Saturday, June 15, 2013

Life in a Socialist Paradise

...“We Venezuelans have always been very creative,” said Claudia Sucre, who was once kidnapped but managed to fool her abductors into thinking she wasn’t affluent. “We’ve reinvented things so we can live our lives feeling like we’re in a safe place, so as to not lose our enthusiasm.”

So young people invited to parties take their pajamas, staying over to sleep once festivities end and avoid the lonely drive home at night, when they could be kidnapped.

Maria Blasini, 47, spoke of how when she leaves the bank she waves around her deposit slip to ensure that lurking robbers see that her money is in the vault. Many take to the streets with decoy phones — say, the cheap state-made Vergatarios — to avoid losing a $400 smartphone.

Some drive low-key cars because they fear kidnappers target those in fancier vehicles. Soccer moms now install bulletproof plating in their SUVs.

Lately, those who want to attend a wedding or to enjoy a leisurely dinner hire bodyguards — for just a few hours.
Read the rest here.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Because cities in capitalist America are oh so safe.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, it's tough being rich surrounded by poor scum.

Dn Paul said...

I have friends who have lived and worked in Venezuela for years, and where they are now retired (one is an optician, the other an English teacher). Pre-Chavez, there were very many people who were desperately poor, shamelessly exploited, and with no hope of things getting any better.

Post-Chavez, almost the same number of people are still desperately poor, still shamelessly exploited, and are clinging to the futile hope that things might, possibly, get a little better some day.

The Venezuelan government of today is failing its people - and failing badly - but the previous regime was little better. The puppets have new masters, but their strings are tied as tightly as ever. Pray for the suffering people.