@Zeouterlimits:
Yeah, thanks. I'm used to speaking with Spanish speakers in L.A. and in Tijuana, Mexico. A lot of proper words get put through the ringer. I'm used to "Almuerzo" being used to mean "breakfast", but I do see that most Spanish to English translations online say it's "lunch" or "snack".

So can "colocar" be used to say "take care of"? I my use of "colocar" is "to locate"

latecustomer

They could use a good spanish translator.. talk about spangrish.

Akvj1n

... Having read more of it, it looks to me like they just Babelfished the thing.

It's basically English written out in Spanish words. If I read it and change the words back to English it makes sense.

It still sucks.

Pandemic, please. I'll translate stuff like this for very, VERY cheap. Give me a job. You're just showing the world you don't know squat about Spanish.

Dave Silva

Wow...the spanish on this thing is attrocious. I don't care enough to even read it, but the little I've read is horrible. I can't believe they couldn't just pay a spanish speaker to translate this...it looks like they just wrote it in word and then translated it with Babel Fish or some crap.

fdisk

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH

This is translated so badly it friggin' HURTS!

Dave Silva

@latecustomer: Almuerzo is lunch, not breakfeast {desayuno}.
Ah I see Noks already pointed that out.

Zeouterlimits

I'm hoping the next one takes place in Malaysia, just so I can make a cheap joke about "Imma chargin Malaysia".

Yes, that's all it takes to greatly amuse me. I'm ashamed.

ShaggE

Whoa, it doesn't make any sense.
They need a better translator, that's for sure.

Fulgurator

I hope they sent 20 to Hugo Chavez!

Acute Gamer

Comic

Big guy: "Hey kid, Im gonna hurt you."

Lil kid: "gulp"

Lil kid: "someone help! I'll give you my lunch if you help me. Pleeeaassse!"

Mercenary: " I don't care much for your lunch, but
I will take your cash."

lil kid: "gulp.... fine."

Mercenary: " The time has come to take care of you!"

Big guy: "gulp"

Caption: Do it for the money!

Noks415

The strip is pretty "Meh", but here we go:

Panel 1:
Bully: Hey kid, I'm gonna make make harm to you!"

Kid: (Gulp)

Panel 2
Kid: Someone help me! I'll give you my breakfast if you help me. PLEEEEASE!

Panel 3
Merc: I don't care about your breakfast, but I'll take your money!

Kid: (Gulp)

Panel 4
Kid: ... okay.

Merc: The time has come to "locate" this one!"

Panel 5
Bully: (Gulp)

Panel 6
Caption: Do it for the money!

Note: I don't know if it's a difference in dialect or if the writer is a little off, but that's how it reads in spanish.

latecustomer

it was funny at all.

frankbeans

Tried to call the number but it was busy :(. Website is not up yet either.

darthmole12

@liquid_kore: Nope, actually it's pretty lame... and they need a better spanish translator xD

Also, when I saw the date I knew that it wasn't real: The day always goes first (in spanish)

Chopper_Mike

:( i can't speak spanish.

Cchrist

Hmm... The comic doesn't make too much sense, it's in the spanish equivalent of engrish, from what I gather, it is about a kid bullying another kid for money.

TheContender

@liquid_kore: it was pretty funny.

Noks415

Hugo is going to have a FIELD day with this thing. Way to spark an international incident and outrage for marketing purposes Pandemic.

Modus_Operandi

Anything of interest/Easter Eggs like maybe clues to upcoming games...?

Hardcore Spanish Translators, you know what to do.

Dr.Chocobo

classy, very classy

phantomlink

Anybody who can read the comic think it's funny? Just curious.

liquid_kore

@vanderblade: Yea, so do I.

Noks415

Well, color me a socialist, but I support Chavez. Think what you will.

vanderblade

ojalá en la ultima mision halla que disparar a chavez en la cabeza =)

xzero

@Drake Lake: You are right. I guess skipped the "and" when reading through the article.

I apologize to Brian and the readers, it's just sometimes a "touchy" issue.

Maybe I've been staring too long at the computer screen...

Anyway, I apologize for my mistake. However, the comments on the translation still stand ;-)

Pibe38

@latecustomer: @Noks415: Thanks for the translation! Although it wasn't very funny at-least I'm not going to wonder what it said the rest of my life haha.

liquid_kore

@Pibe38:
"Unless your from Venezuela AND have a stick up your ass," buddy.

Drake Lake

If someone doesn't do it, I'll get it translated by tonight. I would right now but it's almuerzo time.

@Modus_Operandi:
...Are you serious?...

Drake Lake

@latecustomer: Colocar means "to place". It's not used very often.

My guess is that the guy meant to say "It's time to put this guy in his place."

Dave Silva

No offense to Brian Crecente (author), but just because someone is in Venezuela or is from Venezuela it means that we "have a stick up our ass".

On the contrary, there are millions of Venezuelans struggling to live a normal life just because of the things Hugo Chavez (Venezuelan President) has done.

I am from Venezuela and have been living in the US for a couple of years, my family is still back there and some of the stories we hear can only be categorized as horror stories.

Don't get me wrong, I completely support the release of the game and oppose anything that comes from Hugo's mouth. This comment is not about the game, I just felt that the over-generalization was a bit over the top by categorizing everyone in a country just because of what the president and his followers have done.

And yes, I understand that the president was at some point elected. But unfortunately there are other facts that I will not get into detail so that this doesn't become a politics discussion of another country that I know most people won't care about.

Just do some research on all the protests and manifestations that Venezuelans have participated in hopes that it will have some impact on the future of the country.

As far as the actual newspaper, as said above, the translation is horrible. Starting with the month where they combined August (English) with Agosto (Spanish) to end up with Augosto.

However, the idea is pretty cool. Both websites and phone numbers are not active though.

Pibe38

LoL yes it has some funny things on it. like "for Sale a soviet jetfighter".. like chavez thinks everyones wants to fight him and recently he bought some sukois jets, ak47, some choppers, also in "se solicita empleo", some proffesional in ID falsification.. something pretty common right now.. even cubans are venezuelans right now.. "if you want it you got it"..thats the policy here right now.. of course you have to vote for chavez.. and next to that one someone is offering his "abbilities" to kill, rob, explosions, you name it.. something the venezuelans seems to do often now..
now that i read the whole thing, its pretty funny.. till i have to get out of my office back to reality.. this guys are really well informed about the situation in my country..

juanmiglesias

@juanmiglesias: vanderblade is entitled to his opinion. I completely understand where you are coming from. I'm not saying Chavez is great guy, far from it, but not everything is so black and white. I know Venezuelans who hate him with a passion and I know some who completely support him. I don't think you are really opening everyone's eyes.

Noks415

This is a little editorial to further explain what Juanmiglesias was getting at: [www.latimes.com]

eastx

@HaydenTenno: I like some of the "inside jokes", for example, on the newspaper they talk about a General Carmona... but in reality, Pedro Carmona was once appointed President, for like a day, during a failed coup against Hugo Chavez.

I assume this is being done on purpose, if not, it's one heck of a coincidence.

