A recent post in Caracas Chronicles, a blog on current Venezuelan issues, caught my attention. In his blog post, Sobremesa Chronicles, Juan Cristobal Nagel mentions that in his most recent trip to Caracas, Venezuela he was surprised to see that the biggest headlines were not the current economic and political issues faced by the country.
Instead, the talk of the town was that a rich business leader was throwing a lavish party at the exclusive Caracas Country Club where thousands gathered. Many young socialites were in attendance as well as three of the most well known and popular urban music artists in Venezuela. Nagel points out that like this party, there are many more held throughout Caracas by the rich. All of this while the majority of the Venezuelan people are struggling to feed their families.
He ends his blog by posing the following questions: Should the rich show a bit more restraint given the current state of the country? Is Venezuela's crisis more of a moral one than an economic one?
Although I too think it is quite distasteful for the wealthy and powerful people of the country to carry on with their parties and exhibition of wealth, I think they are not entirely to blame. The truth is that many of these executives made most of their money through very questionable practices which were applauded by the current government in exchange for bribes.
If people want to question someone's morals, it should be that of the Venezuelan government. The leaders have turned a blind eye to much of the corruption in the country and have facilitated the current situation. The attitude and lifestyle of the rich is another consequence of an immoral government that does not always live what it preaches.
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