. Venezuela is the only place where your currency has value, no other country would bother taking your notes. 2) What place will take you? Especially if you don't have any valued skills. To emigrate to another country requires a lot of paperwork and money. I don't think you can simply claim refugee status cause you're from Venezuela (yet). Basically, if you're a farmer or former middle class worker without foreign currency holdings or connections, you're stuck. Columbia doesn't want a huge influx of unskilled labor, neither does Brazil or the United States.
burfog 10y ago
Would you happen to know if the tribes in southern Venezuela are pretty much unaffected? Some of them seem to be living as people have been living for thousands of years, rather disconnected from the modern world.
- scorpioxy 10y ago
  No sorry, no idea. But I do know that the farmers are less affected by the food shortage since they have what they need on their land. The increased crime rate is a problem for everyone of course.
- jimmywanger 10y ago
  I've read this book : https://www.amazon.com/Noble-Savages-Dangerous-Yanomamo-Anthropologists-ebook/dp/B006VJN2FE/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1477016082&sr=1-4&keywords=Yanomamo https://www.amazon.com/Noble-Savages-Dangerous-Yanomamo-Anth... It seems as though even those tribes have been prizing western technology, like fishhooks, shotguns, and machetes. Those are valuable trade goods. Maybe they've sort of forgotten in the past few generations how to get by without those tools? Living in a jungle is hard as hell, and a machete and a shotgun sure do make a big difference.

gjolund 10y ago

Why aren't they getting the fuck out now?

scorpioxy 10y ago
The ones who were financially able to/had a place to go to already did. But not everyone has those benefits. You also have to figure out what to do in terms of money after getting out(1000% inflation will eat up your savings). Sometimes the devil you know...
jimmywanger 10y ago
(Note: I've only been observing the situation from the sidelines, as an armchair economist. I have no skin in the game.) 1) The exchange rates are screwed. It's hard to get hard currency (Euros, Dollars) on the open market, as that goes through the government. Right now, I believe that 1000 bolivars roughly goes for 1 dollar on the black market, although the other commenter can correct me. There are two official exchange rates, one for 10 bolivars for one dollar. That rate you need government connections to get. (It's only for "essential goods" like flour and such) The other I think is about 600 bolivars for a dollar. So if you've saved up 100k in bolivars, all of a sudden it's only worth 1k american dollars when before it was worth like 70k. Venezuela is the only place where your currency has value, no other country would bother taking your notes. 2) What place will take you? Especially if you don't have any valued skills. To emigrate to another country requires a lot of paperwork and money. I don't think you can simply claim refugee status cause you're from Venezuela (yet). Basically, if you're a farmer or former middle class worker without foreign currency holdings or connections, you're stuck. Columbia doesn't want a huge influx of unskilled labor, neither does Brazil or the United States.

burfog 10y ago

Would you happen to know if the tribes in southern Venezuela are pretty much unaffected? Some of them seem to be living as people have been living for thousands of years, rather disconnected from the modern world.

scorpioxy 10y ago
No sorry, no idea. But I do know that the farmers are less affected by the food shortage since they have what they need on their land. The increased crime rate is a problem for everyone of course.
jimmywanger 10y ago
I've read this book : https://www.amazon.com/Noble-Savages-Dangerous-Yanomamo-Anthropologists-ebook/dp/B006VJN2FE/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1477016082&sr=1-4&keywords=Yanomamo https://www.amazon.com/Noble-Savages-Dangerous-Yanomamo-Anth... It seems as though even those tribes have been prizing western technology, like fishhooks, shotguns, and machetes. Those are valuable trade goods. Maybe they've sort of forgotten in the past few generations how to get by without those tools? Living in a jungle is hard as hell, and a machete and a shotgun sure do make a big difference.