Pibe38

vander blade: i propose something to you..i move to your country and you move to mine (Venezuela) and we talk later.. if you survive the second most dangerous city in the world ;)... the only thing i dont like about this game.. is that at the end its isnt real... some facs of Venezuela, in the almost 10 dictatorial/democratic years of chavez the country earned 750.000.000.000$ and they spent only about 10% on us venezuelan... everything else..who knows...probably in the wrong hands... if you call that socialism...
people open your eyes.. this guy.. aint worth anything..
150 average violent deaths a week... (firearms, robs)..
BTW... did you know right now we have a 5% inflation on ecanomy per month? and on january we manage a record of 40%?... so every month your money is worth about 8% less...
how ironic seen people outside venezuela supporting this little devil...
sorry to misslead the post, but its important for me to open everyone eyes with some reality.

juanmiglesias

I'm sooo glad that Pandemic delayed Mercs 2. You can tell how much it's improved over the extra year they had.

HaydenTenno

@eastx: Yeah, as Drake Lake pointed out and I replied to him... I missed the "and" on the post.

It was my bad and I apologized on my post above.

Pibe38

@vanderblade: Well, that doesn't make you a very good person, does it?

@Pibe38: Umm, he wasn't insulting all Venezuelans. Just the ones that would take offense with a fictional game using Venezuela as a setting (and such people do exist).

eastx

@Pibe38:
's cool, dude, sometimes we just read it real fast and don't catch it.

Drake Lake

@juanmiglesias: Im not disagreeing with you. I know its bad over there and If you pay for my airline ticket I'll gladly over there and play Mercenaries 2 with you. I'm just trying to say that people can have opposing opinions to what you believe, but that doesn't mean that they are ignorant of the situation.

Noks415

Dear Pandemic:
Good idea, flawed execution. "Venezuela made eruption in violence and chaos on Sunday when the troops of military launched multiple attacks against positions of the key government, bringing to killing and discomfort the South American country." Next time, try using a person instead of the Google language tools.

Other than the atrocious Spanish, this is freaking hilarious. Well, that comic fails epically because of the bad Spanish, but the idea was cool. Protip: You don't say "Swallow of saliva" in English, either.

I guess it's not so funny when you have Venezuelan pride. It's like how Chavez and his antics are funny, unless you're the Venezuelan middle class. Meanwhile, for the rest of us, "¿Por que no te callas?" was one of the best moments of international politics EVER.

Señor Conquistador

Noks415: again i invite you to venezuela, live a couple of months and we talk.. im really a non politic person.. every president here has been a disaster. but the situation now is out of control... really its pretty bad, the ones that supports him is only because the make money with it.. or because they hate people that have some or a lot of money (well earned), it seems pretty black or white.. but its like that.. i live here what else do you need to know... i see every single day how my country is becoming a zone war.. its pretty sad really... its too long to explain to everyone but anyone who wants to talk can private message me.. :)
" if politicians were meant to tell the truth, then it wouldnt be politics in the first place".

juanmiglesias

@moclippa: COME ON! Do you even know if the goddamn president of Venezuela was even elected by venezuelans?? In fact,do you have the certainty that your president was elected by the people of your country, or that all the elections that are made in your country are clean? I higly doubt there's a clean election in MOST countries...

Besides, why has this post become a political disscusion when it was only showing how a studio can be REALLY CHEAP when translating a simple text....

Daniel Páez (PSN ID: dapalon)

@moclippa: And it's also easy to pick on a country far far away, when you only know like 1% of the reality they're living...

Daniel Páez (PSN ID: dapalon)

@liquid_kore: Not really. No, it's about lunch and getting it or something. It's not funny.

CONFUSEDgam3r

No, I'm just saying it makes more sense to have the game based in Columbia... The country is the highest recipient of military foreign aid from the US, and the 3rd highest recipiant of general foreign aid. There is a significant insurgency going on there, and private military contractors work all over it... it seems like that sort of setting would be much more ample in relation to what this game is about from a situational and historic point of view. Venezuela doesn't make sense save for the fact that it has an elected socialist in power that is demonized by most of the world for no real reason other then his being a threat to regional interests of foreign powers and local elite groups.

moclippa

That's some horrid spanish right there. Even the stuff in the big bold letters is wrong. August is spelled Agosto not Augosto.

lurkaku

Huh?

moclippa

@moclippa:
Fake post?

Grey_Fox

Poor Chavez, that guy is picked on by everyone, and now his entire country is being demonized... I'd like to see this game done about Columbia, that's where the real insurgency is happening. I suppose its easier to pick on the media bad guy rather then the factual bad guys anyways.

moclippa

"No, I'm just saying it makes more sense to have the game based in Columbia..."

It's 'Colombia', man... -.-

"Venezuela doesn't make sense save for the fact that it has an elected socialist in power that is demonized by most of the world for no real reason other then his being a threat to regional interests of foreign powers and local elite groups."

Really? Demonized for no real reason? Did you know that we were an inch from starting a war with Colombia only because the president wanted? Did you know he use cocaine? How often do you search info about Venezuela and what happens here? Have you been here at least? ... Don't talk about something you don't know. Read about it first

Chopper_Mike

That's not funny at all, the spanish doesn't make any sense at all. Maten a estos idiotas por escribir cosas estupidas y que no tienen sentido.

neoraul20

Well... We are getting off topic, and your post about knowing if a president was elected with any certainty is quite ill thought out. We have tons of independent election monitoring agencies, in the case of Venezuala throughout Chavez's term they have been almost unanimous in calling all the elections and referendums results a fair representation of what the population wanted, regardless of minor irregularities that occurred between various polling sites.

Generally if you want to know if the president of your country was fairly elected, check the sizable number of independent monitors reporting on site.... if the country has a nasty habit of kicking out election monitors, or strikes low in fairness across the board, then you can reasonably assume the election was not a fair representation.

I don't mean to get into a debate about this with you over a gaming forum, but one should just be clear that statements like yours are baseless and reek of the conspiratorial stench of 9-11 truthers. There is information out there, make use of it.

moclippa

@Erwin: yes

Noks415

Chopper_Mike, I do actually know enough about it to know that they were pulled into that war because Colombia (thanks for that correction) had pulled them into it after illegally crossing Ecuador's border without UN Security Council approval. Throughout that time, Chavez repeatedly stated that he did not want to move into war, but that he was defending his own border, because Colombia had demonstrated it was willing to dismiss International Law and cross state borders to achieve their own objectives.

Did you know Barak Obama used Cocaine as well? Or that George Bush was an alcoholic frequent cocaine user and a wife beater? That Bill Clinton got a blow job in the oval office? As far as Chavez using cocaine, it shouldn't factor into the debate at all, its his state policies one should be concerned with, not his personal character. For all I care, he could be having drug filled orgies each weekend... at the end of the day, I won't lower myself to criticizing his character, but rather what his policies were in office. If he does the job effectively and produces good policies, I'm fine with him chewing on a coca plant (which is what he was doing, not snorting cocaine) every so often.

moclippa

@Noks415, latecustomer:
Do most Venezuelans gulp in six syllables, and only in their mind?

