[Esp./Eng.] Entre el espejismo del «orden» y la cruda realidad del bolsillo. || Between the illusion of “order” and the harsh reality of one's pocketbook. .
If you are English, you can go directly to the English version 👉 HERE
Entre el espejismo del «orden» y la cruda realidad del bolsillo
De seguro, si te toca patear calle en Venezuela o si sigues la movida desde afuera, ya te conoces el guion de memoria: te prometen “orden”, “estabilidad” y una recuperación económica que, al final del día, nunca termina de aterrizar en el bolsillo del ciudadano de a pie. En las redes y en la cadena nacional les quieren vender que los sistemas de “mano dura” son más eficientes que las democracias, a las que pintan como un desorden total. Pero la verdad es otra, y no lo digo yo por capricho; lo dicen los datos, la ciencia y la historia, que cuentan un cuento muy distinto al oficial.
El "cuento chino" de las cifras oficiales
Uno de los puntos más claros de la evidencia global es que las dictaduras, por naturaleza, mienten. Un estudio de 2022 soltó una cifra que te deja loco: “los regímenes autoritarios suelen inflar su PIB hasta en un 35%”. Es pura estética. En una democracia, la transparencia es ley porque hay gente e instituciones vigilando; en el autoritarismo, el dato no es información, es propaganda.
Cuando escuchas por ahí que “Venezuela se arregló” porque ves un par de luces nuevas, pero el sueldo no te alcanza ni para los pasajes, hay que preguntarse: ¿A dónde se está yendo ese realero? ¿Por qué los hospitales siguen por el suelo o la luz se va cada vez que llueve? La respuesta es corta: los sistemas que no rinden cuentas esconden el estancamiento bajo una capa de lujos para unos pocos, mientras el resto sobrevive en la bendita “Kill Line” (esa raya de pobreza de la que es un cerro arriba salir).
¿Singapur en el Caribe? No me vengas con ese cuento
Muchos de los que defienden este sistema sacan a relucir a Singapur o China, diciendo que hace falta “mano dura” para progresar. Pero vamos a estar claros: Singapur es un caso único, un país chiquitico con una meritocracia sagrada y elecciones que sí se mueven.
En cambio, lo que han vivido allá no es eficiencia, sino el colapso más bárbaro de la era moderna. Los números dan ganas de llorar: entre 2013 y 2023, la economía venezolana se encogió de un 100% a un penoso 30%. Ningún país democrático ha pasado por semejante descalabro sin haber tenido una guerra de verdad. Lo de Venezuela no es “mano dura eficiente”, es una hemorragia económica que ha mandado a más de 7 millones de panas a buscarse la vida en otro lado. Tal cual lo hice yo hace dieciséis años.
Vivir en democracia te regala años de vida
Esto no es solo un tema de billete, es un tema de salud y tiempo. Las estadísticas mundiales dicen que, en promedio, alguien que vive en una democracia plena vive 11 años más que alguien en una autocracia. Y no hablemos de la educación: son unos 6 años más de escolaridad.
¿Por qué? Porque en democracia el que manda tiene que cuidarte para que vuelvas a votar por él. En dictadura, el único incentivo es el control. Cuando el poder no depende de que la gente esté contenta, la salud y la educación pasan a último plano; se vuelven herramientas para chantajear o, simplemente, quedan en el olvido.
La paz no es debilidad, es fuerza
Hay algo que en ciencia política llaman la “paz democrática”: las democracias no se caen a plomo entre sí. Pero lo más valiente que tiene una democracia real es la transición pacífica.
Da gusto ver en países como Brasil, Colombia o Argentina como líderes de bandos totalmente opuestos se entregan la banda presidencial sin que se caiga el mundo. Eso no es ser indiferente; esa es la verdadera prueba de que una nación es fuerte. El autoritarismo, en cambio, se aferra al mando por puro miedo, metiéndote el chip de que “después de nosotros viene el caos”, cuando en realidad el caos y el estancamiento los trajeron ellos mismos.
El derecho a quejarse (y a no tener miedo)
Al final, hay una diferencia que ningún gráfico puede explicar mejor que tu propio palpitar: solo en democracia tienes el derecho a quejarte sin que te tiemblen las piernas.
Si estás leyendo esto y te da culillo comentar o compartir por si te metes en un lío, ya tienes la respuesta: vives en un sistema que no te respeta. Ese silencio que se siente en la calle no es que estemos de acuerdo, es opresión “pura y dura”. Los chamos menores de 30 años en el mundo quizás no valoran tanto la democracia porque no han vivido lo otro, pero los venezolanos tenemos la cicatriz fresca. Sabemos que la “mano dura” no trae pan, solo trae hambre..., control.
