Venezuelan Crisis

The ongoing economic crisis in Venezuela is driving people to leave the country by the hundreds of thousands. Crossing borders on foot and seeking better lives in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and beyond. They are fleeing a nation that has frequent power outages and water shortages, and suffers from a severe lack of food and basic medical supplies. Hyperinflation has become such a burden that new currency was recently issued, at a conversion rate of 100,000 bolivars (old currency) to 1 sovereign bolivar (new). The IMF estimated that Venezuela’s rate of inflation might reach 1,000,000 percent this year. Just this week, several new economic measures will take effect, including a more-than-3,000 percent hike in the minimum wage. The rising numbers of refugees are causing problems in bordering countries as well, with countries like Ecuador and Peru tightening restrictions on immigration. 

Just like in The Water Knife many individuals have had to ration water due to shortages. The government has also decided to regulate the rationing of the water. Making sure each person only takes their designated amount. Just like in the book many citizens are desperate for anything. Venezuelans have resorted to killing local dogs, cats, and any other animal they can find. Desperate times call for desperate measures. 

The Water Knife also had some amazing quotes that describes what humans do in desperate times. The first one is, “Desperate people did desperate things, became avatars of unexpected tragedy.”  Another quote I thought really connected was, "We knew it was all going to go to hell, and we just stood by and watched it happen anyway. There ought to be a prize for that kind of stupidity.” Many Venezuelans knew that their country was definitely struggling, and many decided to do nothing about it. They are now suffering horribly because of their decision.