Erwin

Noks415: sorry if i was a little harsh.. but its a sensitive topic.. most of it when is something that affects you directly... i would love to pay everyone a ticket.. you would love venezuela.. the womens, the people, the beaches, everything besides politics and security is beautiful!.
maybe some day when the situation gets better ill invite you!.

i cant wait to play this game seems pretty awesome, just knowing it goes in venezuela im asking myself what im going to see on the scenarios.. maybe my home LoL...

juanmiglesias

Thanks Pibe.
Vzahora.com is up now.

moclippa

I won't really get into the political debate... I don't think this is the place for it, and I also believe everyone is entitled to their opinion. Whether the opinion is an informed one or not, it's a whole different issue.

Anyway... one of the sites from the "newspaper" is up, but it's only a JPG image imitating a website: [www.privacyfinancial.com]

[www.vzahora.com] is not up yet, it displays the Apache server root directory at the moment.

Pandemic, if you need translation services with a Venezuelan flavor, let me know ;-)

I don't think [www.google.co.ve] does a very good job at it.

Pibe38

This link will take you to the English version of the "newspaper": [www.vzahora.com]

Pibe38

Pure awesome. I'd love to see the look on Chavez's face when someone shows this to him.

@Noks415: He didn't say people weren't entitled to have their own opinions. Your statement sounds as if you don't think juanmiglesias should state his opinion or offer his side of the story. He said he thought the guy needed to know more about what it is to live under Chavez, and he gave a couple of examples of how things are bad there. I for one didn't know how many deaths they had there regularly or that their inflation was so ridiculous. There are still plenty of "black and white" situations in the world. A lot of the grey area is only grey if you don't have enough information to see the difference between black and white. Vanderblade gave no reasoning behind why he backed Chavez. juanmiglesias added to the conversation by explaining his perspective, being a resident of Venezuela. If you have something to add that would counter his personal experience living there, then I would invite you to offer that information. Just saying some people support him really doesn't add to the conversation.

Spartan1308

@juanmiglesias: Yes, it's sad. I've been there a few times because that's where most of my family is, and every time it gets worse and worse. :(

Also, the Spanish is pretty bad. August isn't even spelled correctly.

Tako Attack

Im from venezuela and this people obviously only knows what is happening here thanks to fox news or cnn. The words invade venezuela are kind of alarming and only fuels a delicate situation with two of the most mediocre and rotten goberments, USA current administration and the chavez revolution. the spanish in this add only confirm that this game is made by assholes that dont even bothered into finding a native spanish speaker for the publicity, maybe they went with some "free online translation". Are you agree with this kind of thing ?, not as a gamer but as a person with common sense. By the way brian crecente, Im offended, I come here for video games news, not for offences like the " sitck in yo ass" pearl, I demmand an apologize

kamisama

@kamisama: p.s. I demand an apologize from you too. You are not from the U.S. so you therefore don't know what is happening here thanks to *insert Venezuelan news source here* or *insert even wose Venezuelan news source here*.
Only we're allowed to whine about our mediocre and rotten government, and we all carry giant sticks up our ass.

KMatt

I'm sorry you have a stick up your ass.

KMatt

@Drake Lake: Actually, I would not be surprised if he interrupts TV transmission tonight and goes on and on with his long speeches and brings this up.

It wouldn't be the first time, this happens more often than not. And he talks for HOURS!

He also has/had a radio show, but I'm not 100% sure at the moment if that is still being broadcast or not.

Should Pandemic have done a better job at the translation? Heck yeah... and this has nothing to do with the political issues or environment the game is played in. It's just common sense. It's just not a couple of mistakes, the translation is just horrible.

I'll be honest and say that I did not follow too much of the press on this game, but I think it never meant to deal with Venezuela's real political situation and it wasn't until Chavez came on to say a bunch of nonsense and complaints that it became a political issue.

This is why it's not good to talk about politics, never ends well.

Back on topic... I called the number on the ad on [www.vzahora.com] - 1 866 VZ A DOER and just got a recorded message saying recruiting efforts had stopped due to a radical change in the country's political situation.

Pibe38

@KMatt: Everybody in the world what is happenning in iraq except you, a profit war for oil, oh yes, rotten is no the word for a goberment that cause war and invade another and kill inocent people for profits and guess what, what of the ods ! venezuela have oil too !. Of course, this is not a political forum but this guys are using the venezuela name to make their weak story writing a little more "interesting". I can understand to a certain limit that you north americans like to write stories in real cities, killing koreans, or russians or chinesse people, and now I see alarmed how a game is created where you could come to my city and kill everything that moves, you all are used to it, but we are not. this is obviously an anti-venezuela propaganda paid for the goberment.

kamisama

Guys I figured it out. Chavez is hiring fakeposters to keep face.

Drake Lake

Thanx a lot pandemic! im from venezuela. edo. zulia!...now you've give more excuses for damn Chavez to talk about fascism and this and that and bla bla bla bla...you are not the ones suffering with this asshole leading my country, although on the other side you have Bush, i don't which one is a bigger asshole!..but still he1 going to talk more shit now

bracho86

"Chopper_Mike, I do actually know enough about it to know that they were pulled into that war because Colombia (thanks for that correction) had pulled them into it after illegally crossing Ecuador's border without UN Security Council approval. Throughout that time, Chavez repeatedly stated that he did not want to move into war, but that he was defending his own border, because Colombia had demonstrated it was willing to dismiss International Law and cross state borders to achieve their own objectives"

And that's something between Ecuador and Colombia... Venezuela has nothing o do with it. What would happen if Canada cross the border in a special operation to capture a terrorist? Mexico goes to war against Canada? It doesn't make any sense... (they aren't side by side on border terms, but you get the idea)Start a war for something you don't have anything to do?

"Did you know Barak Obama used Cocaine as well? Or that George Bush was an alcoholic frequent cocaine user and a wife beater? That Bill Clinton got a blow job in the oval office? As far as Chavez using cocaine, it shouldn't factor into the debate at all, its his state policies one should be concerned with, not his personal character. For all I care, he could be having drug filled orgies each weekend..."

'Used', 'was' and 'got'are the key words on there. He IS using it now and actually said it on tv... How is that rational for a president?

"...at the end of the day, I won't lower myself to criticizing his character, but rather what his policies were in office. If he does the job effectively and produces good policies, I'm fine with him chewing on a coca plant (which is what he was doing, not snorting cocaine) every so often"

He's not doing his job effectively (do a little research), and even if he was, that's not an excuse (by the way, I never said he was snorting. I said he was 'using' it... even so it's almost the same)

"I demand an apologize from you too. You are not from the U.S. so you therefore don't know what is happening here thanks to *insert Venezuelan news source here* or *insert even wose Venezuelan news source here*.
Only we're allowed to whine about our mediocre and rotten government, and we all carry giant sticks up our ass"

Actually, we know more about your current situation that you may think... Every media has somehow an origin in your country and everything that happens there becomes something from common knowledge everywhere. Sadly, you can't say the same about us

Chopper_Mike

@moclippa: If you want Colombia, you want GTA III. The villains are a Colombian Drug Cartel.

Frank

"Sadly you can't say the same about us."
Actually, I'm not sad at all.

