Re: [xmca] uncouth: Chavez, Krushev

From: David Preiss (davidpreiss@uc.cl)
Date: Sun Sep 24 2006 - 22:05:56 PDT


I really would love to learn how it was received "up there". I have
seen some stuff online and saw some cnn but not sure what the
environment is in the usa re this NU meeting in general. I guess
people didnīt like it but if you could elaborate that would be great.
Maybe you want to know that Venezuela is fighting for a non-permanent
seat at the NU security council. The US is sponsoring a Guatemalan
candidate. Here in Chile, the media has made a lot of anti chavez
propaganda, the venezuelan ambassador made a very unfortunate
intervention against the Christian democracy, now in power with the
socialists, and the official coalition is split because of the
possible support of venezuela by the government.

The issue has somehow divided the continent (and Chile in particular)
between those supporting venezuela as a way to challenge US
supremacy, and those that dislike Venezuela because of the Chavez
verbal intervention in many other latin american countries during the
last years (Peru, Mexico, Bolivia, and so on). Funny thing, cause if
there is an unimportant role that is of sitting in a non permanent
seat at the NU secutiry council. Alas! As I said in a post before, we
need more of Mafalda. And of course better leaders, everywhere...

On Sep 25, 2006, at 12:21 AM, Tony Whitson wrote:

> I am glad that I provoked this eloquent response from you. You know
> the situation far better than I do.
>
> Please understand that I am not in any way coming to a defense of
> Chavez.
>
> OK, having said all that, I still think much of the reaction here
> in the US to Chavez, as to Kruchev back then (whom I am no more a
> fan of than Chavez) is not based on your kind of knowing criticism,
> but is based on a reaction that would greet any ill-mannered (read:
> class) person. I can accept that this might be something Chavez is
> exploiting as a kind of calculated theater. Still, I think it tells
> us something about those who are reacting, not only those (Chavez,
> Krushev) who are reacted to.
>
> What do you think?
>
> On Mon, 25 Sep 2006, David Preiss wrote:
>
>> I think that Chavez knows very well what he is doing. And the guy
>> has charisma and knows how to use it. He is just playing his cord
>> and acting in a very rational way. Of course, he got publicity and
>> he capitalized on worldwide anti-Americanism. But I don't think
>> that nobody benefitted from it, and most certainly didn't
>> Venezuelan poor, whom notwithstanding living in one of the richest
>> countries in the world, given Venezuela's natural resources, are
>> being exploited, along with their needs, by the narcissistic needs
>> of this guy. I don't think that Latin America needs another leader
>> who is going to remain more than 50 years in power and that might
>> expose his people again to a new american like embargo. I don't
>> think that we need more pseudo-leftist populism. I don't think
>> that we need leaders that misuse the needs of our poor and the
>> rage against the USA to sit forever in power. What we need is
>> more democracy, more human rights, more civil liberties, and all
>> those things that people in the developed world can enjoy and take
>> for granted. Please don't do like Gunther Grass who liked Castro
>> for Latin America but of course did not like a guy like him for
>> Europe. As for Chomsky, I don't think that a guy like him would
>> resist one day really living under Chavez, Castro or any of their
>> nemesis...
>> DP
>>
>> On Sep 24, 2006, at 11:52 PM, Tony Whitson wrote:
>>
>>> Maybe Chavez is no saint or hero; but whatever might be said
>>> about him, it strikes me that there is some commonality between
>>> the incident of his speech last week, and that of Krushev
>>> pounding his shoe on the table at a UN GA meeting some 40+ years
>>> ago.
>>> Much of the ridicule seems to have as much to do with social
>>> class as it does with anything else. If you are suave and
>>> sophisticated and "diplomatic," theres a lot more you can get
>>> away with.
>>> Meanwhile, why couldn't Chavez have held up one of our books and
>>> told everybody in the world to read it (Chomsky has skyrocketed
>>> to #1, in the US and worldwide)?
>>> What do you think?
>>> Tony Whitson
>>> UD School of Education
>>> NEWARK DE 19716
>>> twhitson@udel.edu
>>> _______________________________
>>> "those who fail to reread
>>> are obliged to read the same story everywhere"
>>> -- Roland Barthes, S/Z (1970)
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> xmca mailing list
>>> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
>>> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> xmca mailing list
>> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
>> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
>>
>
> Tony Whitson
> UD School of Education
> NEWARK DE 19716
>
> twhitson@udel.edu
> _______________________________
>
> "those who fail to reread
> are obliged to read the same story everywhere"
> -- Roland Barthes, S/Z (1970)
> _______________________________________________
> xmca mailing list
> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
>

_______________________________________________
xmca mailing list
xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca



This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Oct 01 2006 - 01:00:05 PDT