In Defense Of "But Look, The People Are Celebrating!" Two Latin American Writers Get Right What So Many Miss, When They Conflate Sharing Venezuelans' Joy With Globalist/Imperialist/Trump Apologia

I Can Chew Gum And Walk; AND I Can Deplore The NeoCons WHILE Being Moved By The Reaction Of The Venezuelans. A Chilean Writer Said It Best

Link to An Observer’s Substack (Teresa L) here.

From Doc Malik’s piece:

I respect both of these writers a great deal; In the case of Teresa, I strongly urged her to take herself seriously as a writer, in 2020, because of how original her work is, and the quality of her thoughts. I feel a similar deep appreciation for Doc Malik.

That said— I strongly disagree with them on this.

The following paragraph does not reflect what either of them wrote, exactly, but others I’ve seen in recent days. Those countless voices on social media who are locked into a setting: “We deplore US imperialism (I do too) and therefore, we refuse to share in or acknowledge the joy of the Venezuelan people.”

They’re everywhere.

It’s a discomfort with the elation of the Venezuelans, and a kind of contempt for those of us who paused to acknowledge the joy of the Venezuelan people. I knew it would be conflated and distorted, exactly like this, as if it implied an endorsement of Trump, the Neo-cons, Israel, and the globalist axis. I knew we would be reduced to rubes and tools.

I find it dismissive, reductive, and in its way, imperial.

To not take interest in the majority of Venezuelans, to not report their reactions— to not really be interested in how they feel? If it does not fit in with our geopolitical persuasions and leanings?

I was very clear in my own initial posting that I was shocked at the capture/kidnapping of the Maduros, AND interested in, and moved by, the reactions of the Venezuelan people. They are two entirely different points of commentary to my mind: One is geo-political, the other personal.

There are also many Venezuelans who are horrified, angry, and demanding Maduro be returned as their rightful President.

I know.

But the street is the street—and the story on the street is clear: Tears of joy.

That’s important, and interesting, and entirely valid.

My son’s best friend is Venezuelan, lives in Granada. I asked my son to ask Gus what he and his family feel—his mother lives in Venezuela, (mostly.)

My son said: “Gus says most people are elated. And that Maduro was horrible—much worse than Chavez.”

That alone doesn't prove anything, I know, but I’m not building a thesis on Gus alone, but rather, he is the only ‘ordinary’ Venezuelan I know.

I also once worked for Venezuelan/ Norwegian founder of Human Rights Foundation (HRF) Thor Halvorssen, in 2007. Halvorssen is part of Venezuela’s wealthy elite— a fascinating person, passionate about freedom, and he gave me a job when my journalism career was severed, so I’m indebted.

I listened and I learned that year—about Latin America, and especially Venezuela—which HRF’s nation of most focus, due to Thor’s background.

I’m no expert, but I’m also not a rube, who only knows people are crying on the streets of Caracas on X but lacks insight as to why.

Reporters are supposed to seek out and reflect the views of people, other people, allow them to be real, ask them how they feel and why.

I searched all day for a piece that felt original, and empathic, on the subject of Venezuela, and found it in tweets from two writers: The Chilean writer Rafael Gumicio, and Argentinian gay novelist Felippe Galli. Gumicio’s family fled the Pinochet regime, and he is, understandably, by his own description, a Latin American leftist. And this leftist—so different from me politically— produced my single favorite writing on all this.

Gumicio wrote a rebuke to the dismissers:

My favorite passage:

Here it is in full:

Galli, meanwhile, wrote:

Silver lining:

Via Gumicio, who wrote a book about the Chilean “anti-poet” Nicanor Parra, I developed a new obsession, for a new poet, today.

Parra, who lived to be 103, once wrote:

”United States—the country where freedom is a statue.”