Students, faculty react to Chavez

By Kelsey Proud

Published Jan. 26, 2007

At a time when international sentiments toward the United States are ambiguous, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez made his views blatantly clear Sunday when he told U.S. officials, "Go to hell, gringos! Go home!"

Chavez made his remarks on his weekly radio and television show in response to comments made by the George Bush administration. Bush's administration expressed concern about the likely passage of a controversial bill by the Venezuelan National Assembly. The bill would give Chavez the governing power to pass a collection of laws by decree, rather than through the assembly, during an 18-month time span.

While the verbal exchange has been active in Washington, D.C., about Chavez's assertion, the topic has received less public attention among members of campus Hispanic organizations, namely the Hispanic American Leadership Organization.

"(Chavez's comments) haven't really been a topic at HALO meetings, but we all just realize that he is a man that has a point of view, and it's not really HALO's point of view," HALO member Sarah Konzak said. "The only person I've spoken to about it happens to be African American and he thinks (Chavez) seems to have fallen off his rocker."

Konzak said the comments might be a catalyzing force to fuel the anti-immigration and anti-Hispanic attitudes brewing nationwide.

"Lately, with all of these new acts that Bush has been trying to push through Congress, if Chavez starts saying more things, he will just add to the anti-Hispanic sentiment throughout America right now," she said.

Moises Arce, an associate professor of political science who specializes in Latin-American politics, said some in the United States might think all Hispanic people will share Chavez's views.

"I think there's some concern that people will see what's coming out of Chavez as representative of Latin America and that's not true," he said. "People will ask, 'Do all people think like Chavez?' Those views are Chavez's and some would argue, not the views of the entire nation of Venezuela."

Whether or not Chavez's goals are shared by his people is a primary question, and one that the Hispanic community in the United States is asking.

"I think most of the community laments the way that Venezuela has eroded, with too much concentration of political power in the hands of Chavez, and many people will view that as a threat to democracy," Arce said. "Many people have expressed concerns about how he will affect free media and other democratic institutions. But the flip side of that is poor Venezuelans never really benefit from the democratic institutions, so they don't see the deterioration as a problem."

Arce said he thinks the United States worries about Chavez's close relationship with Fidel Castro.

"A lot of people think that Castro is close to dying and people compare Chavez to Castro," Arce said. "People have even compared Chavez to Castro as his 'mini-me.' The only difference is that Chavez has oil and Castro does not. Chavez might even be more powerful because of it."

Konzak said Chavez is a leader who, without the powerful company of Iran and Syria, isn't a force the United States should be concerned about.

"I know that Chavez has been socializing with Iran and other countries, which seems like a threat, but Chavez by himself and using his words by himself, I don't see as an issue," she said.

With the close ties to Iran and Syria and as the ruler of a nation with a largely poor population clamoring for change, Arce said he expects that the world will continue to hear more words from Chavez laced with animosity not only toward the U.S. itself, but also to U.S. allies.

"Everyone needs to keep in mind that Chavez has been reelected recently and his new term ends in 2012," he said. "His very antagonistic behavior against the U.S. has continued and will continue. This is the Chavez we all know, and this recent remark suggests that he will continue down that path."tic behavior against the U.S. has contimued and it will continue. This is the Chavez we all know, and this recent remark suggests that he will continue down that path."