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Comments: 1559 • Responses: 56  • Date: 

Amithrius470 karma

I'm from Trinidad. Earlier this year I smuggled some goods into your country. Has the availability of products changed? A lot of Venezuelans have sought refuge here. Have you considered doing the same?

StrikingPassenger190 karma

I've heard that trinidad isn't a very friendly place for venezuelans, idk if is true or not, but what is true, is that there is more venezuelan products selling outside the country that inside

ColaJake234 karma

Im so sorry to hear that. Does the average person in Venezuela live under equally as poor circumstances as you?

StrikingPassenger317 karma

A few live wealthy and rich here, and a lot of people live under worst circumstances, i see everyday lots of nomad families walking the streets... venezuela is getting full of nomad families who lives in misery, also violence and crime is booming to incredible levels, almost nobody takes their phones out due insecurity... paper money btw has almost no value so is not a target to stole...

Almost all families have problems because there is not enough food for everybody, and the problem is not exactly that there is not food.. because you go to a supermarket or a butchery and there is plenty of food (well maybe less than before for sure, but enough because demand has lower)
the problem is affording it, kilogram of meat cost around 3-4 dollars, basically to live here you need around 20 USD per week... to live with just enough... and the problem is that the minimum wage is around 6 usd... thats just sad...

the way people who is not rich enogh to afford that, usually do big lines waiting for regulated-price products that cost a lot more that in a regular super market, products such as vegetable oil, pasta, flour, harinapan, and even sometimes milk...

Milk is like gold here, is hard to find a non-adulterated milk because companies have to sell milk in a regulated price, so they don't sell exactly milk, they add some shit and rename it " Milky drink" or in spanish "bebida lactea"

ColaJake30 karma

Wow that’s really sad. Is the government aware, and what are they doing about it?

StrikingPassenger203 karma

i would not call them "goverment", i rather to refer to them as the regime... and the regime doesn't care about how many people die, as long as they are in power, this has no difference when kings eat until get super fatty while the feudal villagers are starving... this is just pure tirany, goverment even tries to take verybody their crypto miners.... since having a miner is the only way to be free in this country, they also try to take them away from people with secret police

Captain_Braveheart46 karma

Why not eat the rich

StrikingPassenger131 karma

elite people usually own guns or have friends in the police/goverment mostly...

KingSugarRayLeaf-17 karma

If you need $20 per week to just about make it why is $6 per hour not enough?

I wish 3.3 hours a week of wages was enough for me to live off in the UK. Or did you mean the weekly wage is $6?

StrikingPassenger22 karma

you din't understood at all my friend hahhahahahahaha.... minimum wage its 6$ PER MONTH HAhAHHAHA ITS INSANE RIGHT? sure you din't get it because you can't just understand the little amount of money for the big effort

zerocoldx911199 karma

Why have you not left yet?

Is it true that Venezuela has become a Narco state? Military & government participating in drug trade

StrikingPassenger237 karma

im planning to leave, i just need to raise enough money here

And yeah it is true, trucks full of cocaine comes from colombia, they pay a lil fee to our regime, and venezuela is the #1 place to export drug, while colombia just focus on producing and sending it to the ports here lmao

MethodOfMadnes83 karma

What are your thoughts on the people pushing for socialism in the United States?

StrikingPassenger236 karma

i think they should hol up and think about it for a moment, they should think why they want socialism and what they want from it, because i think the most humanitary people is the ones who have more to give, so if you start a taxation for social plans, or start taking the country incomes for social plans, of course part of the ecomony is going there, and people who don't are part of the social plan soon or later will be affected, and all the economy would stary to collapsing, specially if you let a social plan with a exploid, and then majority of lazy poplulation try to get some free benefit, and if you give them what they need to be lazy, they will multiplicate... that's what happened here, until the amount of poppulation surviving by goverment gifts and shit, until boom there is no money and everything is collapsing, no money for more social plans, and now something that started as "humanity" now has become the most biggest humanitary crisis that has happened lately in history

Oh_god_not_you77 karma

Is there anything that we can do to help you?

StrikingPassenger51 karma

i'll message you a PM of how you can try to help me

thimkerbell70 karma

Is Mechanical Turk, or other sites like it, a way that a Venezuelan person can earn enough?

StrikingPassenger197 karma

yes, the most popular ways are:

-Robbing

-selling ilegal stuff such as drugs of weapons..

(since i don't live in a "barrio" i don't see that stuff, but is something normal day by day in barrios... usually the people who get robbed is the people where i do live, this used to be a medium-high zone...

