* From: Jim Devine Chávez is no Castro
Neither the excesses nor the achievements of the Venezuelan leader are in the same béisbol-park as his cigar-puffing neighbour. Ben Whitford ^^^^^^ CB: I think this is harmless nonsense, not likely to do any harm to the American revolutionary movement, led by Cuba and Venezuela. Who is the author trying to persuade that Chavez is not like Castro ? People who are already fans of Castro or Chavez aren't likely to pay much attention to the article. So, what impact is he trying to have on people first hearing of Chavez ? I assume somehow he is trying to make them dislike Chavez. Well, of the people only learning about Chavez now in this author's audience, U.S.ians, most of them are probably already heavily propagandized to be anti-Castro. So , the title , distancing Chavez from Castro would ring favorably for Chavez for the anti-Castro lights, the generalized, vaguely anti-Castro average American. "Chavez is not like Castro. Oh, Chavez good". Are they really likely to get deep into the article's analysis to receive the anti-Chavez themes ? I doubt most average Americans would read it that far or think about it that much . They've been trained to think very shallowly about the issues in this article. And the shallow message is mildly pro-Chavez ; and even untrue, since Chavez _is_ like Castro in important ways; both Chavez and Castro are saying it. It would seem that Castro and Chavez _are_ in the same park, as that expression goes. How odd to take the tack of denying that they are alike like that. I don't know what this guy is doing in this article. Trying out some new tricks, since the old ones' are working that good ? Maybe this reporter is a covert leftist or something.
