Reason Magazine
- reason.com
- reason.tv
- reason.org
- Donate
- Site Search:
Reason on Facebook
Reason on Twitter
Reason on YouTube
Reason RSSGet Reason E-mail Updates!
Manage your Reason e-mail list subscriptionsadvertisements
The Bourgeois Formalism of Lenny and Carl
Despite plummeting popularity and increasing social unrest at
home, Hugo Chavez has decided it's a perfect time to nationalize
both Venezuela's cement and steel industries. On Wednesday, the
Chavez government announced that it would takeover steelmaker
Ternium Sidor, "sending the Argentine-controlled company's
shares tumbling." Following news of Venezuela's planned takeover of
Mexican cement company Cemex, Peter Hakim, president of the
Inter-American Dialogue, made a trenchant point: "They are doing such a
terrible job managing the nation's most important company, [state
oil company] PDVSA, that it's hard to imagine they're really going
to have the skill, the manpower and the knowledge to do much with
[cement] companies. This is rather a cockeyed economic
proposition."
Both decisions will surely have a negative economic impact on
Venezuela's already shaky economy, but it cannot possibly match the
damage to public morale of this decision. The Times of
London reports:
Luxurious chest hair and little red trunks versus doughnuts and "D'oh!". In the battle of the US television heavyweights, The Hoff has vanquished Homer.
Or at least in Venezuela, where The Simpsons has been ordered from television schedules by President Hugo Chavez after being deemed unsuitable for children. Controversial enough, but in an even more curious move its 11am timeslot has been handed to Baywatch, the show that launched a thousand adolescent dreams.
David Hasselhoff and his aerodynamic life-saving cohorts began their slow-motion jog across the nation's screens on Friday morning, after a ruling that The Simpsons was in danger of breaching the Law of Social Responsibility in Radio and Television.
The National Telecommunications Commission said the show pushed "messages that go against the whole education of boys, girls and adolescents". So far the regulatory agency, which reports to the government, has failed to explain why the cartoon family from Springfield poses more of a threat to the minds of Venezuelan children than a lifeguard falling out of her swimsuit.
(Hat tip: Bruce)
the innominate one|4.10.08 @ 2:46PM|#
they're hydraulically enhanced, not aerodynamic.
they always have their own life preservers, though. (I assume
silicon and fatty tissue floats, however, saline implants are
presumably buoyancy-neutral).
Elemenope|4.10.08 @ 2:46PM|#
The National Telecommunications Commission said the show
pushed "messages that go against the whole education of boys, girls
and adolescents". So far the regulatory agency, which reports to
the government, has failed to explain why the cartoon family from
Springfield poses more of a threat to the minds of Venezuelan
children than a lifeguard falling out of her swimsuit.
The author forgets that sex is only terrifying to Americans,
whereas satire and comedy are considered dangerous everywhere.
Episiarch|4.10.08 @ 2:57PM|#
Hugo is so entertaining that one sometimes forgets that he's fucking up a previously successful country. If he would just resign and then go on Celebrity Big Brother, the world would thank him.
|4.10.08 @ 3:00PM|#
Lenny Leonard and Carl Carlson are portrayed as closeted gay men on the show... not that there's anything wrong with that!!
WAVY RED LINE|4.10.08 @ 3:06PM|#
the Chavez government announced that it would
takeovertake over steelmaker Ternium Sidor
For a magazine called grammar...
|4.10.08 @ 3:10PM|#
I once watched The Simpson's on Malaysian TV (long story). It
was one of the Halloween shows; this one where Homer's head is
turned into a giant donut (another long story, but oddly, you're
probably still with me).
Parked down the block is policeman Wiggam, saying to his partner,
"he's gotta come out sometime...". So the joke relies on "cops +
donuts = world of humorous observations."
I'm thinkin', does ANYBODY in Malaysia get the joke?! Do Malaysian
cops hang out in noodle bars or something?
Anyhoo... I wonder what percent of The Simpson's went flying over
the heads of Venezuelans? Not ENOUGH, apparently.
