Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been wrongly demonized by numerous media outlets and American citizens.
If you ask most Americans what they know about Chavez, they would probably refer to his calling Bush “the devil.” However, unlike most people who criticize Bush, Chavez cited a book by a great scholar, Noam Chomsky, to back up his hatred for the American president and his foreign policy.
Media ranging from the San Francisco Chronicle to CNN to the New York Times have portrayed Chavez in a negative light (usually by titles, like “the firebrand”). But one rarely hears about how Chavez has helped the poor people in his country.
First, since Chavez took office, inflation and unemployment have decreased, according to the World Bank Group.
Second, before Chavez came into power, millions of poor people needed medical and dental care. Now, many people who never received such care get it in free clinics, according to political scientist Michael Parenti.
Third, “Bolivarian Missions” have been instituted under Chavez, according to Parenti and wikipedia.org. These programs are “anti-poverty initiatives” that aim to improve education, nutrition, healthcare, housing, indigenous rights, science and more.
Fourth, education-even at the university level-is now free in Venezuela, Parenti said.
Finally, even though I admit things haven’t been perfect under Chavez (for instance, crime rates have almost tripled, according to The Economist), the Venezuelan leader has made a lot of progress in his country.
Therefore, instead of resorting to name-calling or lumping Chavez into the “evil leftist” group, at least take a longer look at the beneficial social accomplishments under his leadership.