Things are not going well in socialist Venezuela. There are shortages of almost everything, and the country’s already high rate of violence appears to be ramping up even more.
Rather than enact any kinds of free-market reforms that might end the crisis, however, the Venezuelan government is instead banning the media from showing images of the lynchings taking place.
Venezuela’s Supreme Court on Wednesday banned media from publishing videos of lynchings, saying they create “anxiety and uncertainty” in a country ravaged by violent crime and an economic crisis.
The OPEC nation’s society is in upheaval amid triple-digit inflation, a deep recession and brutal shortages of food and medicine. As Venezuelans have grown increasingly angry at frequent thefts, hold-ups and homicides, mob beatings and lynchings have increased in the country, which is already one of the world’s most violent.
Gory videos of mob justice or photos of bloody corpses sometimes make the rounds on social media. President Nicolas Maduro’s socialist government says the footage is part of a larger plan to sully his administration and stoke unrest in an attempt to unseat him.
In its statement, the top court, which Venezuela’s opposition accuses of being subservient to Maduro, singled out two digital outlets, but said the ban applies to all media.
Socialism can only thrive if they can control the narrative. Correction: they can only give the illusion of thriving if they control the narrative.
Of course, it would be far more productive to start rolling back the policies that led to this complete and total dumpster fire of an economy. Oppressing media freedom won’t help with that.
Then again, the court is pretending like that’s not the case:
Media have the right to journalistically express a news event … but these rights should not create anxiety and uncertainty in the population.
Unfortunately for both the court and Maduro, it’s not the news events causing anxiety and uncertainty. It’s the lack of basic necessities like food, medicine, and even toilet paper.
Maduro and his fellow socialists would prefer to blame the CIA for his country’s woes than recognize his country is following an old, established pattern for socialist nations. The CIA didn’t have to do anything. Maduro and his fellow travelers have done it all.
Hiding the reality of violence on Venezuelan streets won’t change that.
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