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Marksman_91

(2,035 posts) Mon Oct 10, 2016, 08:34 AM Oct 2016

The Face of Hunger and Malnutrition in Venezuela

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2016/10/face-hunger-malnutrition-venezuela-161007055723064.html

Inflation and food shortages leave Venezuelans trapped in food queues or at the mercy of food smugglers.

Caracas, Venezuela - Venezuela is in the midst of a severe economic crisis. The country, though one of the richest in natural resources, has been called the worst economy of 2016 by the International Monetary Fund, and its inflation rate could reach 700 percent by the end of the year.

Today, the biggest concern for Venezuelans is the food shortage, together with rampant crime and the lack of medicine.

Every day, thousands of people reach supermarkets or shops, sometimes as early as dawn, patiently waiting in long lines just to buy a few pieces of basic food items, such as rice or flour, at a lower price set by the government.

The alternative to "colas" (food lines in Spanish) can be found in expensive supermarkets, where only the wealthy can afford to shop. The others rely on "bachaqueros", or food smugglers who re-sell on the street subsidised goods at much higher prices.

Keep in mind that this is from AL JAZEERA, not one of those news sources that a lot of Venezuela's useful idiots claim to be right-leaning. It's become damn near impossible now to keep defending the failed experiment that is chavismo

7 replies

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The Face of Hunger and Malnutrition in Venezuela (Original Post) Marksman_91 Oct 2016 OP

most of us are so damn lucky in the country dembotoz Oct 2016 #1

powerful post. salin Oct 2016 #2

What, or who, is responsible for this? Marengo Oct 2016 #3

Mostly low oil prices Nevernose Oct 2016 #4

Try not competent at all and even more corrupt and not charismatic whatsoever Marksman_91 Oct 2016 #5

Marksman_91, when were you last in Venezuela? closeupready Oct 2016 #6

About 2 years ago. Marksman_91 Oct 2016 #7

dembotoz

(16,806 posts)

1. most of us are so damn lucky in the country

Reply to Marksman_91 (Original post)

Mon Oct 10, 2016, 10:35 AM

Oct 2016

we have never experienced hunger

we have never or never will be a refugee

guy i know

hmong from se asia....crossed into thailand
lived with his parents in the jungle scrounging for stuff to eat

now in the us for years
citizen
responsible good job

the starvation changed him
to this day he freaks out a bit when food goes to waste
he still has nightmares

salin

(48,955 posts)

2. powerful post.

Reply to dembotoz (Reply #1)

Mon Oct 10, 2016, 11:23 AM

Oct 2016

Marengo

(3,477 posts)

3. What, or who, is responsible for this?

Reply to Marksman_91 (Original post)

Mon Oct 10, 2016, 02:10 PM

Oct 2016

Nevernose

(13,081 posts)

4. Mostly low oil prices

Reply to Marengo (Reply #3)

Mon Oct 10, 2016, 02:44 PM

Oct 2016

Although Chavez's successor is, apparently, not nearly as competent.

Marksman_91

(2,035 posts)

5. Try not competent at all and even more corrupt and not charismatic whatsoever

Reply to Nevernose (Reply #4)

Mon Oct 10, 2016, 04:03 PM

Oct 2016

And these problems have been coming since before the oil prices dropped. It's all due to the Chavista regimes utter incompetence and corruption, nothing to do with the CIA/Illuminati/Lizard people "sabotaging" the Venezuelan economy like some dunces in this site claim

closeupready

(29,503 posts)

6. Marksman_91, when were you last in Venezuela?

Reply to Marksman_91 (Original post)

Mon Oct 10, 2016, 04:11 PM

Oct 2016

Serious question. ?

Marksman_91

(2,035 posts)

7. About 2 years ago.

Reply to closeupready (Reply #6)

Tue Oct 11, 2016, 11:42 AM

Oct 2016

But most of my close friends and family still live there. I haven't been able to get back since my student visa expired last year. And I keep up with the news coming from Venezuelan sources there. Thank God the Chavista government can't censor social media. But you look at TV and radio, though, and you'll see that no channel there covers anything about the opposition protests or anything that might make the Chavista government look bad. The internet is literally the only outlet we have to say the truth, since everything else is under the Maduro administration's control. Even Globovisión, which was the last opposition-owned channel, was bought off by a pro-government magnate back in 2013.

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