Re: Big Brother -- while the name is appropriate, I think Hugo's
more of a Surreal Life type. Throw in Mugabe and Fidel with a
colostemy bag ("Cranky Old Dictators!") and Imelda Marcos, and I'd
watch on pay-per-view!
(I'm not sure if Imelda is alive, but I stand by my statement in
any case...)
|4.10.08 @ 3:12PM|#
So, I guess they do not value intelligence at all? Simpson's, though sometimes crass, is a pretty smart show. Baywatch, is lewd AND it's completely unintelligent, dumbed down, low budget writing, worst species of daytime tv in existence.
|4.10.08 @ 3:16PM|#
What a meathead. He must live in a serious bubble not to realize
that this is a bad idea.
But he was elected!
Elected!
Yes, he was. Not really relevant here.
Taktix®|4.10.08 @ 3:22PM|#
So, I guess they do not value intelligence at all?
Simpson's, though sometimes crass, is a pretty smart show.
Baywatch, is lewd AND it's completely unintelligent, dumbed down,
low budget writing, worst species of daytime tv in
existence.
Perhaps Hugo saw the Simpsons episode with the "independent thought
alarm" and decided not to let his subjects get an bright
ideas...
adrian|4.10.08 @ 3:24PM|#
Every day it seems more and more like Chavez's instruction manual is Animal Farm.
Windypundit|4.10.08 @ 3:24PM|#
If Venezuelan dictators think The Simpsons is a threat, I think that's all to the credit of The Simpsons.
Hugh G. Rekshun|4.10.08 @ 3:24PM|#
"Baywatch, the show that launched a thousand adolescent
dreams"
Only a thousand??? I demand a recount!
Mike Laursen|4.10.08 @ 3:28PM|#
Thank you, WAVY RED LINE!
I blame Microsoft. Every time somebody installs a Windows
application, they double click on a program called, "Setup". If
they had only called it "Set Up" or even "SetUp".
|4.10.08 @ 3:29PM|#
But he was elected!
Elected!
Yes, he was. Not really relevant here.
Why not? Are you saying that the democratic legitimacy of the
government is irrelevant to evaluating its actions?
Would nationalizing companies and censorship of TV programming be
better/worse if done by an unelected dictator?
BakedPenguin|4.10.08 @ 3:31PM|#
If Baywatch was nothing but Pamela Anderson, Erica Eleniak,
etal. running around in swimsuits, I could understand this
decision. But that show was ruined by the addition of "plots",
shots of Hasselhoff, and other extraneous crap.
I suspect The Simpsons will have a pointed comment to Chavez in an
upcoming episode. Watching a country implode is never a pretty
sight. Hopefully, this will wake up the other "Bolivarians" in
South America as to the viability of socialism.
Had he said '¡Que lastima!' I would have voted bee suit guy
threadwinner.
BakedStructure|4.10.08 @ 3:34PM|#
Oops. My second paragraph should have been split after the first sentence.
|4.10.08 @ 3:34PM|#
I guess I should read all of the posts before I post. sorry best suit guy @ 3:05
|4.10.08 @ 3:36PM|#
Are you saying that the democratic legitimacy of the
government is irrelevant to evaluating its actions?
Yes. Two different issues. It is good to see you finally getting
this point.
Would nationalizing companies and censorship of TV programming
be better/worse if done by an unelected dictator? Actions are
actions, and should be judged on their own terms.
The reason democracy is superior to dictatorship is because the
former provides a system for checking the abuses of a tyrant and
removing him, not because sprinkling magical democracy dust makes
everything the government does smell like petunias.
Rimfax|4.10.08 @ 3:36PM|#
a previously successful country
Episiarch, I would argue that it was a horridly corrupt country,
and that's why the bonehead was electable. I hate Chavez as much as
the next person, but he did put most of the old oligarchs out on
their asses (and replaced them with new oligarchs).
For a magazine called grammar...
Drink!
Rimfax|4.10.08 @ 3:42PM|#
The reason democracy is superior to dictatorship is because
the former provides a system for checking the abuses of a tyrant
and removing him, not because sprinkling magical democracy dust
makes everything the government does smell like
petunias.
joe, I'm saving that on the wiki page about you.
