For years, we've been hearing from a brotherhood of parishioners convinced they have inherited the moral exclusivity of the universe. They repeat it like religious cultists: only they—by the mere fact of labeling themselves "progressive"—are the good ones. The pure and virtuous. The rest of us are simply barbarians. Incapable of understanding ethics in its highest expression—let alone achieving it.
The problem, of course, is that nothing hits as hard as reality. Because if something has been demonstrated in recent years – but especially in recent days – it is that the supposed guardians of virtue are usually the most hypocritical, sectarian, and, at times, immoral.There is Venezuela, a perfect example of this reality. Eight million exiles due to a system that promised justice and equality and that has only left ruins, misery, and blood. With more refugees than the civil wars in Syria or Sudan. Chávez paved the way with speeches, oil, and the odd coup attempt; Maduro turned it into an open-air prison for the poor. This is the reality. Thousands of tortures, rapes, and murders are on the moral bill of that innovative socialism imported to SpainAnd yet, for years, from Spain and half the Latin world, the armchair progressive who loves capitalism without acknowledging it has repeated that it was not a dictatorship. That it was all cheap right-wing propaganda. That political prisoners were an invention. That what existed was a popular process to save the people from misery and poverty, in the name of equalityBut, suddenly, hundreds of those "imaginary" prisoners walk out the door of the Helicoide, the largest torture center in the entire region. The curious thing – and repugnant – is that right there, workshops on human rights were given by some founder of Podemos. The individual, by the way, is a friend of those who have shamelessly defended the dictatorships of Venezuela, Iran, or Russia. The same ones who, at the time, dared to say that working for the Iranian regime "contributed to democracy." You really have to have some nerve.
These days, with Venezuela once again in the spotlight, testimonies from those released prisoners are accumulating in the media and on social networks. Relatives of some prisoners claim to have been pressured, even by a former Spanish president, not to report the torture they suffered. The same one who paraded through Caracas pretending to be impartial as an international observer in the electoral processes, assuring that people voted there "freely". Other relatives have published letters stating that they must remain silent before the cameras and the media. Not without reason, they still have family members locked up in that sinister place.
And now, the same people who denied the existence of these prisoners dare to take credit for their release. The political and military pressure from the US, without which Delcy would not have opened the cages, means nothing. I suppose they will also claim the release of the Nicaraguan prisoners. Cynicism knows no bounds
At this point, the question is simple: whom are you going to believe? The political prisoner who returns with scars on his body and soul? Or the one who for years claimed it was all a setup, that there was democracy there, and who now pretends to be a liberator? You don't need to be a genius to find the right answer. Unless, of course, the famous "I believe you, sister" no longer works
But the Venezuelan drama doesn't end in Venezuela. The reaction of those who fill their mouths with the word "rights" is contempt for the exiles who have celebrated Maduro's fall. From their moral high ground—and with a certain racist undertone—they advise them to return to their country if it makes them so happy. They insult them. They call them fools and bestow dehumanizing labels on them like "facha" or "fascist." As if an immigrant's worth were proportional to their progressive devotion
And no, the hypocrisy doesn't end with Venezuela. In recent weeks, streets have been burned in Iran. Thousands of people have risen up against the ayatollahs' regime, truly risking their lives for their freedom. So much so that more than 2,000 unarmed civilians have been confirmed murdered by the Iranian security forces. And what has been the reaction of our cheap progressives? Silence. A silence so overwhelming that it frightens and shames in equal measure. Not a single tweet about it. Not a demonstration at Complutense. Because Iran, just like Venezuela in its day, also pays for sermons
Gary Kasparov, who knew real socialism up close, said something that says it all: "Venezuela is not what happens when socialism fails, but what happens when socialism succeeds."
And so, while the usual suspects continue handing out virtue cards, reality keeps digging its graves. And the lack of morals, as almost always, ends up being paid for by the same people: those at the bottom