KMatt

/sarcasm

Get over it. I'm sorry we don't all share your same political ideas, and we don't care what is put into our video games as long as they are fun. How seriously do you think your average gamer takes a story line like this? Do you think after playing this game, we're all going to go become mercenaries and go support the Venezuelan Government?

It's a game. Quit crying.
How do you think the Russians and North Koreans feel? Hell, they've been the subject of many games...

KMatt

@Modus_Operandi: Hugo can suck my balls for all I care, having spent the past two years in Venezuela working (And god, I can't wait to go back to Australia or the US) he's just another idiot that would rather waste the country's fortunes trying to build a pseudo-socialist state so he can weld himself into power for the next 30 years.

The fact that people applaud that buffoon is just proof that the amount of idiots in the world will never go down.

Back to the newspaper, I found it funny, the translation is beyond horrible but funny nevertheless.

@kamisama: You might get your apology at Aporrea, the rest of the world have no reason nor need to apologize to you or to me.

zoesch

@kamisama: Now reading this post... wow... you know why you have hemorrhoids? The US government. You know why that pretty girl never looks at you in the Metro? The US government. You know why despite having the highest per capita income from oil, Venezuela still has over 80% poverty? Damn right! The US government. It's the perfect excuse not to own up to your own government failures.

I have trouble believing someone can be this dense unless they are either being paid to be dense or just plain stupid.

zoesch

It looks like they used google translator. The Spanish used is very poor.

vizruy1

It looks like the used google translator. The Spanish used is very poor.

vizruy1

If only I chose to learn Spanish instead of French at school. Damn French... what good things have ever come out of that country?

Puzzle

It is written in 'broken spanish'.

604

I've seen some bad Spanish translations in the past, but this one takes the cake. I think this is the first time in my life I've ever run into anything truly worthy to be described as "Spangrish"

psycoking

Hmmm... finally a fun reason to register here at Kotaku. So, let me explain this, to all of you who only have the always "trusty" TV to get your news about foreign countries, and specially for those that seem to hate everything about Leftist movements: sorry, but Venezuela is not "the 2nd most dangerous city in the world". Stop thinking the movie Secuestro Xpress is a real documentary about Venezuela's situation. While the situation here is far from being a paradise, we have had to deal with the problems left from 40 years of the so-called "democracy" that previous governments instated with their extreme corruption.

To Juanmiglesias and Pibe38: everyone's entitled to their own opinion. I support socialism, and i don't work with the government, nor live in the "east" of Caracas (the rich part of the city for those of you outside), where everything seems so "terrorific" and "horrid" about Chávez. I don't support all politicians (since shamefully 98% of them are greedy mosters that steal in our economy), but i support the people, without political distinctions, and is the majority of that people that voted for Chavez, and is still supporting him with great fervor, considering many thing he has done for the poor class. Get this straight, i'm not saying he is perfect (far from it in some aspects), but the impact that his cultural missions and health programs (like Barrio Adentro) have for those who really need it, that poor and opressed class, is something that have really changed and even saved people's lives. Sorry, but it's the undeniable thruth.

This is far from a perfect utopia, but it's still a beautiful, incredible country. I'm not gonna fill you with all the clichés that everyone knows we have: beaches, most beautiful women (yep =D), but i'm gonna tell you that the warmth of the venezuelan people is unmatched, and that's what really trascends. Don't come here believing that you have to "live some months here and see", because that's a really overused stereotype between those that oppose the president, even more overused for those that live outside (or, as they always say in the media, escaped from the tyranistic regime!!)

With that said, i'll be waiting for this game. I'll sure have a laugh or two, although i certainly hope that the spangrish displayed in that fake newspaper doesn't get near the game. It's atrocious!!

NiuuS

By the way, really bad translation! look like they used babelfish.

badmilk69

Not its no funny, im venezuelan :)

badmilk69

Chopper_Mike:
"And that's something between Ecuador and Colombia... Venezuela has nothing o do with it"

Em, Colombia is right at our side, a brother country. They invaded and crossed a border without any permission, so... it's not our problem to be prepared to defend our borders from someone like that? seriously?

"He IS using it now and actually said it on tv... How is that rational for a president?"

Shame on you little buddy for spreading lies. He chewed a coca leaf, he doesn't consume cocaine. You have drank Coke-Cola in the past, so you too are a cocaine consumer? Do a little research.

"He's not doing his job effectively (do a little research), and even if he was, that's not an excuse (by the way, I never said he was snorting. I said he was 'using' it... even so it's almost the same)"

He's doing a good job, even if it's not perfect. He works for the poorer classes, which regrettably is against the interest of the higher class and some economic powers. Don't do your research only from Globovision, try and see the counterpart and be more objective (Venezolana de Television, which you must despise).

Zoesch:
"Hugo can suck my balls for all I care, having spent the past two years in Venezuela working (And god, I can't wait to go back to Australia or the US)"

That's kinda... not right. You want him to suck you? Oh well, whatever you like the most. Putting you inmaturity aside, if you can't wait to go back, for the love of everything that is holy, go back to wherever you lurked before. We don't need that kind of hate in such a beautiful country.

"You know why despite having the highest per capita income from oil, Venezuela still has over 80% poverty? Damn right! The US government"

Nope. It's not their fault. It's the fault of all of our "great" incredibly corrupted governments since democracy was installed in our country. WE have to change that (yes, that includes you), along with a radical change of mentality in the venezuelan people and their famous "viveza criolla" and not the typical "daddy-government-should-make-it-all-good" thinking.

"I have trouble believing someone can be this dense unless they are either being paid to be dense or just plain stupid."

I have trouble believing the dissociates that every day plagate the media exist (yep, both officialist and opposicionists) and make people like you suffer from the "hate-those-who-doesn't-think-like-me" syndrome with their stupid propaganda about who is more better than the other. Open your ears to both sides, and try always to get the BIG and full picture.

Frank:
"If you want Colombia, you want GTA III. The villains are a Colombian Drug Cartel"

Well, everyone has had it's part in being ridiculously stereotyped in videogames since the golden age (Punch-Out! anyone?)... homies, batos, chinese (because every asian is chinese, it doesn't matter if it's Japan or whatever, m'kay?), arabs (again, if you're from the middle-east or a country whose name is hard to pronounce, you're arab), italians, and hey! The latin-americans, which many people in this day and age still believe only come from Mexico =D.

NiuuS

@KMatt: matt, they are killing venezuelan civilians in this game, not venezuelan criminals, that make a huge difference, worse than the spanish or african zombies on resident evil.
@zoesch: Im agree, my country is coursed with mediocre and corrupt goberments and blessed with oil that is not used correctly on the poberty BUT we are still a little country from south america, now, you could explain to me why the biggest country in the world the land of the free and the brave have a HUGE poverty rate, yes, thare are also a lot of poor people in your country too, and it also have a mediocre goberment. And about the aporrea thing, kotaku is a pretty great site, but I dont think that gives them the right to insult a whole country, yes sir Im from venezuela why are you saying I have a stick up my ass ? is this guy crecente making a political statement, saying that venezuelan have a stick up their asses?, I think that phrase was completly unnecesary in the post, and that is why Im asking an apologize from him not from you.
@psycoking: this only proves how much this guys know about the political situation in venezuela. "Mucho bonito pajarito dictatorship invade venezuela american way burrito con carne mariachi corrida de toros" - that is part of the script

kamisama

I'm not going to claim Venezuela is such a horrible place but there is zero excuse for silencing papers and TV stations that disagree with you. Censorship is disgusting.