-having lots of properties and investments inside and outside the country

-doing freelance stuff on internet

-buying and reselling dollars when they go up and down

-cryptocurrency trading

-runescape

-tibia

-any internet method that gives at least more than 5 usd per week

hvidlog134 karma

barrios like brazilian favelas?

StrikingPassenger57 karma

Yes, is the same, and the one in the hills looks exactly the same too...

Ghostly_Ghost19 karma

You got any GP you need to sell?

StrikingPassenger23 karma

GP??

Ghos5t725 karma

He means runescape gold I think he's offering to buy it.

StrikingPassenger50 karma

oh yeah, i just have 5m and one bond in my inventory... i don't have my membership activated rn, but when i make around 30m y would PM him ;)

hibbitydibbitytwo12 karma

tibia? like the shin bone?

StrikingPassenger41 karma

yeah it is, also it is an old RPG game where you can make real money by selling its gold

thebrewerman21 karma

wait, is this game still a thing?

StrikingPassenger16 karma

yeaah

ViceAW49 karma

What do you have to say to people who insist that socialism/communism can function? Do you think what your country is going through is the exception and not the rule (AKA "not real socialism"?)

Sorry for getting political but it's an actual question I have.

EDIT: soy chileno, se me olvidó que ustedes también hablan español

Qué le dirías a las personas que insisten que el socialismo/comunismo puede funcionar? Piensas que lo que esta pasando en tu país es una excepción en cuanto al socialismo? O que es la norma?

StrikingPassenger33 karma

What's happening here is normal, when people refers to socialism working in first world countrys, mostly they are wrong and a totally capitalist doesn't can't be called socialist just for having some social plans, i think pinochet wasn't wrong.

StrikingPassenger16 karma

creo que el socialismo como tal directamente no funciona, solo hacen falta ciertos planes sociales para resguardar la integridad y el bienestar de los ciudadanos, sin arruinar los ingresos del gobierno... creo que el problema es que el 99% de los politicos usan el socialismo nadamas como herramienta para prometer lo que la gente quiere y mas no hacer lo que prometen... y la gente inteligente no pide socialismo por que saben que si lo piden, les van a dar una peolta de mierda, y no lo que querian....

Lo que pasa es que hablar de planes sociales es algo muy general, tanto como tener el pasaje de autobus barato u hospitales gratis, al igual que subsidiar comida y dar becas a las mujeres que dan a luz a hijos descontroladamente....

hay que saber cuales son buenos y cuales estan hechos para la autodestruccion de una poblacion ignorante incapaz de decidir por si misma

spunkgun-9 karma

So you're against the corrupt dictatorship that's in power, but you actively support other fascist dictators?

StrikingPassenger5 karma

A facist who killed a few commies? im sorry call me facist, but i think there is a strong relationship between the fact of killing commies and letting chile for today being number 1 potency in south america

oxycontiin44 karma

I know you've said imported goods have the most value now that the currency is hyper-inflated. If you could pick one thing to import from any other country to sell for the most profit possible, what would you pick? What is valued the most when society starts to fall apart?

StrikingPassenger57 karma

Cellphones, forgeing currencys, cars, also selling penaut butter or hersheys to rich people, but in dollars instead of local currency... watches, idk, that stuff has become just oo much expensive here

HeckingHacker43 karma

[deleted]

StrikingPassenger112 karma

well hyperinflation doesn't affect you when you have USD, because 1 week ago 1 USD was 500 bs and now 1 USD is 730 BS, and probably in one week it would be arround 900-1000 so.... when i exchange dollars to my local currency, all i do is just buy all the food and things i need, and get with zero money again... because if i don't spend my money, it will become nothing with the hyperinflation....

Other thing nice is for example, selling dollars today at 760 BS, and when i got the BS, i bough again dollars but at lower price, like 720 BS... and repeat and repeat, that little difference is earnings for me :)

CercleRouge41 karma

arbitrage, baby!

StrikingPassenger34 karma

yeaah! same with cryptocurrency:)

imoinda40 karma

Sorry to hear things are so bad there.

Some questions:

  • What food is there in the shops?

  • What's the situation like in the cities, are there food riots?

  • What other goods are in scarce supply?

  • What are your favourite movies and music?

  • What do you do for a living, are you working, studying, or something else?

StrikingPassenger91 karma

ok ok let me aswer this

- lately i've seen weird brazilian imported food, also you see national products, and imported but not too much special stuff... lets say that there still enough food, just not abundantly ....

