# Hugo Chavez passes away.



## labor of love (Mar 5, 2013)

i got the night off from work, and after hearing the news on CNN i feel compelled to check out a couple of documentaries about Chavez and Venezuela. On netflix theres 2 documentaries of interest, the first is by Frontline, and its titled The Hugo Chavez Show. The name alludes to Chavezs own very Oprah like daily talk show where he discusses political topics of the day and basically propagates his policies to the people in Venezuela. I watched this documentary a long time ago and i was pretty impressed with it. The second documentary is called South of The Border, and its directed by oliver stone and it mainly centers around the US medias depiction of Chavez. I know we arent supposed to discuss politics here, but if possible perhaps we could discuss what chavezs passing may mean for Venezuela, and its historical impact-without engaging in a heated political debate? thoughts? sorry if im out of bounds here, just thought id try.


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## WildBoar (Mar 5, 2013)

I had an engineer from Venezuela working for me a few years back. I heard lots of Chavez stories. He did a lot for the poor to remain very popular, yet a lot of what he did kept them all poor. The middle class was almost non-existant, and people with good educations and good jobs had a lot of what they earned taken from them, resulting in a lot of them leaving the country. As an outsider, it sounded a lot like what happens in other countries with essentially dictators. Always won 'elections' with a lot of votes, not unlike Putin...


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## EdipisReks (Mar 5, 2013)

The Venezuelans I know will be celebrating. I should join them, as the last time I went to a Venezuelan party... I don't know, I don't remember it. Good sign!


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## labor of love (Mar 5, 2013)

the next election for president is in 30 days. The vice president assumes power in the meantime. in the first documentary i mentioned, chavez would praise freedom of speech yet put any dissenting media outlets in Venezuela out of business or cancel their license. at the time of the documentary(2008) Venezuela had the largest oil reserves in the western hemisphere.


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## sachem allison (Mar 5, 2013)

his vp just announced that Chavez's cancer was given to him by "foreign Imperialist enemies" IE "America"


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## sachem allison (Mar 5, 2013)

Chavez made that same accusation himself a few times.


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## labor of love (Mar 5, 2013)

on his talk show he would scrutinize bush every day, he would also say hello to castro and wish him well. when he spoke of castro, he would do so in english. no one is sure exactly why. i guess to remind his imaginary american audience that he was allies with castro?


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## Patatas Bravas (Mar 6, 2013)

He is like all leaders and there are some dubious things but it seems he did much good and his popularity was not for show and was quite real amongst followers. Many really appreciated and not many leaders can claim it. Supposedly, he became very anti-US when a former president gave tacit (or more) support to an assassination attempt. Can't blame for that.


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## labor of love (Mar 6, 2013)

in the documentary i watched, an opposition group gathered the 3,000,000 signatures needed to hold a run off election. instead of holding another election chavez disbanded the group and publicly released the signatures essentially blacklisting them. many had to flea the country.


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## Patatas Bravas (Mar 6, 2013)

Yes, I think those benefitting from the status quo before hated him, but the majority of people did like and he seemed to try his best for them.


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## labor of love (Mar 6, 2013)

has he been ill for a while? and has a cause of death been released? it is a little shady that a head of state passes away at the age of 58.


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## WildBoar (Mar 6, 2013)

pretty sure he was battling cancer the last year or so.


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## franzb69 (Mar 6, 2013)

been sharing this for the past two days on facebook. if only a man like that would lead my country. this country would start actually climbing out of poverty. but ah well.... oligarchs rule the country.


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## AFKitchenknivesguy (Mar 7, 2013)

No political correctness here, good riddance and **** him.


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## franzb69 (Mar 7, 2013)

> No political correctness here, good riddance and **** him.



i read on a comment on a youtube vid of him by the young turks that he was only being described as a hero and stuff coz he sold cheap oil to the states and got rich off of the deal (this is according to a venezuelan). he even says that the country will be better without him.

i wouldn't know of what really happened there so i cannot comment.

i only know of what's been written about him.


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## AFKitchenknivesguy (Mar 7, 2013)

I sponsor (stays with me sometimes/feed him/advise him, etc) a student from there. I never liked him before, and really am glad he is gone after talking to Gabriel.


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