4 ms·

Who convinced you Maduro is “authoritarian”? I find that more interesting to explore.

by lucian1900 6y ago

AnimalMuppet 6y ago
Maduro convinced me, that's who. Specifically, Maduro's behavior in office for the last N years, and even more specifically, his behavior toward opposition parties. (Imagine Trump having Biden arrested in April 2020 on some transparently fake charges, so that Biden can't conduct a campaign. Trump wins the 2020 election, though there were "irregularities" in the vote. Then he dissolves Congress. Then in 2023, Trump arrests whoever the leading Democrat candidate is. Would that be authoritarian? I would say, absolutely yes.) I think it's more interesting to ask, who convinced you that Maduro is not authoritarian? And, what possible evidence would change your mind?
- lucian1900 6y ago
  The same opposition that illegally declared itself the government after losing an election? The one that attempted to smuggle US weaponry into the country under the guise of humanitarian aid? The one that attacked and killed poor black people in the streets? The one that bribed military personnel to betray the country? The one that welcomed a (thankfully incompetent) US coup attempt? It’s not like Guaido was arrested on the spot. He was free to continue breaking the law as due process was being followed. Also worth considering the constant sanctions and threat of invasion by the US that Venezuela is subjected to. Of course capitalist-owned media will smear a revolution of poor, black and indigenous workers against the former slave owning colonisers.
alkonaut 6y ago
The people who study and report on Venezuela did. If you find the topic interesting there is actually quite a lot of material https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1387787/FULLTEXT01.pdf https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1387787/FULLTEXT... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5mj6j3t8 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5mj6j3t8 https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/authoritarian-survival-why-maduro-hasnt-fallen/ https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/authoritarian-su...
- lucian1900 6y ago
  There are other sources too, like https://thegrayzone.com/category/venezuela/ https://thegrayzone.com/category/venezuela/ or https://www.telesurtv.net/SubSecciones/en/country/venezuela/ https://www.telesurtv.net/SubSecciones/en/country/venezuela/ or https://venezuelanalysis.com https://venezuelanalysis.com
  - alkonaut 6y ago
    Really? I post some recent academic papers and you respond with “yeah but what about Telesur?”. I have to stop wasting my time trying to discuss politics online. > Telesur works as a propaganda network for the governments of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro (Wikipedia) I’m sure their coverage has the very best quality.
    - lucian1900 6y ago
      You posted some right-wing propaganda. For anyone else reading, I offered an alternative. And if you'll take Wikipedia as fact, it's unlikely you'll find much truth.
      - alkonaut 6y ago
        “Right wing propaganda”? You are welcome to either a) promote a set of research articles or materials of similar quality from reputable sources, or b) come across as thinking that basically all reputable mainstream media and universities in liberal democracies are sources of “right wing propaganda”. Looking at your post history I know the answer already (It’s a bit hard to read considering most of your posts are so for voted the font is almost invisible). If you are on a crusade to convince people that undemocratic regimes foster trustworthy media while Swedish universities produce right wing propaganda I think you’ll find it’s going to be hard work. I wish this site gave people a reputation cooldown so enough downvotes resulted in a 48h ban.
        lucian1900 6y ago

Who convinced you Maduro is “authoritarian”? I find that more interesting to explore.

Maduro convinced me, that's who. Specifically, Maduro's behavior in office for the last N years, and even more specifically, his behavior toward opposition parties. (Imagine Trump having Biden arrested in April 2020 on some transparently fake charges, so that Biden can't conduct a campaign. Trump wins the 2020 election, though there were "irregularities" in the vote. Then he dissolves Congress. Then in 2023, Trump arrests whoever the leading Democrat candidate is. Would that be authoritarian? I would say, absolutely yes.) I think it's more interesting to ask, who convinced you that Maduro is not authoritarian? And, what possible evidence would change your mind?

lucian1900 6y ago
The same opposition that illegally declared itself the government after losing an election? The one that attempted to smuggle US weaponry into the country under the guise of humanitarian aid? The one that attacked and killed poor black people in the streets? The one that bribed military personnel to betray the country? The one that welcomed a (thankfully incompetent) US coup attempt? It’s not like Guaido was arrested on the spot. He was free to continue breaking the law as due process was being followed. Also worth considering the constant sanctions and threat of invasion by the US that Venezuela is subjected to. Of course capitalist-owned media will smear a revolution of poor, black and indigenous workers against the former slave owning colonisers.

alkonaut 6y ago

The people who study and report on Venezuela did. If you find the topic interesting there is actually quite a lot of material https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1387787/FULLTEXT01.pdf https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1387787/FULLTEXT... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5mj6j3t8 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5mj6j3t8 https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/authoritarian-survival-why-maduro-hasnt-fallen/ https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/authoritarian-su...

lucian1900 6y ago
There are other sources too, like https://thegrayzone.com/category/venezuela/ https://thegrayzone.com/category/venezuela/ or https://www.telesurtv.net/SubSecciones/en/country/venezuela/ https://www.telesurtv.net/SubSecciones/en/country/venezuela/ or https://venezuelanalysis.com https://venezuelanalysis.com
- alkonaut 6y ago
  Really? I post some recent academic papers and you respond with “yeah but what about Telesur?”. I have to stop wasting my time trying to discuss politics online. > Telesur works as a propaganda network for the governments of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro (Wikipedia) I’m sure their coverage has the very best quality.
  - lucian1900 6y ago
    You posted some right-wing propaganda. For anyone else reading, I offered an alternative. And if you'll take Wikipedia as fact, it's unlikely you'll find much truth.
    - alkonaut 6y ago
      “Right wing propaganda”? You are welcome to either a) promote a set of research articles or materials of similar quality from reputable sources, or b) come across as thinking that basically all reputable mainstream media and universities in liberal democracies are sources of “right wing propaganda”. Looking at your post history I know the answer already (It’s a bit hard to read considering most of your posts are so for voted the font is almost invisible). If you are on a crusade to convince people that undemocratic regimes foster trustworthy media while Swedish universities produce right wing propaganda I think you’ll find it’s going to be hard work. I wish this site gave people a reputation cooldown so enough downvotes resulted in a 48h ban.
      - lucian1900 6y ago