-there is not riots since the last year, there were riots in 2007, 2011, 2014, 2017 and now people is too weak and tired to protest, there is not actually real leaders to follow... i must say that the cities are the less affected places, vissiting a town or a village is just like a lil travel to africa but just next to my fucking face... i don't even understan how people who lives in little towns get to survive tbh

-there is not enough milk, and mostly of EVERYTHING imported has become less due there is less people in venezuela, and the ones who stay have no money, so is like your car toyota got damaged, damn well, now i need to fix it, then you remember that toyota closed their shit 3 years ago and you have to go to a store... and if they don't have just 1 piece of each one in the stock, you have to put in a list and order to import the piece...
Pringles are gone, oreos are gone, kellogs are gone... there is also people who live just selling imported stuff, like pingles, hersheys, etc...

I like to listen to goa trance. psyambient, psy-rock...

i like movies like inception, forest gump, life is Beautiful...

-i used to be a science in computers student in the public university, but as the country is collapsing, so its public institutions so... there was no teachers going to the classes and shit... i was just losing my time, so i left...

now im triying to do money with spare5 humanatic and a cryptocurrency trading... usually i have to help to pay things around this house so sometimes i don't have enough to eat even 2 times a day...

Reddit_KetaM26 karma

Weird Brazilian food? I'm Brazilian and i'm curious with that, which brands?

StrikingPassenger28 karma

some funny looking cookies, also the sugar im using for my coffe in this moment is in fact brazilian, let me check the name..."doce dia"

hibbitydibbitytwo20 karma

What is an average day like? Wake up, sit around, do nothing?

StrikingPassenger60 karma

i keep in watch the btc chart, i open spare5, humannatics, and do around 6-8 hours a day working... (except for btc chart, i only close it when im going to sleep) Also when i get stressed i play CS:GO, age of empire 2 and company of heroes 2....

Pleasuringher10 karma

AOE 2 solo, gameranger, or steam?

StrikingPassenger13 karma

used to play on gameranger, now i play it on steam since a friend bought it for me

Grigorie39 karma

What would you have to say to the average American to get them knowledgeable on the current happenings in Venezuela?

StrikingPassenger96 karma

There is a real state or anarchy, the only way to protect your own property is by your own responsability, unless you buy the police for you.

StrikingPassenger82 karma

i only see around kids studing in schools, and older people doing oldpeope stuff... people like me are very rare in this country, almost everybody around my are already flee

longhornlifestyle16 karma

Is the internet censored? Do you have to use a VPN to see certain sites?

StrikingPassenger42 karma

Usually you need a VPN to visit certain pages, sometimes goverment gets to take down twitter...
RN xvideos, redtube and a lot of porn pages are taken down and need a VPN to visit
Why??? IDK

In the rest of the pages, internet is working totally "normal"

lets not talk about my 40 to 120kbps internet... it is a pain in the ass to download anything

internet cheap is part of socialism, is just that we have the same infraesctructure since more than 16 years ago

WhiteRosett115 karma

What do you think of the issue with food hoarding and the effect of sanctions on the economy? Given that around 70% of the economy is private (social democracy similar to Sweden) it would seem like this control of the market is a large factor too, given that they probably aren't fans of Maduro.

StrikingPassenger18 karma

the market is too big, and it works by itself, it has a demand and a offer, and they produce as the demand... but since goverment takes food productions, they just work around 5% its potency... the goverment is full of apes, and everything they touch is literallly destroyed, i think the more free market and less regulations in the economy you have, you're letting more investment opportunity in a country.

brawlboy379412 karma

A pesar de todo lo que ustedes han sufrido, ¿piensa Ud. que, con condiciones favorables y lideres que no son corruptos y mezclado con formas de gobernar como la democracia, que el socialismo puede florecer y apoyar un país?

StrikingPassenger23 karma

Eso depende, hay planes sociales que creo que son necesarios, como subsidios de becas para estudiantes que presenten notas buenas, educacion gratuita, atencion medica gratuita, planes para conseguir una casa sencilla con descuento bastante notorio para gente que realmente lo necesite....

Pero hay que entender que el socialismo casi siempre es una excusa de los lideres para prometer cosas y luego no hacer nada de lo que prometieron...

Hipoteticamente hablanddo de lo que dices, talvéz un socialismo nordico como el de suecia no sea tan malo, pero tambien hace falta preservar de cierta forma la integridad del pais, no dar a entender que el pais es la prostituta detodos, nadamas que si tienes ganas de ser alguien en la vida el gobierno te de todas las herramientas, mas no la recompensa directamente.

