Here are a few things that I don’t really want to write a whole post about.
But that are worth mentioning, at least.
With my new goal of “write more” I just might start doing things like this regularly.
Today we’ve got 3 hot topics here in Spain, and around the world: the “rise” of the far right, and Game of Thrones’ final season…
But first, let’s talk about Venezuela.
The end of the regime in Venezuela?
I actually remember back when Hugo Chavez seemed like sort of a cool guy.
Back in 2005 or so, he was the only world leader who was willing to stand up to ol’ GW Bush. And I think he had some plan to send free heating oil to poor families in the US, and bring people from other Latin American countries to Venezuela for free eye surgery.
That was when crude oil was selling for 150 bucks a barrel, though, and Venezuela was riding high.
“Socialism” – best achieved by selling oil on a capitalist marketplace, in exchange for all those evil yankee dollars you hate so much.
Now, it looks like people in Venezuela are paying 200 billion bolivares for half a dozen eggs – after standing in line for most of the day.
Even the lions at the Caracas zoo are starving to death.
I know a lot of people from Venezuela… and personally, I’d love to watch Maduro go out Scarface-style.
But who knows? Most likely he’s already got 10 passports and he can retire on a false identity, with a few billions in gold and a ton of plastic surgery, somewhere beachy.
Maybe he’ll end up producing reggaeton videos in Miami or something.
We’ll see.
Vox, Spain’s 5th most popular political party
All the Vox panic has sort of died down this week.
The results of Sunday’s election make the new far-right party the 5th most popular in Spain.
I’ve read parts of their platform, and they don’t seem to be legitimately “fascist”. Just annoyingly right-wing.
But hey, “rise of fascism” is the best clickbait of this century, so people are going to keep writing about it until it goes out of style.
My thing is: they only got about 10% of the vote.
Do I really have to act shocked and appalled that 10% of people believe some things I disagree with?
How dare they!
Seriously, though…
I bet 10% of people believe in Wookies, if we get right down to it. And probably a lot more than that think the the ghost of their dead grandma is intervening in their life from time to time.
So just relax.
On the other hand, if everybody keeps making a huge deal about the 5th-most-popular party in Spain, giving them billions in free publicity in the process (and I’m talking euros, where 200 billion will actually get you something) we’re gonna end up with another Trump situation.
Why don’t we just ignore Vox, and hope they go away?
(You’re not really changing the world with your long Facebook statuses about politics… do I even need to point that out?)
Just a thought.
And finally…
Game of Thrones: Season 8
Yeah, I’m watching it.
I watched the first couple of seasons of GoT about two years ago, but never really got into it.
I guess I just like a bit more realism in my dramas.
Remembering what’s going on with all the dozens of characters in The Sopranos is fine… but give half of them magical powers and add in a lot of ambiguous prophecies, and I’m just lost.
Anyway, Morena’s got me watching the final season, and I’ve gotta admit, it’s pretty good.
What if Bran Stark is actually the evil Night King in disguise?
Will Samwell finally assume the Iron Throne? (As is surely his right – to be revealed soon!)
I googled one thing about the series, and suddenly my mobile is getting notifications about articles about reddit threads about fan theories all day long.
Oh well…
Perils of Peak TV.
(Also, the amount of time people on my social media are willing to spend trying to pirate the new episodes, just to avoid paying HBO 8€, is kind of hilarious. But whatevs.)
Nothing more for today…
Out,
Mr Chorizo.
P.S. Also, it’s May Day. Now that I think about it, the protest I went to in Phoenix back in ’99 or whatever was probably for May Day. You know, the one I talk about in this article about Catalonia’s General Strike. More about the situation of the class struggle in Working in Spain. Or how about some history of the Russian Revolution? Either way, enjoy!
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