Lalo Alcaraz -- award-winning editorial cartoonist and Latino journalist -- captures the essence of the country’s changing cultural and political landscape. Alcaraz has produced editorial cartoons for LA Weekly since 1992 and also creates cartoons in Spanish for La Opinion, the United States’ oldest Spanish-language newspaper. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Village Voice, Los Angeles Times, Variety, Hispanic Magazine, Latina magazine, La Jornada in Mexico City, BUNTE, (Germany’s People magazine) and many other publications. Add instant variety to your Web site’s news and opinion offerings with Alcaraz’s intelligent, youthful and thought-provoking perspective.
Lalo Alcaraz - All Rights Reserved.
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Comments (16) (Please sign in to comment)
The Wolf In Your Midst said, 3 months ago
Just a note for all the kids who like to wear Che Guevara T-shirts: Che Guevara would put a bullet in your head for wearing a Che Guevara T-shirt.
We now return you to your regularly-scheduled political cartoon.
Uncle Joe said, 3 months ago
@The Wolf In Your Midst
Like most folk heroes, the myth is far better than the man ever was.
mdavis4183
said, 3 months ago
Che had a picture window installed in the wall of his office so he could watch the mass executions he’d ordered. Fubby how Alacaraz worships him.
Respectful Troll said, 3 months ago
It is my understanding that Chavez came into power because the disparity between the very wealthy and the very poor became so great that the small minority of “rich” people could not stop the HUGE majority of poor people from winning even a rigged election. Then the minority party, as a form of protest, did not run any candidates claiming all elections would be rigged. Perhaps they would have been. But with no opposition candidates to oppose them, Chavez became the leader of a political oligarchy through a democratic process. He could have been a great leader, but he chose to be a populist leader and in so doing, became “President for Life”
^.
Sadly, he has left a legacy of poltical machinery that may or may not serve the people who supported Chavez. His death leaves a vacuum and his leadership leaves an absence of leaders in a nation whose democratic history is filled with abuses.
^
Mr. Alacaraz’s cartoon reminds us of the adage, One nation’s traitor is another nation’s hero. Chavez and Che helped some people realize their dreams by destroying the dreams of others. It is an object lesson for our own leaders and our party system.
^
Having two healthy parties with a majority of moderate members prevents any one party from political abuses. Using legislation to protect and empower the very rich while failing to give hope and potential to people in the middle and poor classes is not wise. And failing to respect and include minorities and the disenfranchised is equally unwise.
Respectfully,
C.
Uncle Joe said, 3 months ago
@Respectful Troll
Che was a nasty piece of work… I suspect Lalo knows that.
Uncle Sam is shining the light on Hugo Chavez & seeing the shadow of Che Guevara. I knew Che Guevara & Hugo Chavez is no Che Guevara.
Ok, I didn’t know either of those guys, but you get my drift. Chavez’ legacy is not likely to be a lasting one. Notice how small Lalo drew him?
Ms. Ima said, 3 months ago
Che was scum.
Jeff Kiser
said, 3 months ago
Che and Chavez are both scum. I am suprised Alcaraz, whose cartoons poke fun at political power he doesn’t agree with, would never be able to say anything critical of Chavez. Chavez took over all media outlets, internet, everything, and then forced them to carry his speeches, Chavez destroyed any and all opposition parties, throwing them in jail. Chavistas would go in special shirts (so they wouldn’t be arrested) and would beat opposition supporters or those who did not cheer loud enough. Chavez was much like Che. I suppose leftists are willing to overlook anything as long as its “their man”. I have friends who were barely middle class that lost everything because of Chavez, non political and yet some still lost their freedom. I can only presume that Mr. Alcaraz has no real ethical core, and is only in it for “the party”. Unfortunate
cipactli77 said, 3 months ago
Hasta Siempre Comandante!
Wabbit
said, 3 months ago
Here the dreams of a scant few are realized while millions of other Americans have seen the glimpse of the middle class American dream slip through their fingers.