LuneBlu10 karma

What is your view on the US? And it's relationship with Venezuela?

StrikingPassenger33 karma

Just a first world country, maybe you're asking because usually communist countrys hate US, but only the goverment say shit about US, mostly of venezuelans used to travel a lot to miami when things were stable here

Shaneomat9 karma

which crypto currency is the most well know in Venezuela right now, apart from the top 3. I heard Dash or Nano are doing well there in terms of adoption.. Is this true?

StrikingPassenger12 karma

mostrly dash, they have spend money in stands and stuff... in caracas comicon this year they even had a stand...
Also ETH is pretty popular, i've seen already more than one place accepting payments with ETH

about Nano i haven't heard about it in the streets yet...

ilrasso6 karma

So what do you eat?

StrikingPassenger12 karma

yesterday i prepared some grilled burgers, and today i have eaten 2 arepas filled with that grilled burger... yeah i did it myself :))

Tinpotray6 karma

What’s your opinion of Hugo Chavez?

StrikingPassenger24 karma

i think he is the responsable of the destruction of the contry, he was full of hate and pain behind that big smile

Bright_Sunshiny_Day4 karma

What are your days like, and how are you surviving?

StrikingPassenger12 karma

usually i wake up, sometimes i excersice sometimes not, prepare a lil bit of coffe and sit on my pc... i spend mostly of the day on my computer... sometimes i eat 2 times a day, sometimes there is just enough for one meal...

i like to spend long time reading interesting articles in wikipedia too

Fngrbngr794 karma

How can we help you and the people who need help? We could donate but where? We could send food but here and would the right people even get it? This is very sad and I’m sorry that you and your country are going through this.

StrikingPassenger5 karma

there are companies who brings stuff from miami to my city, is just that i have to pay for the packet, i think i could give you an address to send something, but im not sure i could pay it, specially if it is heavy... idk, is not too much too, maybe 20 USD for around 25 pounds? iddk something like that...

BouncingDeadCats3 karma

Have people there thought about overthrowing the current regime?

StrikingPassenger7 karma

Of course, but without a real leader, who will we follow? unorganized riots are already proven to do nothing, police already got a nice experience taking down riots, and they also kill protesters, so people don't want to protest anymore, is a fear stare.

SignorSchnitzel3 karma

First off, I’m sorry that you have become a victim of socialism. Before things “went south” did you do things to prepare? Like saving cash or storing emergency food and water?

StrikingPassenger12 karma

Yes yes and yes, saving canned food (not water) and saving money for emergency is something usefull to do when a crisis is happening, but when you're in middle of a crisis, you start to see food and money becomming less until it rans out... and then you have to survive in the current situation, so my best advice in any case of your country becomming communist is to save at least 3-4 years of canned food and long duration food, also medium duration food is okay if the disaster is inminnent, so you let the canned stuff for last.

uglychodemuffin3 karma

What are your thoughts on socialism?

StrikingPassenger7 karma

Grrrrrrrrr i hate commies grrrrrrr

the only social plans that should give to the citizens is free healthcare and free education, otherwise anything free would make lazy people multiply i think

GoodColorer2 karma

Going to the universal language here: what kind of music do you listen to? Any favorite bands?

StrikingPassenger4 karma

I love shpongle, i like kanye west, kendrik lamar, i also listen to nujabes

Rond3rd2 karma

I'm sorry about what you're going through, have you considered crossing the border to colombia? If not why? also what can the average joe do to ease the pain?

StrikingPassenger10 karma

a lot of people has flee to colombia, is just that i don't think colombia is a very good place to go... also there is a lot of venezuelans in perú, but i feel colombia is not too much different, i thing south america in general is a shithole, i sould like to go to europe, i have friends in irland and germany, and also there is a friend going to spain next year... is just thatt affording the plane ticket is a little expensive):

TurdDiggler2 karma

President Trump spoke repeatedly of invading Venezuela with military forces. What is the average citizens feelings about this? Also, has their been any though to action or organizing to overthrowing the regime similar to the Arab Spring. Lastly, what happens to those that publicly dissent?

Good luck to all of you and your country.

StrikingPassenger4 karma

all i see is a bunch of commies in the TV while my grandma watches tv, saying "Go out trump, our proud people will deffend our lines with blood!!! (focus a fatty old woman with a rifle while people applauds"

I think in any case of war, only one military artirelly ship and 120 marines would be enough to take the entire country for sure, everything is just a joke here

people want US to invade us to free us, that's how people thinks here tbh... and there is not organizing an overthrowing, due the good job of the secret police paying for information-

Pancernywiatrak1 karma

Do you have any way of getting out of the country?