That said, I think this "joke" comic is in very, very poor taste. They shouldn't have done it. They have every right to, and it shouldn't be taken seriously, but it was very rude.

As far as what Colombia did, I don't know what I'd have done in their position. FARC is a terrorist organization, kidnapping is most definitely not a permissible military tactic. The question is, would the Ecuador government have done anything had they asked? I don't know that. I'm not happy people died, but FARC is consists of some pretty terrible people, that think terrorism and kidnapping are acceptable. In a war against people like that, I could understand the desperation of striking across a border.

Zunnoab

They probably used Babelfish.

smeee

@NiuuS: I'd recommend that before you call someone immature you reread what you write, since it's straight out of the "official mindless sheep" guidebook and doesn't show maturity or critical thinking.

And for the love of all that's holy since I'm the holder of a Venezuelan passport, I also spent parts of my youth here (My mother is Venezuelan and I went to college here) you have no right to even suggest that I go anywhere.

Just remember you're not part of the solution, since all the beautiful corrupt governments have been synthesized into the mother of all corrupt governments under Chavez, it's a shame that there's a very vocal minority who still believe otherwise.

What's even sadder is that he (Had not he been an egotistical power hungry dictator in training) actually had a chance to turn the countries fortunes around, but he chose to follow the path of perpetual government and zero governance, no wonder the Barrios are bigger now than they were in 1999, no wonder there's zero public infrastructure either when you prefer to spend your millions on ads against Exxon (No the "Venezuelan sovereignty" didn't win, PDVSA was forced to sit down and negotiate a settlement) or move troops to support the FARC on a conflict between Colombia and Ecuador.

That's the problem, right there... communism as always been about redistributing poverty and misery (Heck, I should know, my family left the Ukraine and Moldova for that exact same reason) but nowadays it's also about the spread of idiocy and mental poverty.

zoesch

@kamisama: You're being a bit foolish thinking that people in the US only get their news from CNN and Fox News in a time when news from all over the world is available with a simple search on Google. I'll admit that I watch CNN, but I also read most of the international news I get online from several sources. I'd also like to add that Fox News and CNN are not equals. Fox is horribly biased and everyone who reads this site regularly knows their tricks just based on their coverage of video games.

What right do you have to criticize the TV news coverage in the US when things like the shutdown of RCTV and replacement by a government controlled network are happening there?

[arstechnica.com]

That article was updated at the end to say that some thought it was reasonable for the action to be taken, but there would be hell to pay if the US government ever tried to pull that crap with TV station here. There are plenty of anti-Bush stories that air regularly here, deservedly so, but no TV station has been replaced.

Spartan1308

Zoesch:
"I'd recommend that before you call someone immature you reread what you write, since it's straight out of the "official mindless sheep" guidebook and doesn't show maturity or critical thinking."

I feel sorry for you dude. Ironically, you're demonstrating a desperate need for maturity and critical thinking, just because thinks the same as you (re-read my post, i'm not blindly with the government, but believe what you want). And now that you eagerly point it out, take a good look in the mirror and see that all your "criticism" is the same tape of lies and deception repeated by anti-government media over and over again, since it comes straight from the "opposicionist mindless sheep 101"... and you even dare to tell me that i have guidelines from a guidebook? I read newspapers, and also watch the anti & pro government media. If being informed and having a REAL, balanced critical thinking (which you completely lack and demonstrate again) makes me some kind of "sheep" as you say, i'd rather form my own opinions and follow my own thinking, instead of swallowing whatever your media says.

"And for the love of all that's holy since I'm the holder of a Venezuelan passport, I also spent parts of my youth here (My mother is Venezuelan and I went to college here) you have no right to even suggest that I go anywhere."

For the love of all that's holy: I'm the holder of an authentic venezuelan ID & passport, since i was born and raised here ALL my life, living all of those governments, which the majority you don't know squat from real life experience, since all you did was spent "part of your youth". YOU my little fella are the one that wants to go away running like a baby to a foreign country (written by yourself), since you can't stand the oh so bad tyrant Chavez. Again, do it, since you need it so eagerly.

"Just remember you're not part of the solution, since all the beautiful corrupt governments have been synthesized into the mother of all corrupt governments under Chavez, it's a shame that there's a very vocal minority who still believe otherwise."

I am part of the solution. My vote, my work, and my actions are a part of what this country needs: people willing to make the country better, studying & working hard. Since you demonstrate again that you just want to hate, you even feel the need to keep spreading lies... yeah right, the oh so bad regime that encompasses all the previous governments in corruption... go back to sleep folk. You're the same as the people that supported the coup d'etat and the PDVSA strike from those who opposed the government with great fervor and hate, and whose disastrous economic consequences we're still recovering. And quoting you: "it's a shame that there's a very vocal minority who still believe otherwise". Yep, you're part of the minority, it doesn't matter HOW MUCH you want to deny the 8 million people that voted for him, and the poorer class, which, again (even if you close your eyes hard and try to ignore them) are the majority in the country.

"What's even sadder is that he (Had not he been an egotistical power hungry dictator in training) actually had a chance to turn the countries fortunes around, but he chose to follow the path of perpetual government and zero governance, no wonder the Barrios are bigger now than they were in 1999, no wonder there's zero public infrastructure"

He chose to follow the path of those who need healthcare the most, that need proper education the most. Analphabetism is almost erradicated, people knows more about their constitution and their rights as citizens more than ever before, along a large list of etcetera. We can make the choice of having a political figure (yes, even the president) removed in the mid of their term. I need to remind you that your rotten political party (the opposition) haven't won any of this major elections against the president, with the sole exception of last year constitutional referendum, which was really good, since i don't want a same president reelected that many times, no matter how good he might do some things (Bolivar described it perfectly in Angostura). Zero public infrastructure? Do some UNbiased research fella =)

"That's the problem, right there... communism as always been about redistributing poverty and misery (Heck, I should know, my family left the Ukraine and Moldova for that exact same reason) but nowadays it's also about the spread of idiocy and mental poverty. "

I'm sorry for you, but we don't have communism here in my country. We have democracy. That same democracy that allows a filthy TV channel like Globovisión spread lies and continually insult people in every strategic field of their propaganda network (if it were FOX News that was doing that, it would have been REALLY shut, like it deserves, for impoverishing the young minds with their edulcorated "truth"). And for those that want to keep believing that RCTV was "shut", how many years are you going to repeat the same lie? Their concession to use and broadcast over Venezuela's radioelectric frequency was over. No TV channel, official or non-official, should have a permanent license to twist information, even less with the really poor content of their network (XXX hotline advertising, soap operas with adult content ALL day, even overlapping the kid's time to watch cartoon and educational programs, and subliminal political propaganda inserted in kid's movies, as demonstrated in 2002-2003).

