We talk about the limits of a repressive strategy in sustaining a government with no authority, and it all sounds kind of vague. But really, it isn’t hard. It’s simple.
Crushingly Simple.
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Y entonces? Si no los ponemos en 3 y 2, para que estos que dudan tengan que definirse, para que todos estos “represores light ” brinquen o se encaramen, no se logra romper al régimen.
Cuando tenemos gente en la calle para marcharlos a un objetivo y así forzar reprensión indebida nos achicopalamos…. O será que las intenciones es otra y seguir mareando a las masas.
Coincido con el mensaje del vídeo, pero cuestionó la ejecución de tareas que capilalicen en estas realidades.
If things were that simple, the Castro brothers wouldn’t have been where they have been for almost 60 years.
You see, the video above is incomplete. It´s missing the part were the guy texts back to her daugther:
“Si mihija, ya sé, pero no me queda otra que seguir dándole palo a esta gente, porque si no lo hago, capaz y el colega que tengo al lado me eche paja y termine yo botado si no es que preso. No puedo confiar en ninguno de estos comemierda que trabajan conmigo, así que mejor hago lo que me mandan a hacer, porque aunque me paguen mal, soy el único con un ingreso estable en la familia, y si perdemos eso, ahí si es verdad que estamos jodidos.”
This is the problem. There are not enough good people left in a position of power to make changes from within.
There are simply no good cops left.
A couple of days ago, a couple of FANB grunts who were deployed to Margarita for the Cumbre approached me in the panaderia where I was having coffee. They asked if I knew the manager of the cafe, and could I ask him to give them some bread because they hadn’t eaten yet that day. As it happened, I had just ordered some bread and when it came, I shared several slices with each of them. While they were eating, we had a chance to chat. Let me assure you that they were as thoroughly demoralized as whipped puppies. Now, these two were not the sharpest knives in the drawer, so I didn’t bother to discuss politics or morality with them. So, if the time comes, and they are ordered to attack protesters, would they do so? That is hard to say. I am sure it would depend on the circumstances. However, I can guarantee you that, if they did, their heart would not be in it and they would not try very hard, or for very long.
After that short chat, a very officious Chavista political official saw them chatting with me and chewed them out for it. They left, but out of sight of the suit, they gave me a grateful nod.
Asking a military or police officer to go against their mates is like asking them to cut off a finger. It just doesn’t happen in the ranks. It happens when a leader is forced to make choices.
One thing Maduro and Chavistas have done really well is eradicate all forms of “individual thought” with their leaders. It is all group speak at this point. The military units in every country count on this unit cohesion for their strength.
Maduro put in a strong military leader who he either trusts or fears more than Chaves. It could be said that Maduro obeys the military over the people.
Good luck to all the people of VZ and peace be with you.
I agree that the grunts won’t make the decision to rebel against orders. But there is a big difference between the actions of demoralized soldiers and ones with a strong “esprit de corp”. These soldiers do not believe in the righteousness of what they are doing. I suppose it is really in the hands (and hearts) of the junior officers.
Nobody knows. There’s the Velvet Revolution and there’s Tiananmen square. Tehran and Tunisia. The difference could be explained by deep historical forces, or the mood of a particular officer on a particular day. When it works out, it is unbelievable, and not the other way around.
Speaking of “basic problems”, this NYT article tackles the current dire state of PDVSA.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/21/world/americas/venezuela-oil-economy.html?_r=0
[…] that amazing video we posted yesterday noting the way Venezuelan soldiers’ families are going through the same crisis we all are? Today, […]
Hey, the people who made this Video are doing a political task from their point of view, and we must support and respect the way they think democracy could be achieved, even if we consider it naive or lacking.