+3 votes
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2 Answers

+2 votes
by

Dear Dan,

I enjoyed this very much (watched it twice) - although there was so much information I could not really take it all in! Most of all, at 5:35 he tells about northern Bhutan, where the devoutly Buddhist people have rejected modern technology advances and have near-zero crime, low obesity...he calls them the ultimate hippies! :D At this elderly stage of my life, I am interested in learning what directions humankind can take for peace and freedom and justice in our world...

Anyway, I ended up subscribing to his YouTube channel, because he has done this same kind of migration research in places all over the world, including Russia and USA...

by

But, but... Virginia, according to the UN, Bhutan is  only the 97th happiest country in the world.  :O

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/worlds-happiest-countries-united-nations-2018/index.html

by

Oh no! Another (sniff) idealism smashed...:'(  <3

btw that is an interesting link, O'Tink, happiness quotient being concentrated in Scandinavia and Switzerland...plus I notice USA came in 18th, higher than one (me, for example) might have expected!

Also, interesting that Bhutan REALLY is careful about their tourism, however the article claiming the hassle is worth it...

by

It wasn't always that way in Scandinavia.  :)

And after fossil fuels are banned, what then? :O

by

Hmmm, O'Tink...yes it seems that even if money cannot buy happiness it certainly can at least stave off unhappiness...

...and then, Venezuela came to mind so I checked and it is now ranked 102nd, having fallen from 23rd in 2015! The oil being still there, problem apparently some really well-meaning but unwise choices by Hugo Chavez?

by

I'm not sure Hugo Chavez was so well-meaning, but rather was interested in his own power, like most any tin-horn dictator.

But he at least proved that you can have oil wealth and drastic poverty too. :ermm:

by

Well, if I recall correctly Chavez was not the first to demonstrate that, either...:(

by

You're right about that, Virginia.  :(

by

Tink, from the videos posted here on Solved recently, I may have been giving Chavez too much credit; I had the impression he truly had the well-being of his constituency at heart. So I located a BBC news article, and still uncertain...apparently he was after socialism? I read that the Venezuelan government had been a democracy since 1958, which seemed to fall apart ala rather Marxian predictions

"Since then, Mr Chavez has won a series of elections and referendums, including one in 2009 which abolished term limits for all elected officials, including the president. President Chavez argues that he needs more time for Venezuela's socialist revolution to take root. His supporters say he speaks for the poor; his critics say he has become increasingly autocratic."

So, BBC is not taking much of a stand just gives both sides. if you would care to take this on, I would be interested to know your thoughts as to whether Chavez was actually more of a power-mad tinhorn dictator vs. a well-meaning charismatic but just incompetent? 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-10086210

From this article, I could easily be persuaded to consider the following idea...'Relations with Washington reached a new low when he (i.e., Chavez) accused the Bush administration of "fighting terror with terror" during the war in Afghanistan after 11 September 2001.'
by

Ok, here's an article that says Chavez was not a dictator in its title, but then goes on to document all the reasons that he was.  :ermm: 

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/hugo-chavez-wasnt-a-dictator-but-he-crushed-democracy/article9336246/

by

I appreciated the link, O'Tink...some good documentation, too. I also located another one, from BBC; still unsure of Chavez motivations, could it be a human trait to simply want your day in the sun, and endure almost anything to have that kind of power? He certainly bungled, apparently carried by his charisma.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-15240081

by

Well, Virginia, he may have started out that way, but then I think he became obsessed with staying in power because, of course, only he knew the right course of action.

by

That again...seems to be an almost typical pitfall, O'Tink! 

In all this about economic systems I read that even Lenin, he realized he was not being true to the vision - ended up taking those fatal detours into authoritarianism...my guess is that he was (initially at least?) hoping to someday get back on the idealistic socialism track laid out by Marx...it never worked out, and thus the world got Stalin!

I do need to study some more, but I don't think socialism could ever work over the long run, even though it tries to be egalitarian. We need more room for individual creativity, enterprise, to stretch into our imaginative human potential...Chavez just (started out) trying to get everybody fed and the basics...too hard, too much temptation to personal power. I may look for a biography, to see if anyone has ever tried to get inside his mind...it's tragic, such potential with the wealth of oil there.

+3 votes
by

Fascinating mixture of races and languages.

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