NiuuS

"Actually, I'm not sad at all"
:rolleyes:

"Em, Colombia is right at our side, a brother country. They invaded and crossed a border without any permission, so... it's not our problem to be prepared to defend our borders from someone like that? seriously?"

Exactly: We should be prepared, not starting a war for something that 'could' happen

"Shame on you little buddy for spreading lies. He chewed a coca leaf, he doesn't consume cocaine. You have drank Coke-Cola in the past, so you too are a cocaine consumer? Do a little research"

As I said before: 'Using' is for the 'use' of something... that even applies on 'chewing' (putting that aside, do you actually think he's just chewing it? For sure?)

"He's doing a good job, even if it's not perfect. He works for the poorer classes, which regrettably is against the interest of the higher class and some economic powers. Don't do your research only from Globovision, try and see the counterpart and be more objective (Venezolana de Television, which you must despise)"

Oh lord... Good job? Seriously? I don't deny that because of him a lot of problem of the country has come to surface, but his ways are not the solution: Forcing people to be on his side or deal with the consecuences (meaning discrimination on getting jobs and such), attacking verbaly the govement of USA almost on daily basis instead of fixing what needs to be fixed in here, wacky theories of conspiration and murder attempts, etc

And believe me: I have to search for info from both sides because it's the base for my carreer

"Nope. It's not their fault. It's the fault of all of our "great" incredibly corrupted governments since democracy was installed in our country. WE have to change that (yes, that includes you), along with a radical change of mentality in the venezuelan people and their famous "viveza criolla" and not the typical "daddy-government-should-make-it-all-good" thinking."

I agree

Chopper_Mike

"I'm sorry for you, but we don't have communism here in my country. We have democracy"

But that's the way we're going

"That same democracy that allows a filthy TV channel like Globovisión spread lies and continually insult people in every strategic field of their propaganda network (if it were FOX News that was doing that, it would have been REALLY shut, like it deserves, for impoverishing the young minds with their edulcorated "truth")"

Filthy channel? Isulting people? Wow... just wow

Tell me when someone was insulted; tell me when they "skipped" and important event just for being from the goverment... They have never done that: They cover everything that could be considered as news, aiming for a "Only News" channel like CNN.

VTV doesn't do that, and actually insult people... A perfect example is "La Hojilla". They make fun of people for not being on their side. Discrimination anyone? And it's a channel from the goverment

And the president: He insult people everytime he can do it... Should I bring back a memory of that from not long ago? Swearing on TV... on daytime... and being a president... what kind of example is that? Youtube----> watch?v=emsfxsTLCzk

Chopper_Mike

@NiuuS: Yes, everyone is entitled to their opinion, I said that here.

I'm still not getting into the political debate. Everyone can have their opinion with whatever information and facts they decide to use.

Discussing this on a gaming website's comments area will not change anyone's opinion nor change anything for the country.

Pibe38

"And for those that want to keep believing that RCTV was "shut", how many years are you going to repeat the same lie? Their concession to use and broadcast over Venezuela's radioelectric frequency was over. No TV channel, official or non-official, should have a permanent license to twist information"

Maybe their license was over... but shutting it down without any real reason demonstrates how unffair it was (and how they involved politics on the subject).

Venevision should have been shut down... they only got saved because they sold themselved at the last second. Their content is just plain bad...

"... even less with the really poor content of their network (XXX hotline advertising, soap operas with adult content ALL day, even overlapping the kid's time to watch cartoon and educational programs, and subliminal political propaganda inserted in kid's movies, as demonstrated in 2002-2003)"

1- Hotlines were between 1am and 4am, so it was on 'safe zone'... it's not an excuse, but nobody was being hurt. The 'Law for Broadcasting' (Ley Resorte) even allows it
2- Soap Operas with adult content... well... what kind of soap operas your parents watch? (or use to watch) Soap Operas are made for adults, everybody knows that. If a parent let their children watch them it's on their responsability. Parent Guidance is essential for their kids formation.
3- Cartoons and eduactional programs were form 4PM to 7PM
4- Not very clear on that area... I didn't watch kids' shows on that time

Chopper_Mike

@NiuuS: I sure as hell agree with Zoesch a lot more than you. He wasn't being immature at all, just stating his opinion, which is certainly a lot more valid than yours since he's so much closer to the problem. And despite what you say, Venezuela, particularly its government leaders, is much more responsible for its welfare than any other nation.@

kamisama: Dude, you are guilty of having a stick up your ass. You misread what Crecente said (which has been explained much earlier in this thread already), and your poor English probably has a lot to do with that. If I didn't speak a language fluently, I wouldn't go around vocalizing my misinterpretations of comments made in that language. Just to reiterate, Crecente did not insult the Venezuelan people, just a minority portion of it (those who are uptight or easily offended).

eastx

^^ Agreed: He said "You gotta love it... unless your in Venezuela 'AND' have a stick up your ass."

He wasn't trying to insult anybody... it was just a funny comment. Basically he's saying "Hey! It's funny! Unless you don't find it that way.. but you have to deal with it anyway!"

Chopper_Mike

Zoesch:
"As I said before: 'Using' is for the 'use' of something... that even applies on 'chewing' (putting that aside, do you actually think he's just chewing it? For sure?)"

I don't know him, i'll suppose you don't either, so neither of us can't deny/confirm the fact. For all i know he's just chewing that leaf, but hey, if he does i hope any good reporter unveils that truth (along with anyone else in politics), backed with concrete proofs of course.

"Exactly: We should be prepared, not starting a war for something that 'could' happen"

But we haven't started a war (it won't happen anyway, Colombia and Venezuela's people wouldn't allow that). Ecuador neither, and they were the ones more aggravated. Believe it or not i really liked what happened in Cumbre del Río recently, one would hope differences could be fixed with honesty and healthy discussion like that everyday, since after all we're all brother countries.

"but his ways are not the solution: Forcing people to be on his side or deal with the consecuences (meaning discrimination on getting jobs and such)"

I understand what you imply there, but that's not a Chavez politic. It all started with those disastrous lists (which BOTH left/right parties possess and use to discriminate, sadly), made by people like Tascon, TaTo (i don't know if you have heard of that one but that's the one that identifies "chavistas" to isolate them and treat them like robbers), etc.

"attacking verbaly the govement of USA almost on daily basis instead of fixing what needs to be fixed in here"

I know that you really know how much of a nuissance we are to the actual Bush administration. I know that you know how much garbage he talks about us, like we were some poor savages, and they're the holy saviors that should come to the rescue, to fix our problems (READ: to claim our oil). That administration is really sick and only care about invading foreign countries. It just won't happen here. He also has a incredibly great deal of problems there, and with the dollar decreasing his value, he's really desperate to make one hell of a goodbye party before he leaves (READ: war with anyone, for, em, freedom! right).

"wacky theories of conspiration and murder attempts, etc"

I know that given the key role that he has in this leftist Latinamerica, he must be target of many true conspiracies, the thing is many of them are not as exaggerated as he says 90% of the time (another 5% is fabricated =D). I tend to laugh at those tales of his.

