You know what would be nice? Like, real fucking nice?
If both conservatives and marxists/socialists/communists stopped using Venezuela's situation to further their own agendas and political ideologies.
You know why? Because is a shitty thing to do. Every time someone from either of those groups says something about Venezuela is a lie. A historical fallacy or simply inaccurate. And, as a venezuelan woman (with a basic knowledge of her own country's history), who's lived her whole life here, is exhausting to have to read the same shit over and over again.
The other day I had to read an idiot praising Chavez for giving the LGBTQ venezuelan community "full rights and participation" Which, as you might have guessed, is not true. Gay couples in Venezuela can't marry, adopt or start surrogacy proccesses. In fact, both Chavez and Maduro were very fond of using homophobic insults against their oponents. Trans people can't legally change their names unless they've had surgery, if you're curious about this situation I urge you to (respectfully) contact Tamara Adrian, member of the National Assembly and transgender woman (@TamaraAdrian on twitter) about it, she legally asked to change her name in 2002 and still has no answer. I suspect some meassure of punishment, as she is an opposition representative.
Women in Venezuela can't have legal abortions, unless carrying the pregnancy to term puts their lives in danger, and if they have them they can face up to two years of jail time for it. You don't want to spend a day in a Venezuelan jail.
I've seen people from both groups either praise or trash Chavez for "socialiazing" education. Education in Venezuela has been considered a right, is obligatory and free since 1896 during the government of Guzman Blanco. That's 102 years before Chavez even ran for elections. 98 Years before he attempted his coup d'etat. Similarily I've seen people, from both groups, claim that Chavez "socialized" higher education. Public Universities have been free in Venezuela since 1958, that's a whole four decades before Chavez ever ran for president. Not to mention the ones who say that Chavez "created" 14 new universities, another lie. All he did was rename already existing institution. And on top of this, private Education still exists in Venezuela.
What else? Oh, the health care claims. Either to praise or to trash are wrong. Every time. The IVSS (Venezuelan institute of Social Security) exists since 1946. Both public and private employees have had access to it for more than 50 years. Not to mention I was born in a public hospital and my parents didn't have to pay a cent, in 1993, five years before Chavez was elected.
Actually, all the "socialized programs" claims I've seen are wrong. And, either, the people spreading them know they're wrong and still use them or they're ignorant. The most successful social programs implemented in Venezuela existed before Chavez's government. Cesta-Tickets? 1997. The highest number of public schools built in a Presidential period belongs to Luis Herrera Campins who was elected in 1978. Twenty years before Chavez.
Venezuela has had one of the more proggressive work laws in Latin America since 1973. Twenty five years before Chavez.
Not to mention the Habitional Politic Law, that grants people subsides to buy houses (in fact, my aunt bought her house this way) in 1991, I think.
So Venezuela had socialized programs before Chavez, children, and they worked. Whatever it is Conservatives and marxists/socialists/communists are saying on tumblr or twitter... Ask a Venezuelan before you go blurting out whatever shit they're saying.
Whatever these people say, is probably innacurate and a way to further their own political ideas and agendas in their own countries, wherever they're from. But since they love to make everything about the USA (both groups) is highkey possible they're Americans with no real knowledge of Venezuela's sitiation or history. And whatever you do, don't believe anything @codepink-for-peace says.
Keep in mind, also, that these two groups looooove to think they're diametrically different, but will act exactly the same and try to shut you up if you say something that does not align with what they wanna say.
