Violence

Newspapers

When discussing peaceful protests or riots, there is an undercurrent discourse about violence and corruption in Venezuela. Seeing violence as the norm in the Global South, the media reports on citizen organization as frequent, dangerous, and inspiring. Any action taken against Chavez by any number of citizens was held in high esteem as the people following the democratic moral of requiring a government to work for them. The reporting on protests always assumed that the citizens were following a democratic mission with the implicit assumption that any civil organization is inherently American-democratic and deserves respect for following the principles of American society, regardless of whether the protest aligns with American morals of capitalism or democracy. Throughout Chavez’s presidency, the US media reminds their readers of his “failed 1992 coup” and his past as a “military paratrooper” to create a discourse of fear and danger of a military strong man. There are themes of violence within the descriptions of his personality, and those military descriptions are more forceful during times of unrest. This further paints an image of Chavez as disconnected from his citizens and willing to violently suppress those fighting for American-esque democracy.