During mid century was when The USA’s Chicago school of Finance went to South America, took down Democracies and put in place men who would do their particular financial dream of rich capitalists and inflation of milk and bread would cost thousands of what ever type local money they had.
feverjr said, 3 months ago
@Uncle Joe
That “nasty piece of work” raised the per capita income in Venezuela 440% since 1998. What do you think we would think of a leader that did that here?
NeoconMan said, 3 months ago
@feverjr
^ Doesn’t matter; the point is he stole America’s oil from our oil companies in his country and nationalized the industry, giving the proceeds to his people rather than to our multinationals. Therefore we had very right to back the right-wing coup and to attempt his assassination with our CIA.
feverjr said, 3 months ago
@NeoconMan
Hugo wanted Venezuela to have 51% control of the country’s oil. Still plenty of profit for the US oil industry…..
" Previous administrations had sought to privatise this industry, with U.S. corporations having a significant level of control, but the Chávez administration wished to curb this foreign control over the country’s natural resources by nationalising much of it under the state-run oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PdVSA). In 2001, the government introduced a new Hydrocarbons Law through which they sought to gain greater state control over the oil industry: they did this by raising royalty taxes on the oil companies and also by introducing the formation of “mixed companies”, whereby the PdVSA could have joint control with private companies over industry. By 2006, all of the 32 operating agreements signed with private corporations during the 1990s had been converted from being primarily or solely corporate-run to being at least 51% controlled by PdVSA."
………
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Ch%C3%A1vez#.22Socialism_of_the_21st_century.22
……….
Raising royalties, maintaining 51% control of mineral wealth = 440% per capita growth in 15 years…… sounds pretty good.
ahab
said, 3 months ago
@Wabbit
I saw that movie too. Amazing how few Americans realize that American ideas have caused so much unrest and suffering in other countries. BushCo. brought those ideas to fruition in America, and the chickens have come home to roost.
Jeff Kiser
said, 3 months ago
Lets see, under Chavez, worlds highest inflation rate, street crime higher than Afghanistan, death rates at an all time high due to crime, and power outages. Imagine an oil exporting nation has power outages because it cannot run and keep running its own power grid. As to the control of oil, since the government took over those wells, the oil output has dropped, the environmental impact has shot through the roof since the government doesn’t feel it “needs” to buy silly things like filters for their wells. When Franco, the dictator of Spain died, and when Stalin died, there were crowds of thousands at his funeral,,, just like Chavez. Chavez did indeed have the chance to change Venezuela, but he squandered it, he destroyed democracy, suppressed any opposition including the press. His capricious nature did not allow for people to choose a path, he forced it on them, and if you did not conform, you were driven out or killed. Mr. Alcaraez would find himself in prison even as he celebrates Chavez from a safe distance. It is unfortunate that some here would prefer slavery over a people as long as their particular ideology is somehow satisfied. Unlike everyone else here, I have worked in Venezuela and I have seen the middle class which was growing, completely crushed by Chavez so that now we have a more polarized nation than ever before. And some of you seem to think its good? Che Guevera was scum, a man who admitted he liked torture and death, Chavez became an ego maniacal dictator who used the poor as tools rather than elevating them. Safe, left wing, liberals who enjoy the fruits of the US and of course bear a grudging hatred towards the US will always celebrate people like Chavez, he is their late night fantasy. If they were to ever really feel the effects that Chavez had no their relatively soft middle class lives, I guarrantee they would be whimpering in the night.
feverjr said, 3 months ago
@Jeff Kiser
I may not have lived in Venezuela but I have lived and worked over seven years throughout the Carribean, two years in Haiti under Baby Doc, Simone and the Tontons Macoute. Yes, the crime rate, the politics, the healthcare, the inefficiency, it’s all very frustrating but it’s their country. I’m grateful for my time there; say what you will, it was an adventure, never boring and made me appreciate the rights we have here.
Jeff, the oil exports have quadrupled since Chavez took control.
………..
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/oct/04/venezuela-hugo-chavez-election-data#zoomed-picture