"And believe me: I have to search for info from both sides because it's the base for my carreer"

That's good to hear. My only advice is to try not to take any side fully (they don't care anyway). Agree with the good things (yes, there are many), discuss and learn about what you disagree, and try to add your grain of sand to make things better.

"Tell me when someone was insulted; tell me when they "skipped" and important event just for being from the goverment... They have never done that"

They do. Since the examples are many and too long to post here, just try this exercise: watch GV some hours, maybe a little in the morning and a bit of Alo Ciudadano. Then, in the night, watch VTV. Watch the main news transmission, and the Hojilla (yeah, that "filthy" program), so you will get a full picture of what's happening, and you'll have both sides "truth", and learn how many things are fabricated sometimes just for the sake of making harm. Try it, it's not that hard.

"VTV doesn't do that, and actually insult people... A perfect example is "La Hojilla". They make fun of people for not being on their side."

I wrote the part above this quote before reading that comment. I'll give you a quick example: in GV, on Buenas Noches, a week ago there was a guy openly saying that the La Hojilla's host was a cocaine user (with the consentment of the show's three hosts). As you know, you can't make such an accusation from anyone (or stealing, etc., you get the drill), it doesn't matter who he is, because: a.- you're violating his personal integrity on national TV b.- if you don't have the proofs to back that up, you should go to jail (that what laws are for, to protect the individuals). That happens almost everyday in many programs of their network (GV)...

"And the president: He insult people everytime he can do it... Should I bring back a memory of that from not long ago? Swearing on TV"

I know what you mean, and no, i don't support that. The problem is that the opposition blames him from being vulgar and yet they do the same: disqualify and crush those persons that support the government, saying they're ignorants, poor, blah blah. I've seen those kind of acts from persons and private TV personalities alike. And it's equally disgusting.

"1- Hotlines were between 1am and 4am, so it was on 'safe zone'... it's not an excuse, but nobody was being hurt. The 'Law for Broadcasting' (Ley Resorte) even allows it"

Yep, but we're talking RCTV pre-ley resorte (remember that they made a great campaign against it saying it was a law to shut freedom of expression, when it wasn't true, since it is just a law to protect our children from watching unaproppiate content at every hour like it used to be. I am a father, and i do care about that a lot). They ran those ads as early a 6:00pm. and even ran ads with too much sexual innuendo featuring whatever product it paid to be in the kids time.

"2- Soap Operas are made for adults, everybody knows that. If a parent let their children watch them it's on their responsability. Parent Guidance is essential for their kids formation."

You're perfectly right. But it's not right to broadcast them at almost EVERY hour of the day, like it was some kind of religion. When i was a kid i watched many good cartoons, and the kids time was very large. Now, kids time means Soap Operas marketed directly to young audiences (which i despise, because of their incredibly shallow content), and no time for 'edutainment' because they decided that doesn't sell products or fashion.

"But that's the way we're going" (communism)

People won't allow it, and we're just not going there. We like democracy. That always reminds me of V for Vendetta: "People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people." Have you ever heard of "El Caracazo" (1989)? We're not afraid against any government.

Pibe38:
"Discussing this on a gaming website's comments area will not change anyone's opinion nor change anything for the country"

You're right in that, and i'm not trying to change the world here. But i'm entitled to give another point of view about my country, right? After all, they expressed themselves.

eastx:
"I sure as hell agree with Zoesch a lot more than you."

You're free to do what you want, since i'm not writing here to gather anyone's agreement. But if i can share my experience as a venezuelan, i'll do.

"He wasn't being immature at all"

He was when he talks about wanting badly to go out of this country (sounding like if the country or his people had any fault in his desire or problems). And he is when in some points talks about what -he- sees as the ultimate truth (no one has it, that's why a real intelligent and mature person tries always to maintain objectivity above all, since everyone's entitled to his opinion).

"just stating his opinion, which is certainly a lot more valid than yours since he's so much closer to the problem"

I am doing it too. But there's something really confusing here in what you say: his opinion is more valid than mine since he's so much close to the problem? Man, i haven't lived 'some' years in Venezuela.. i was born and raised here in Venezuela. I LIVE and breath in Venezuela. I work everyday in many streets on my country, be it in the barrios or the wealthy zones (since i independently produce multimedia content for both private and communitarium/free TV), so, i do know what i'm talking about. But oh well, to each his own i guess. Peace.

NiuuS

I wrote Zoesch in the comment above, and the comment is directed to Chopper_Mike. My bad.

NiuuS

@NiuuS:

[en.wikipedia.org]

Your problem with me seems to be that since I have spent time on and off Venezuela I am not entitled to an opinion. Aside from the standard Chavista response of being dissociated (Please read what the term means) you have not touched any of the points I raised, which are:

-If the government is about making it better for the poor, why are the poor worse off today than they were in 1999?
-Government corruption (And gosh I love the Hummers and the Armanis and so on that government officials don without the slightest hint of remorse)
-Why back up the FARC when it was a conflict between Colombia and Ecuador (Not to mention what the FARC does)

The great thing about proclaiming oneself as a socialist is that it buys you a conscience "carte blanche", since you back the guys that care.

Maybe one day you'll back up the guys who actually do something instead.

zoesch

No Zoesch, i don't have a problem with you, and you're entitled to an opinion. Shamefully for you, and it doesn't matter how much you'd love to have the absolute truth, you can't look serious and talk about a situation you just_don't_know_and_live_everyday. Don't even try to give me the typical answer: "my family tells me the horrors they have to live through", it's pointless. Don't act like you know, just for the sake of looking interesting.

Aside from the standard dissociated term of being "Chavista" (which i'm not, again, i'm entitled to have an honest opinion, even if i'm not like you, and yep, i know the term and fits perfectly, and to wiki-quote if you prefer, your subconscious strategy for managing powerful negative emotions like the "regime" blocks you from reading a different side of the story), you can raise as much points as you like, and even if it's not my duty nor my job to give you answers which an educated person could find by itself, i can give you hand.

"-If the government is about making it better for the poor, why are the poor worse off today than they were in 1999?"

They aren't, but i'm not that egomaniac to talk for all the ones that didn't changed their situation (like you do, since you must be an omnipresent being that knows it all, or realistically worse, you believe blindly everything your trusty "sources" tell you), but i can talk for those i know, and they really improved with humility their lives. You seem to believe only in your head that you can fix 80% poverty dragged from 40 or so years of corrupted democracy in a couple of years. Since you seem to possess that magic formula, please stop wasting time and run for the president's place here in the next elections. I'd surely appreciate a new face that could give the pathetic opposition here a new breath of air (but only if you are as talented as you preach).

"-Government corruption (And gosh I love the Hummers and the Armanis and so on that government officials don without the slightest hint of remorse)"

Since you love their Hummers and their Armanis and you talk about this so openly like you know it for a fact, why don't you dennounce their twisted way of life to the competent organisms? That's the way things change, and not whining from other countries and talking about things you don't live everyday.

"-Why back up the FARC when it was a conflict between Colombia and Ecuador (Not to mention what the FARC does)"

Because Uribe threatened to sue Chavez to international instancies for "sponsorship of genocides", and has repeatedly and without solid proof accused him of having links with the FARC? I don't support what the FARC does currently, but they are not what they are "just because the want to be baaaad". Do some Wiki, since you seem to like it.