Well said.
ed|4.10.08 @ 3:42PM|#
Parked down the block is policeman Wiggam, saying to his
partner, "he's gotta come out sometime..."
They're holding coffee cups too. Very important.
Kolohe|4.10.08 @ 3:47PM|#
Worries that The Simpsons and Baywatch are corrupting the
youth?
Are they living in 1990?
(well, a President Bush, a war in Iraq, a credit-induced financial
meltdown so maybe so are we.)
atrevete|4.10.08 @ 3:50PM|#
When RCTV was shut down last year, much of Hugo's target
audience was deprived of their novelas with huge bosoms falling out
of swimsuits and other tops - a long tradition in Latin America.
This eroded his popularity tremedously with his former supporters,
but apparently they've found a way around it with installing
satellite dishes. -
Yup, you can count them in the "buhoneros" the dirt poor
shantytowns that surround Caracas - about one in ten shacks has one
now, and you can bet the neighbors who don't have satellite stop
over regularly with beer and uh, other things, so they can watch. I
hear "24" is quite popular.
|4.10.08 @ 3:52PM|#
The Simpsons made fun of Progressivism and Castro at the same
time, so it isn't that suprising Shitvez wouldn't like the
show.
From IMDB.com
Fidel Castro: Comrads, our nation is completely bankrupt! We have
no choice but to abandon communism!
Castro's Aide #1, Castro's Associates: [sigh]
Fidel Castro: I know, I know, I know... but we all knew from day
one this mumbo jumbo wouldn't fly! I'll call Washington and tell
them they won.
Castro's Aide #1: But presidente, America tried to kill you!
Fidel Castro: Ah, they're not so bad. They even named a street
after me in San Francisco!
[Aide #2 whispers something into his ear]
Fidel Castro: It's full of what?
|4.10.08 @ 3:59PM|#
Los Simpsons isnt very funny in Spanish, in fact, it is kind of
crass. The jokes aren't translated well or are entirely changed
because the humor of The Simpsons is mostly based on American
culture.
I love watching the Simpsons. Hate Los Simpsons.
And seeing big breasted women with busting cleavage is a normal
everyday thing. You see it in telenovelas, the newspaper, heck,
even here at work... There are also HUGE billborads at the side of
mayor highways portraying bikini-clad women ads for Polar or
Regional beer. As you can imagine, many car accidents in that
area...
|4.10.08 @ 4:02PM|#
"""Or at least in Venezuela, where The Simpsons has been ordered
from television schedules by President Hugo Chavez after being
deemed unsuitable for children."""
The christian right in the US made the same argument. They said it
was unsuitable for children. They were afraid Bart would make our
kids out of control. Bart Simpson shirts where banned at some
schools. They just didn't have enough power to impose their will
like Chavez, but they really, really wanted to.
Hamilton|4.10.08 @ 4:03PM|#
"Why not? Are you saying that the democratic legitimacy of the
government is irrelevant to evaluating its actions?"
Why be a dolt. If I'm elected president and then I decide to
subvert the constitution, do you really thing that make democracy
the heavy? Go play somewhere else.
|4.10.08 @ 4:05PM|#
But isnt The Simposons a cartoon for adults? I don't think it
was ever meant to be for children.
Many Venezuelans think "hey, its a cartoon. It must be for kids".
Then they finally understand that Smithers is gay and all hell
breaks loose.
Gahan|4.10.08 @ 4:05PM|#
Why ban it when you can dub it yourself and make it say whatever the hell you want? It worked for Franco in Spain.
Tigerlily|4.10.08 @ 4:08PM|#
"Why ban it when you can dub it yourself and make it say
whatever the hell you want? It worked for Franco in Spain."
Worked for Woody Allen Too!
|4.10.08 @ 4:10PM|#
"""But isnt The Simposons a cartoon for adults? """
Not in the same sense as Fritz the Cat.
|4.10.08 @ 4:25PM|#
rana,
Polar? As in, Polar Cola? The soft-drink maker from Worcester, MA
that has the largest number of flavors of any soft drink company in
the world?
