and future prospects, in the Gallup Well-being poll last year. It is basically a happiness poll.
5th in the world!
I can't remember now which four countries got even higher ratings by their citizens. Finland tied with Venezuela. The U.S., of course, was way down on the list. Denmark may be in the top four.
But I do think that it's very very notable that nobody north of the Rio Grande knows this--that Venezuelans are HAPPY--feel personally secure and well-off, and have faith in the future. The portrayal of Venezuela in the corporate 'news' monopoly, and by rightwing posters here at DU, echoing the corporate 'news' monopoly, is so distorted as to be wholly wrong IN THE ESTIMATION OF VENEZUELA'S OWN PEOPLE.
By objective criteria, they have never had it so good--as to poverty reduction, new educational opportunity, new access to health care, good jobs, good wages, good benefits, high employment, high public participation and other quantifiables. But this positive picture is also internal, in their personal assessments of their well-being. According to the corporate 'news' monopoly and the rightwing, Venezuela is virtually a dystopia--an apocalyptic nightmare. NOT to Venezuelans! How can this be? The corporate 'news' monopoly and the rightwing hugely EXAGGERATE, and often misinterpret, every flaw in the government and the country, and every negative event--floods, drought, crime--even when the government is actively responding to a problem. They ONLY report the problems. They NEVER report the government's achievements, responsiveness and goals.
One particular misinterpretation has been applied to electricity and food shortages. Both of these shortages are in part due to Venezuelans' new purchasing power. They are buying new appliances and using more electricity, on a big scale. Then the drought hit, and hydro-electric power was affected. All of this is portrayed as the FAULT of the government. But new purchasing power is not a fault--it is an achievement! The same with food. Venezuela is now "THE most equal country in Latin America" on income distribution, according to the UN Economic Commission on Latin America and the Caribbean. ERGO, Venezuelans who could barely put food on the table before can now buy more food. (The government has also documented massive food and other products hoarding by predatory capitalists trying to drive prices up and trying to bring the government down.) There may be faults in the government. What government is free of faults--failing to anticipate problems, for instance? But that is NOT the whole story. The whole story is the massive upward mobility of Venezuela's poor majority--from people barely able to scrape by, into CONSUMERS--people with money to spend, people with new wants and needs, putting new pressure on existing infrastructure and systems.
You know what hope is? Hope is feeling that problems CAN BE SOLVED. The Chavez government has solved so many problems--such as those listed above (poverty reduction, educational opportunity, etc.)--that were utterly neglected by previous governments, that people feel HOPEFUL--and this was reflected in the Gallup poll, along with particular personal advances in employment or other gains (education, housing, health care, et al) and future prospects. If you believe that your government and your society CAN solve problems, you feel optimistic, even if there are a lot of problems yet to be solved.
5th in the world! That is amazing, given the IMPRESSION of Venezuela that hostile corporate media and the rightwing create.
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