"The great thing about proclaiming oneself as a socialist is that it buys you a conscience "carte blanche", since you back the guys that care."

I don't think so, but that's just your uneducated guess, since you seem to talk about everything from some kind of superior point of view. That's why i can't even bother to further elaborate things when you're not even open to the fact that you have to respect people that doesn't think like you.

"Maybe one day you'll back up the guys who actually do something instead. "

I don't need to backup any party to know what's good and what's wrong in life. That's your way of life, and even if i don't agree with you, i respect it, since it's your problem. I don't want to ever benefit from the government, but what i'll always want is that those who didn't have the same opportunities as me get the chance to improve their lives and those around them (i can see those cases almost every day). They really deserve it, and they're getting better at it with the health and cultural missions. If you can't respect them, again, that's your problem. A better world will come eventually.

NiuuS

@NiuuS: Sorry, I missed that you are Venezuelan too.

But here's a legitimate criticism: you have got to learn to be more concise, regardless of whether you seek the agreement of others.

eastx

@eastx: It's ok.

And you're right, when addressing so many false statements at the same time is hard to be completely concise, but at least the info is there for whoever wants to read and know the complete scene. Since now the points of view about the supposed situation in this country are more complete with both side's version, there won't be a need to cover it again. Peace.

NiuuS

"I don't need to backup any party to know what's good and what's wrong in life. That's your way of life, and even if i don't agree with you, i respect it, since it's your problem. I don't want to ever benefit from the government, but what i'll always want is that those who didn't have the same opportunities as me get the chance to improve their lives and those around them (i can see those cases almost every day). They really deserve it, and they're getting better at it with the health and cultural missions. If you can't respect them, again, that's your problem. A better world will come eventually. "

But what happens with those who worked hard for years? Those people who expend their leifes creating something for their children? Those who worked so hard because they didn't want to let them pass thru the same things as them (very hard times)? Why they should give up on their properties and give them to the goverment even if they don't want to? They earned it... and now, because they have 'something' they should give up on that and lend them to other people? Believe me: There are people whose lifes has been hard and probably deserve better... but not everybody is like that: There are some lazy people who benefits from the work from others without moving a finger. They expect the goverment to help them, even if they could work if they wanted to

I've seem handicapped people working with smile on their faces. I've seen old people working with the same efficiency of younger people... So, that's fair? Taking from those who have earned something and give it to anybody? No, that's not fair

I think that the two base problems in here are education an cultural issues. Solve those two and people will change... change for better.

Chopper_Mike

@NiuuS: You confuse me, man xD Sometimes you seem extremist and others totally impartial... at least we agree in some points as I've seen so far

"I'm not that egomaniac to talk for all the ones that didn't changed their situation (like you do, since you must be an omnipresent being that knows it all, or realistically worse, you believe blindly everything your trusty "sources" tell you), but i can talk for those i know, and they really improved with humility their lives. You seem to believe only in your head that you can fix 80% poverty dragged from 40 or so years of corrupted democracy in a couple of years. "

For some their lifestyles have changed for good and for others for worst, and that's not the idea... Yeah, we all can't be always happy (that's nearly impossible) but it's a minority who have improved their lifes. You can't help some people at the expense of others... we all live in the same country

"Since you love their Hummers and their Armanis and you talk about this so openly like you know it for a fact, why don't you dennounce their twisted way of life to the competent organisms? That's the way things change, and not whining from other countries and talking about things you don't live everyday"

Becuase the justice system is corrupted. Not only in favor of the goverment: It's corrupted in general. Sadly, a dennounce won't do a thing

"I don't support what the FARC does currently, but they are not what they are "just because the want to be baaaad". Do some Wiki, since you seem to like it."

They kidnap people... they hold them against their will... and they are armed... you can't justify that no matter what

Chopper_Mike

@Chopper_Mike: "Becuase the justice system is corrupted. Not only in favor of the goverment: It's corrupted in general. Sadly, a dennounce won't do a thing"

The thing is, something has to be done. It's a mess, but it's the legal system, and there are good people working in there, between all the other ones that don't do nothing. When something is as important as a denounce, then there's the need to fight to make it work, to be heard. That's the way things change.

"You can't help some people at the expense of others... we all live in the same country"

That's why things must keep evolving into better situations for everyone.

"They kidnap people... they hold them against their will... and they are armed... you can't justify that no matter what"

Again, that's the desvirtuated garbage they're now (and of course, they can't be justified). They had an ideal, and sadly they're the consequence of the death of the popular leader Eliecer Gaitán: he fought for the rights of the people, he was killed because he interfered with the interests from the oligarcs. Anyway, the info is there.

"Why they should give up on their properties and give them to the goverment even if they don't want to? They earned it... and now, because they have 'something' they should give up on that and lend them to other people?"

Government isn't looking nor hasn't took anyone's private properties (apartments, cars, money, etc.), which is something that the private TV media has said over and over again (even as a campaign in elections). What you must know for a fact is that many private corporations have interests against the government, and they don't give a rat's ass if the people have to suffer because of their politics, given that the key here is what they sell: food. They love to inflate prices, and would love to destroy the state sponsored food distribution chains precisely because of their competitive prices. They need to be controlled in the greedy tactics, since what they sell is a must need for the people.

"So, that's fair? Taking from those who have earned something and give it to anybody?"

No one is against them, and the government hasn't took anything from them. Again, the key here is the products they hold (food, food, and more food), which are needed for the people. And that product is a priority over everything. You can't let people just starve to death (private companies don't give a crap), and is the obligation of the state to do something (and that's what they are doing).

"but not everybody is like that: There are some lazy people who benefits from the work from others without moving a finger. They expect the goverment to help them, even if they could work if they wanted to"

I'm glad you touched and acknowledge the subject: how can you always help the people that needs it the most when you have this rotten scumbags gaining (unfairly) a part of that help? They are scammers, and they need to be punished with the arm of the law. That's the way things really change. Things here are not so simple as someone said, that you can overturn all the poverty accumulated for years in the country with just the touch of a button. Only in their dream world, because if that's true, all the money in the world should be spent in fixing poverty, so we can all live a good life... but that's not the way things work, nor it will never happen like that. This is not an Utopia.

"I think that the two base problems in here are education an cultural issues. Solve those two and people will change... change for better."

You're damn right, and that's what i tried to address before. Nothing will ever change no matter how good a government could be, if you don't change people's mentality. A country is about their people and their will to grow and prosper, and the hard work we all got to do as a nation to get there.

NiuuS

They REALLY should fire that translator (assuming that they used one, and didn't translate this thing online-which, imo, would give you a translation close to this one), because I'm pretty sure no one speaks spanish like that.

monkey_87

Dudes (this goes for all the people bashing each other about what's happening in Venezuela and who is right or wrong), put all the politics aside and wait for the game to come out and play it instead. I live in Venezuela, I hate what's happening here but hell, this is a game blog, talk about the game already. By the way the game looks fun as hell, and the paper wasn't written well which cracks me up.

Cepillao