{"id":799314,"date":"2021-09-21T16:59:24","date_gmt":"2021-09-21T20:59:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=799314"},"modified":"2021-09-21T16:59:29","modified_gmt":"2021-09-21T20:59:29","slug":"a-la-calle-the-hbo-doc-on-venezuelas-collapse-that-fails-to-mention-socialism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-la-calle-the-hbo-doc-on-venezuelas-collapse-that-fails-to-mention-socialism\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018A La Calle\u2019 : The HBO Doc On Venezuela\u2019s Collapse That Fails To Mention Socialism"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fa-la-calle-the-hbo-doc-on-venezuelas-collapse-that-fails-to-mention-socialism%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=799314&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/GettyImages-672428846-2-scaled-1.jpg?w=1200&amp;h=800&amp;ixlib=react-9.3.0\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span>Imagine a documentary about Venezuela\u2019s modern-day collapse that forgets to name-check a critical reason why.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Socialism.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Yes, the new documentary \u201cA La Calle\u201d essentially ignores that element of Venezuela\u2019s decline, a shock given the film\u2019s long running time and exhaustive detail.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The documentary, available now on HBO Max, still offers essential lessons on political corruption and humanity\u2019s ability to rise above obstacles. What emerges is both bloated and powerful, albeit an incomplete portrait given the missing piece of the economic puzzle.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>An obligatory dig at President Donald Trump late in the film, however, suggests socialism\u2019s absence wasn\u2019t accidental.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cA La Calle\u201d takes a multi-year look at Venezuela, a state of affairs best captured by a single word \u2013 \u201chambre.\u201d That\u2019s hunger in English.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The locals are starving. The grocery stores can\u2019t keep essential items like bread and diapers on the shelves. Hyper-inflation forces citizens to hand over stacks of cash to pay for necessities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>And then there\u2019s \u201cPresident\u201d Nicolas Maduro, the dictator who bristles at the label. He\u2019s a thick-haired thug who thinks nothing of punishing his people if it means a political win for himself.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The documentary follows the lives of several ordinary Venezuelans, resourceful souls who manage to survive Maduro\u2019s version of socialist utopia. Some hold multiple jobs. Others do what they can to organize protests aimed at recapturing what\u2019s been lost for too long.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Freedom.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It\u2019s the word mentioned over and over again as we watch resistance leaders face imprisonment, and worse, for suggesting Maduro needs to go.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Young Venezuelans march on the front lines of the various protests, willing to risk their lives to regain freedom. Watching them stand up to Maduro\u2019s police, get doused with tear gas and come back for more, is nothing short of inspirational.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>And, in a way, frustrating for American viewers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Compare them to stateside students shushing conservative speakers, crying foul over micro-aggressions and demanding segregated campus spaces in the name of \u201csocial justice.\u201d Their toxic slactivism feels even more hollow after watching their brave Venezuelan counterparts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The most engaging figure here is Leopoldo Lopez, a former mayor and quasi-leader of the Maduro resistance. He\u2019s handsome and charismatic, bouncing from prison cell to house arrest during the course of the film.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Directors Nelson G. Navarrete and Maxx Caicedo give us an intimate glimpse of his suffering, sometimes via Skype or his cramped prison cell.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Why did Maduro throw Leopoldo in jail? He \u201cincited violence.\u201d Actually, he shared an alternative view of the country\u2019s leadership, more than enough to separate him from his wife and children for years at a time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>One powerful scene finds Leopoldo shouting slogans from the window of his cell, as a small group of supporters gather outside. Just as captivating? Another resistance fighter describing how he used a chicken bone as a toothbrush while incarcerated.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The filmmakers shrewdly let a few Maduro supporters have their say.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cCapitalism \u2026 is the creator of poverty,\u201d one worker tells us, after we\u2019ve spent a good hour watching empty refrigerators and citizens stacked in line for food handouts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>At least part of the country\u2019s media is on Team Maduro, of course, letting him broadcast his populist shtick to brainwash viewers. To hear him tell it, his fellow Venezuelans have round, full bellies thanks to him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The film also features interim President Juan Guaid\u00f3, an inspirational resistance leader and talented politician with a populist\u2019s touch \u2014 but he remains a minor figure thanks to Maduro\u2019s power grab.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Would Guaido offer true hope and change? It\u2019s unclear, but virtually anyone is better than Maduro.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cA La Calle\u201d keeps the focus on Venezuela for most of the film, expanding the canvas only to show other countries where democracy is in retreat.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span>Turkey<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span>Syria<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span>China<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span>Honduras<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span>United States?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>Yes, a quip from President Donald Trump asking China to investigate Joe Biden in 2020 is given similar gravitas to international leaders consolidating power in nefarious ways.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But what about President Hugo Chavez Frias, the revolutionary who set the socialist wheels in motion before his death in 2013? The film mostly ignores him until the 54-minute mark. Then, we\u2019re treated to a crash course in how he tanked the economy by Harvard Professor Ricardo Hausmann.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>President Chavez Frias expanded government programs as oil prices spiked, borrowed heavily despite that boom and created a massive deficit in the process.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Does that sound familiar?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>By 2012, the nation\u2019s economy \u2014 according to the film \u2014 was \u201cfictional and fragile.\u201d Just don\u2019t mention the dreaded \u201cS\u201d word to help explain why.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>There\u2019s much more here, from Maduro\u2019s police bloodying protesters to his team rigging a national election after ignoring the previous one that didn\u2019t go his way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It\u2019s a fascinating look at a defeated nation, but one that honors the citizens fighting for their nation\u2019s survival.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>That\u2019s the best element of \u201cA La Calle\u201d \u2013 carefully framed portraits of those who won\u2019t give up on their homeland. Their beautiful spirit, and their country\u2019s natural splendor, suggest Maduro\u2019s reign will end sooner than later.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Let\u2019s hope they don\u2019t repeat the mistakes he and Chavez Frias made that helped spark their country\u2019s collapse when it does.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i>The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author\u2019s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><i>member<\/i><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Imagine a documentary about Venezuela\u2019s modern-day collapse that forgets to name-check a critical reason why.Socialism.Yes, the new documentary \u201cA La Calle\u201d essentially ignores that element of Venezuela\u2019s decline, a shock &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-799314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/799314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=799314"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/799314\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=799314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=799314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=799314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}