StrikingPassenger3 karma

Yes, im working on renewing my venezuelan passport, it just took some money to do the papers, since people are fleeing, lawers are taking advance on that and asking for dollars for making papers

drunken_gibberish1 karma

Is there any way the average person to help get resources (food, water, basics) to those in need, that won't end up in government hands?

StrikingPassenger3 karma

Yes, by sending it in a private service is probably the best way, other way is to send money via internet and i just exchange it and buy food, there is no way goverment could control that

default-771 karma

How has the economy affected other goods and services? Are the large malls in Caracas (CCT, Sambil, etc.) full of empty storefronts? Is it affecting some of the more nicer areas like Altamira, Las Mercedes, etc?

StrikingPassenger2 karma

Mc donalds is not fast food, they prepare the food in front of you and take long time...

In caracas, as you ask, CCT, sambil, El lider and lots of big malls are almost full of products since we live in a centralized country, almost all the economy is working in caracas, also there is plenty of BTC miners in caracas, and shit...

Altamira and las merceres are nices areas indeed, but i live in Valencia carabobo, here, you can see even in malls like sambil (here is a sambil too) full of empty storefronts, and lots of closed locals in the avenues like avenida bolivar....

At least where i do live there is a nice and rich place called "guataparo"
i've vissited that place a few times before, only elite live there

TheSleepsAreAMod-2 karma

I think this video has a take on the situation in Venezuela not often expressed in the media. It says that the people actually protesting the government are middle/upper class citizens and certain capitalist heads of industry. It also mentions citizens receiving regular shipments of food and several programs implemented to help those in need. If OP is indeed from a formerly middle class area, it seems reasonable to assume they were swayed by the propaganda spread by the rich after they began hoarding certain foods and products in warehouses then proceeded to sell some of them in the black market for higher prices.

To OP: ¿Tu y tu familia no reciben la comida que otros ciudadanos reciben de tu gobierno? ¿Tienes el mismo resentimento contra las empresas vendiendo comida y otros productos en el mercado negro que contra el gobierno? ¿Has hablado con alguien que vive en esos “barrios” para conocer la situación en la que viven? ¿Que porcentaje de la gente Venezolana esta de acuerdo con lo que el gobierno trata de hacer para mejorar la situación?

Edit : translating questions for English speakers: Do you and your family not receive the food packages other citizens receive from the government?

Do you hold the same resentment against the businesses selling foods and other products in the black market as you do against the government?

Have you yourself spoken to someone from these “barrios” to find out what their living situation is like?

What percentage of the population agrees with what the government is trying to do up improve the situation?

StrikingPassenger9 karma

let me clear something in mind okay

  1. these regular shipments of food are enough for eating for 3-4 days for a family of 3 people.. and giveng around months, so people reciving that "help" is starving anyways... so i don't understan how they get help with that

  2. Yes, protesting people is middle and high class. because poor people is too FUCKING STUPID to know what's good for them, they were 10 years ago like "YEEAAAH CHAVEZ WOOHOO" and now 1/3 of them are dead, 1/3 already flee the country, and 1/3 of them don't know just what is happening because their are extreamly ignorant... is not that i hate poor people, but i just keep in mind that they were who supported the destruction of the country

  3. No hay empresas vendiendo nada al mercado negro, solo son personas que revenden, las empresas estan reguladas por el gobierno, en todo caso lo que odio son esas estupidas regulaciones que quieban a los productores y dejan un pais peor que desvastado, DESMANTELADO....

Si conozco gente de varrios, he convivido con gente de varios, sé que tipo de vida tienen... y es una vida de ghetto, aunque seas sano y no consumas nada, igual vives rodeado de violencia....

El procentaje de acuerdo con lo que hace el gobierno creo que es 0%, realmente creo que a este punto los unicos seguidores son chavistas sin cerebro....

Hasta los malditos policias y militares se les nota que apoyan esto falsamente e hipocricamente, solo que no existe tal cosa como un super riot en el cual todos se levanten al mismo tiempo, sin lideres no hay nadie a quien seguir, y ya se desmotro que una lucha sin objetivo solo trae muertos inocentes y ya´....

Qwel_-16 karma

Does the CIA pay well? Good benefits? 401k?

DJDialogic-9 karma

This does have the kind of smell. No proof of identity plus railing against socialism. I wonder.

StrikingPassenger8 karma

im sorry no proof of identity? there is 3 pictures of me holding my ID, i just censored it for my own security.