Today we read that a poll in the US reveals that 20% of Americans believe Obama is a Muslim. OK, I am not going into that one but I am going to draw a parallel with the Venezuelan situation. Chavez has made it a specialty to lie in an outright fashion when he is not twisting the facts ad libitum. And believe me, these days he is setting new records. In fact, I cannot remember the last time I heard Chavez and thought he might be giving us straight talk.
So, the question is, how many people in Venezuela are only too willing to believe the most outrageous bullshitting of Chavez? I am not talking of those that vote for Chavez for transactional reasons (bolsa de comida, un trabajito) I am talking about those that believe in Chavez, hook, line and sinker. This is not a mere idle speculation, I think that pollsters should investigate that. The opposition strategy should target its message an meager resources in such a way as they do not waste them on these people that nothing ever will convince otherwise, until a new messiah comes around.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
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As I've mentioned in the past we have a family member who is more or less intelligent, worked in a large company as a secretary in Caracas & is now retired in her 3rd age.
ReplyDeleteShe is a devote member of the Chavez cult.
Her WHOLE family is on the other side.
She refutes every fact with the "truths" that emanate from VTV which she watches hours each day.
Any fact put before her is easily refuted by what she hears on VTV - it doesn't matter how outrageous the lies are she believes them.
The rest of us have all been poisoned by GloboVision & the rest of the media.
There is absolutely no point trying to reach this person. It would need a detox specialist in cults.
You mean.... an exorcist?!?!?!
ReplyDeleteWarning
ReplyDeleteWe are not going to discuss in this threat whether Obama is a Muslim. Currently he is not and that is that. Reasons for confusion are irrelevant since Obama presents himself as a Christian and attends Church services. Period. Comments straying form that will be erased just as I would have erased comments on McCain birth in Panama Canal Territory in a similar context.
We are not going to discuss in this threat whether Obama is a Muslim. Currently he is not and that is that. Reasons for confusion are irrelevant since Obama presents himself as a Christian and attends Church services. Period. Comments straying form that will be erased just as I would have erased comments on McCain birth in Panama Canal Territory in a similar context.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the solution is to not make so many comparisons to the US. The "I'm making this comparison of Venezuela to the US but will not discuss whether my comparison with the US is valid nor whether my perception of the US is valid” is rather lame. At least from my point of view.
If you don’t want internal affairs of the US to be discussed- which is to be distinguished from foreign policy affairs of the US- then don’t bring them up.
Your mission statement is about Venezuelan affairs. Stick to them.
Given the many historic, geographic, demographic, economic and cultural differences et al between Venezuela and the US, one is treading on thin ice when making comparisons and analogies between the two countries. Apple, meet orange.
Very often non-US citizens who make statements about the US do not know as much as they think they do. For you, consider “teabagger,” though I give you credit for later admitting same. Brevity here.
Hum...Daniel, write rediculous posts once a while to see if any of your devoted readers defend you. You may not aware that you have created a cult.:)
ReplyDeleteboludo
ReplyDeleteyou are absolutely off the mark.
idiots EVERYWHERE.
what part of EVERYWHERE you do not understand? or should i have waited for a poll about how 20% of french people think sarkozy is not french, considering that half of my readers come from the US?
To me is absolutely intriguing that someone would be willing to believe these things. Its even more mystifying if its an educated person. Not that I know any, I must say.
ReplyDeleteTo me, there's a fundamental disconect when trying to discuss these matters with a commited Chavista. In order to have any sort of meaningful discussion, a minimal amount of agreement is necessary. If all of his/her arguments can be traced back to Chavez being a legitmate ruler, then they're automatically disqualified in my view.
I may be suffering from some kind of blindness here, considering that I pride myself of being Anti-Chavez from before Chavism existed. But I cant get over the feeling that deep down they know most of their arguments are nothing more than wishful thinking. They still think its worth it in view of the alternatives, and since their position is so easily challenged by logic, their only posible option is to go into lock mode.
Then again, one of my main arguments -which I believe you share, Daniel- is that no matter what Chavez does right, the amount of damage caused negates it by a large margin. That may be interpreted as a "locked in" position from someone on the other side.
-The Gremlin
Boludo, I think the point here is that, wherever you go, you will find people who so want to believe in something that they will latch onto some figment and hold that out as "proof" that they must be right. Canuck's example is a good one. Daniel simply used a well-known example that is currently in vogue (there are certainly others he could have chosen, and not just about Obama) as sort of a hook, or reference point perhaps, to make a certain parallel that is more understandable. I think there are some in his audience who benefit from such comparisons. Perhaps not you, but some.
ReplyDeleteThe big difference, of course, is also worth noting. Whereas in the U.S. you have a notable (definitely not majority) group who seek to discredit Obama however they can (very different from those who will disagree on specific issues), the only way the U.S. could be like Venezuela is if Obama himself were seeking to discredit the entire Republican party, the Libertarians, and even the Democrats who disagree with him, using canards and outright fiction. There's a tremendous difference between supporters and a national leader. I'm thankful we haven't (yet) devolved to such a state.