A los que todavía creen que “todos son iguales” o defienden este desastre, les digo: los datos no mienten. A la larga, la democracia genera un 20% más de crecimiento económico. Los inventos, los premios y los avances pasan donde la gente es libre de pensar distinto.
Venezuela no necesita más látigo; necesita instituciones, prensa libre y que el ciudadano vuelva a ser el centro de todo. No dejes que el espejismo de una “burbuja” en Las Mercedes te tape la realidad de todo un país. El cambio no es solo un deseo político, es una cuestión de supervivencia. Ya basta de apostar por un sistema que nos demostró que no sabe darnos una vida digna. Toca creer en nosotros y en el poder de la libertad que por fin se respira, pero no es mediata.
Dedicado a todos aquellos que contribuyen, día a día, a hacer de este planeta un mundo mejor.
Between the illusion of “order” and the harsh reality of one's pocketbook
Surely, if you have to walk the streets in Venezuela or if you follow the situation from abroad, you already know the script by heart: they promise you ‘order’, ‘stability’ and an economic recovery that, at the end of the day, never quite lands in the pockets of ordinary citizens. On social media and national television, they want to sell you the idea that ‘iron fist’ systems are more efficient than democracies, which they portray as total chaos. But the truth is quite different, and I'm not just saying that on a whim; it's backed up by data, science and history, which tell a very different story from the official one.
The ‘fairy tale’ of official figures
One of the clearest points of global evidence is that dictatorships, by their very nature, lie. A 2022 study released a figure that will blow your mind: ‘authoritarian regimes tend to inflate their GDP by up to 35%’. It's pure aesthetics. In a democracy, transparency is the law because there are people and institutions watching; in authoritarianism, data is not information, it is propaganda.
When you hear people saying that ‘Venezuela has been fixed’ because you see a couple of new lights, but your salary isn't even enough to pay for transport, you have to ask yourself: Where is all that money going? Why are hospitals still in ruins and why does the power go out every time it rains? The answer is simple: unaccountable systems hide stagnation under a layer of luxury for the few, while the rest survive on the blessed ‘Kill Line’ (that poverty line that is so difficult to climb out of).
Singapore in the Caribbean? Don't give me that nonsense.
Many of those who defend this system point to Singapore or China, saying that a ‘firm hand’ is needed to make progress. But let's be clear: Singapore is a unique case, a tiny country with a sacred meritocracy and elections that do make a difference.
On the other hand, what they have experienced there is not efficiency, but the most barbaric collapse of the modern era. The numbers are enough to make you cry: between 2013 and 2023, the Venezuelan economy shrank from 100% to a pitiful 30%. No democratic country has ever experienced such a disaster without having been through a real war. What is happening in Venezuela is not ‘efficient heavy-handedness’; it is an economic haemorrhage that has sent more than 7 million people to seek a better life elsewhere. Just as I did sixteen years ago.
Living in a democracy gives you years of life
This is not just a matter of money, it is a matter of health and time. Global statistics show that, on average, someone living in a full democracy lives 11 years longer than someone living in an autocracy. And let's not even talk about education: it's about 6 more years of schooling.
Why? Because in a democracy, those in power have to take care of you so that you will vote for them again. In a dictatorship, the only incentive is control. When power does not depend on people being happy, health and education take a back seat; they become tools for blackmail or are simply forgotten.
Peace is not weakness, it is strength
There is something in political science called ‘democratic peace’: democracies do not fall like dominoes. But the most courageous thing about a real democracy is peaceful transition.
It is gratifying to see in countries such as Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina how leaders from totally opposing sides hand over the presidential sash without the world falling apart. That is not indifference; that is the true test of a nation's strength. Authoritarianism, on the other hand, clings to power out of pure fear, instilling in you the idea that ‘after us comes chaos’, when in reality it is they themselves who have brought about chaos and stagnation.
The right to complain (and not be afraid)
In the end, there is a difference that no graph can explain better than your own heartbeat: only in a democracy do you have the right to complain without your legs shaking.
If you are reading this and you are afraid to comment or share in case you get into trouble, you already have the answer: you live in a system that does not respect you. The silence you feel on the streets is not because we agree, it is ‘pure and simple’ oppression. Young people under 30 around the world may not value democracy as much because they have not experienced the alternative, but we Venezuelans have fresh scars. We know that the ‘iron fist’ does not bring bread, it only brings hunger... control.
To those who still believe that ‘everyone is equal’ or defend this disaster, I say: the data does not lie. In the long run, democracy generates 20% more economic growth. Inventions, awards and advances happen where people are free to think differently.