THAT Polar?
Episiarch|4.10.08 @ 4:27PM|#
G-d how I love that film!
Only watchable Woody Allen film, partly because he isn't on screen.
My god he sucks otherwise.
(flamewar!)
WASP|4.10.08 @ 4:29PM|#
"And seeing big breasted women with busting cleavage is a normal
everyday thing."
I saw Univision for the first time yesterday. And in less than a
minute I declared aloud, "I will never watch any other channel
again!!!
TallDave|4.10.08 @ 4:31PM|#
Hugo Chavez has decided it's a perfect time to nationalize
both Venezuela's cement and steel industries.
It's always a good time for more socialism!
TallDave|4.10.08 @ 4:36PM|#
But he was elected! Elected!
Probably not. Some MIT/Harvard guys claim their mathematical
analysis found a 99% likelihood he stole the recall election.
http://blogs.salon.com/0001330/categories/rrModels/
Would you trust an electoral system where the government gets to
tabulate votes in a master computer they control, with auditors
only auditing the machines the gov't tells them to?
|4.10.08 @ 4:44PM|#
"Would you trust an electoral system where the government gets
to tabulate votes in a master computer they control, with auditors
only auditing the machines the gov't tells them to?"
And related news: The Consejo Nacional Electoral has yet to declare
the official TOTAL results of last December's Referendum... There
is transparency fer'ya.
Justin Slotman|4.10.08 @ 4:46PM|#
"Would you trust an electoral system where the government gets
to tabulate votes in a master computer they control, with auditors
only auditing the machines the gov't tells them to?"
But enough about Ohio. BADOOMCHA!
Here all week! Try the veal!
LarryA|4.10.08 @ 4:49PM|#
So, I guess they do not value intelligence at
all?
In peons intelligence is a problem, not a feature.
But he was elected!
Elected!
Yes, he was. Not really relevant here.
It is something to think about come November.
|4.10.08 @ 5:15PM|#
Episiarch, you twit, Woody Allen was great for many years before he went batshit insane. Go watch Bananas. Now, damn you, NOW!
economist|4.10.08 @ 5:31PM|#
Given that Matt Groening is practically a socialist, while Baywatch associates are rather blase politically, I would say Chavez is shooting himself in his own boot.
shminky|4.10.08 @ 5:33PM|#
Woody Allen was great for many years before he went batshit
insane.
I don't know about "many years", but 1969-77 certainly, from "Take
the Money and Run" to "Annie Hall". "Sleeper" is his most sustained
comedy imo.
Episiarch|4.10.08 @ 5:33PM|#
Well how are we supposed to have a Woody Allen flamewar now that
I am leaving work?
He sucks, dude. Totally. I understand that a lot of people think
he's brilliant but he's just a short ugly insecure douchebag who
fucks his stepdaughter.
Wasn't Tiger Lilly enough of a warning signal regarding Woody and
Asians?
|4.10.08 @ 5:57PM|#
Wasn't Tiger Lilly enough of a warning signal regarding Woody and Asians?
Now that is a true statement.
Hear me. I am your new president. From this day on, the official
language of San Marcos will be Swedish.
Silence.
In addition to that, all citizens will be required to change their
underwear every half hour. Underwear will be worn on the outside so
we can check. Furthermore, all children under 16 years old are now
16 years old.
Paul|4.10.08 @ 6:43PM|#
Baywatch, is lewd AND it's completely unintelligent, dumbed
down, low budget writing, worst species of daytime tv in
existence.
Dumbed down? You're saying that there was a Baywatch pilot or draft
script which was smarter?
|4.10.08 @ 8:12PM|#
Following news of Venezuela's planned takeover of Mexican
cement company Cemex, Peter Hakim, president of the Inter-American
Dialogue, made a trenchant point: "They are doing such a terrible
job managing the nation's most important company, [state oil
company] PDVSA, that it's hard to imagine they're really going to
have the skill, the manpower and the knowledge to do much with
[cement] companies. This is rather a cockeyed economic
proposition."
