Let me tell you that I am a 48 year old Romanian who was born and spent the first part of his life (19 years) in the "Communist paradise" of Nicolae Ceausescu. What is happening in Venezuela now, I lived through, firsthand in Romania. I know only too well what's happening in Venezuela. At no point watching John Oliver's show I was under the impression that he's trying to justify either Chavez or Maduro's policies in any way.
Methinks that what these guys are doing is an unwarranted application of "transitivity": "Venezuela = Socialism" therefore "All Socialism necessarily leads to Venezuela" That is too simplistic - "socialism" is just a sometimes convenient political tag to get elected (or, in America, prevent someone you dislike from getting elected). There are many shades of "socialism", it's not a "AOC" like "feta cheese" or "Bordeaux wine".
For me John Oliver at no point defends the Venezuelan regime nor socialism in general, quite the contrary. It is rather this movie that is peddling fallacies - the most important one being that if one can, by any means, attach the "socialist" tag to someone else's policies then inevitably those policies are going to lead to Venezuelan-like collapse. Or that because he's not "horrified" about something ("being horrified" about something tends to ruin a comedy show) then he is necessarily admiring that thing - that is a fallacy
Let me be very clear, I believe the socialist ideas are really misguided and unsound economically - I lived and watched France for many years go from bad to worse under socialist leadership and socialist economic policies.
But I can debate a socialist, I don't need to demonize him nor do a hysteric show about it.
These guys are too worked out there I believe.
Let me tell you that I am a 48 year old Romanian who was born and spent the first part of his life (19 years) in the "Communist paradise" of Nicolae Ceausescu. What is happening in Venezuela now, I lived through, firsthand in Romania. I know only too well what's happening in Venezuela. At no point watching John Oliver's show I was under the impression that he's trying to justify either Chavez or Maduro's policies in any way.
Methinks that what these guys are doing is an unwarranted application of "transitivity": "Venezuela = Socialism" therefore "All Socialism necessarily leads to Venezuela" That is too simplistic - "socialism" is just a sometimes convenient political tag to get elected (or, in America, prevent someone you dislike from getting elected). There are many shades of "socialism", it's not a "AOC" like "feta cheese" or "Bordeaux wine".
For me John Oliver at no point defends the Venezuelan regime nor socialism in general, quite the contrary. It is rather this movie that is peddling fallacies - the most important one being that if one can, by any means, attach the "socialist" tag to someone else's policies then inevitably those policies are going to lead to Venezuelan-like collapse. Or that because he's not "horrified" about something ("being horrified" about something tends to ruin a comedy show) then he is necessarily admiring that thing - that is a fallacy
Let me be very clear, I believe the socialist ideas are really misguided and unsound economically - I lived and watched France for many years go from bad to worse under socialist leadership and socialist economic policies.
But I can debate a socialist, I don't need to demonize him nor do a hysteric show about it.