Venezuela does not need more oppression; it needs institutions, a free press and for citizens to once again be the centre of everything. Do not let the mirage of a ‘bubble’ in Las Mercedes blind you to the reality of an entire country. Change is not just a political desire, it is a matter of survival. Enough of betting on a system that has shown us that it cannot give us a dignified life. It is time to believe in ourselves and in the power of freedom that we can finally breathe, but which is not immediate.
🔆****🔆****🔆****🔆****🔆****🔆****🔆****🔆****🔆
I am dedicated to all those who contribute daily to make our planet ɑ a better world.
Dedicado a todos aquellos que contribuyen, día a día, a hacer de este planeta un mundo mejor.
Between the illusion of “order” and the harsh reality of one's pocketbook
Surely, if you have to walk the streets in Venezuela or if you follow the situation from abroad, you already know the script by heart: they promise you ‘order’, ‘stability’ and an economic recovery that, at the end of the day, never quite lands in the pockets of ordinary citizens. On social media and national television, they want to sell you the idea that ‘iron fist’ systems are more efficient than democracies, which they portray as total chaos. But the truth is quite different, and I'm not just saying that on a whim; it's backed up by data, science and history, which tell a very different story from the official one.
The ‘fairy tale’ of official figures
One of the clearest points of global evidence is that dictatorships, by their very nature, lie. A 2022 study released a figure that will blow your mind: ‘authoritarian regimes tend to inflate their GDP by up to 35%’. It's pure aesthetics. In a democracy, transparency is the law because there are people and institutions watching; in authoritarianism, data is not information, it is propaganda.
When you hear people saying that ‘Venezuela has been fixed’ because you see a couple of new lights, but your salary isn't even enough to pay for transport, you have to ask yourself: Where is all that money going? Why are hospitals still in ruins and why does the power go out every time it rains? The answer is simple: unaccountable systems hide stagnation under a layer of luxury for the few, while the rest survive on the blessed ‘Kill Line’ (that poverty line that is so difficult to climb out of).
Singapore in the Caribbean? Don't give me that nonsense.
Many of those who defend this system point to Singapore or China, saying that a ‘firm hand’ is needed to make progress. But let's be clear: Singapore is a unique case, a tiny country with a sacred meritocracy and elections that do make a difference.
On the other hand, what they have experienced there is not efficiency, but the most barbaric collapse of the modern era. The numbers are enough to make you cry: between 2013 and 2023, the Venezuelan economy shrank from 100% to a pitiful 30%. No democratic country has ever experienced such a disaster without having been through a real war. What is happening in Venezuela is not ‘efficient heavy-handedness’; it is an economic haemorrhage that has sent more than 7 million people to seek a better life elsewhere. Just as I did sixteen years ago.
Living in a democracy gives you years of life
This is not just a matter of money, it is a matter of health and time. Global statistics show that, on average, someone living in a full democracy lives 11 years longer than someone living in an autocracy. And let's not even talk about education: it's about 6 more years of schooling.
Why? Because in a democracy, those in power have to take care of you so that you will vote for them again. In a dictatorship, the only incentive is control. When power does not depend on people being happy, health and education take a back seat; they become tools for blackmail or are simply forgotten.
Peace is not weakness, it is strength
There is something in political science called ‘democratic peace’: democracies do not fall like dominoes. But the most courageous thing about a real democracy is peaceful transition.
It is gratifying to see in countries such as Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina how leaders from totally opposing sides hand over the presidential sash without the world falling apart. That is not indifference; that is the true test of a nation's strength. Authoritarianism, on the other hand, clings to power out of pure fear, instilling in you the idea that ‘after us comes chaos’, when in reality it is they themselves who have brought about chaos and stagnation.
The right to complain (and not be afraid)
In the end, there is a difference that no graph can explain better than your own heartbeat: only in a democracy do you have the right to complain without your legs shaking.
If you are reading this and you are afraid to comment or share in case you get into trouble, you already have the answer: you live in a system that does not respect you. The silence you feel on the streets is not because we agree, it is ‘pure and simple’ oppression. Young people under 30 around the world may not value democracy as much because they have not experienced the alternative, but we Venezuelans have fresh scars. We know that the ‘iron fist’ does not bring bread, it only brings hunger... control.
To those who still believe that ‘everyone is equal’ or defend this disaster, I say: the data does not lie. In the long run, democracy generates 20% more economic growth. Inventions, awards and advances happen where people are free to think differently.
Venezuela does not need more oppression; it needs institutions, a free press and for citizens to once again be the centre of everything. Do not let the mirage of a ‘bubble’ in Las Mercedes blind you to the reality of an entire country. Change is not just a political desire, it is a matter of survival. Enough of betting on a system that has shown us that it cannot give us a dignified life. It is time to believe in ourselves and in the power of freedom that we can finally breathe, but which is not immediate.
I am dedicated to all those who contribute daily to make our planet ɑ a better world.
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