segunda-feira, novembro 15, 2004

Capitalismo Real vs Socialismo Real

Tem sempre um aluno me falando dos males do capitalismo. Eu nunca sei se ele está falando da OCDE ou de Bangladesh. Afinal, capitalismo real existe no mundo inteiro, exceto, talvez apenas em Cuba e na Coréia do Norte. Cuba já é alvo de admiração de muito brasileiro (inclusive muitos que têm cargos públicos desde 2002) há tempos.

Mas deixe-me falar da Coréia do Norte. Lá existe um regime parecido com o de Castro, só que decorado com a diferente cultura asiática. A matéria a seguir - thanks, Leo! - mostra como funciona o socialismo real.

Depois de ler, você escolhe sua opção. Só não se esqueça que sair de Cuba e da Coréia do Norte para ir morar em outro país é muito mais difícil do que sair do Brasil (ainda) para morar em qualquer outro país. Com toda a dificuldade de grana, você consegue sair daqui. Já nestes países...

O paraíso socialista:

1. While the North Koreans starved and the country descended ever more deeply into poverty, the younger Kim built at least ten palaces, complete with golf courses, stables and movie theaters. His garages are filled with luxury cars. The CIA estimates the family's wealth at four billion dollars, part of which is deposited in Swiss bank accounts.

Astonishing details about the lifestyle of the current president have now come to light. In the 1980s, he launched the "Project to Guarantee the Longevity of the Great and the Dear Leader." What this means, specifically, is that about 2,000 young women serve the leadership in "satisfaction teams" (sexual service) and "happiness teams" (massage).

Kim himself selected Ko Yong Hi, a dancer, as his life partner, even though he was already married at the time and also had a mistress. Ko bore him two sons and was given the honorary titles "Great Wife" and "Beloved Mother." She has long since died, supposedly of cancer. One of her sons may carry on the dynasty.


2. North Korea, one of the world's most centrally planned and isolated economies, faces desperate economic conditions. Industrial capital stock is nearly beyond repair as a result of years of underinvestment and spare parts shortages. Industrial and power output have declined in parallel. The nation has suffered its tenth year of food shortages because of a lack of arable land, collective farming, weather-related problems, and chronic shortages of fertilizer and fuel. Massive international food aid deliveries have allowed the regime to escape mass starvation since 1995-96, but the population remains the victim of prolonged malnutrition and deteriorating living conditions. Large-scale military spending eats up resources needed for investment and civilian consumption. In 2003, heightened political tensions with key donor countries and general donor fatigue threatened the flow of desperately needed food aid and fuel aid as well. Black market prices continued to rise following the increase in official prices and wages in the summer of 2002, leaving some vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and unemployed, less able to buy goods. The regime, however, relaxed restrictions on farmers' market activities in spring 2003, leading to an expansion of market activity.

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