Cemex already stated that the company will negotiate with the
Venezuelan government. Many middle managers and clerks within Cemex
are actually from Venezuela, following the great Venezuelan
Diaspora of 1998-2001.
Mike Laursen|4.11.08 @ 12:01AM|#
I saw Univision for the first time yesterday. And in less
than a minute I declared aloud, "I will never watch any other
channel again!!!
And the amazing thing is that WASP used to be Lonewacko!
Mad Max|4.11.08 @ 1:05AM|#
In the Spanish-language Simpson's, what do they do with
Bumblebee Man?
I expect they make him a gringo.
His signature line would be "dude, WTF?"
ed|4.11.08 @ 8:41AM|#
I saw Univision for the first time yesterday.
Be sure to catch the weather reports.
Best...low front...ever.
|4.11.08 @ 10:23AM|#
"In the Spanish-language Simpson's, what do they do with
Bumblebee Man?
I expect they make him a gringo."
Funny. :)
But would you believe that they make Bumblebee Man even more
Mexican, with a stronger Mexican accent.
|4.11.08 @ 10:27AM|#
Yes. Two different issues. It is good to see you finally
getting this point.
No, its good to see you finally getting this point, after
years of fetishizing the democratic election of Chavez as a fig
leaf for his abuses.
The reason democracy is superior to dictatorship is because the
former provides a system for checking the abuses of a tyrant and
removing him, not because sprinkling magical democracy dust makes
everything the government does smell like petunias.
Again, this has been my point all along. I can't count the number
of times I have said democracy is a necessary but not
sufficient condition for a free country.
I'll clock this as joe's Annual Agreement With RC.
Perhaps we can move on to the issue of when a democratically
elected regime that abuses its powers loses its legitimacy?
|4.11.08 @ 12:49PM|#
Rigoberto,
Jeje. Orale manito, muchos años viviendo entre mejicanos. Que te
pudeo decir?
|4.11.08 @ 2:22PM|#
No, its good to see you finally getting this point, after
years of fetishizing the democratic election of Chavez as a fig
leaf for his abuses.
Sigh. This backsliding, so disappointing.
I have never done that. Not once. Not a single time. Every single
time you accused me of that, you were wrong. I often made the point
that he was a democratically legitimate leader, and never once -
not one single time - did I point this out in order to make a
statement for or against any of the actions he took. The entiretly
of this link existed in your mind, because you failed (and, sadly,
continue to fail) to understand the difference between "he is a
democratically legitimate leader" and "what he is doing is
right."
It's one of those things you have to really, really try not to get,
but you've always managed to come through, haven't you?
Perhaps we can move on to the issue of when a democratically
elected regime that abuses its powers loses its legitimacy? It
doesn't. As long as that regime continues to operate within an
open, democratic, accountable system, it retains its democratic
legitimacy.
Which is not to say it is doing good, or is worthy of
respect.
Because, as I had so hoped you had finally grasped, democratic
legitimacy and the decency of a government are NOT THE SAME
THING.
TallDave|4.11.08 @ 3:02PM|#
I often made the point that he was a democratically
legitimate leader,
Which, again, probably isn't true.
In addition to the recall results flunking the Benford's Law
analysis, Doug Schoen, of Bill Clinton's polling firm, also said he
believed there was massive fraud in the recall election.
|4.11.08 @ 4:59PM|#
""I understand that a lot of people think he's brilliant but
he's just a short ugly insecure douchebag who fucks his
stepdaughter""
What does that have to do his movies? The older stuff is funny. All
the bank employees arguing about what the hold-up note says in Take
The Money And Run. Brilliant.
Chavez was very popular when he first ran for office and won. The
people though he was for them. That was before he started his BS.
The recall election may or may not have been rigged. I would say
it's likely that it was. But that doesn't make it so, neither does
Benford's analysis or Schoen's opinion.
Site comments/questions:
Media Inquiries and Reprint Permissions:
(310) 367-6109
Editorial & Production Offices:
3415 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 391-2245