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Once again, the founder of Pink Floyd is standing on the side of totalitarianism; a position that no doubt is a result of his ideological prejudices and misconceptions. In the guise of “political activist” he is always on the same side: the wrong one. His visceral rejection of Israel and his childlike faith in the righteousness of the “Palestinian cause”, his unconditional support for Argentina’s Hebe de Bonafini and his bipolar vision of the world, in which the United States is to blame for everything, has already generated considerable repudiation from within the ranks of his fans.
Last year, at a concert in Brazil during election season, Waters saw how his politically-tinged speech generated applause, but also boos. Referring to the then candidate and current president Jair Bolsonaro, the English musician said he represented the “resurgence of fascism.” While a part of the audience applauded him, Waters also was able to see firsthand that many at the concert were Bolsonaro supporters. After his brief foray into Brazilian electoral politics (an area where he is undoubtedly an expert), he decided to quickly transition back to another hit song by his popular classic rock band.
On Sunday morning, Waters’ weighed in on the current geopolitical crisis in Venezuela via his official Twitter account. There, Waters vindicated the dictator Nicolás Maduro and called for the United States to “leave Venezuela alone.” According to the rock icon, Venezuela currently enjoys a “real democracy”, much more so than in the United Kingdom or the United States. But Waters’ numerous critics received a great amount of buzz on social media, generating hundreds of likes and retweets.
A note from Roger:
THIS IS TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
STOP THIS LATEST USG INSANITY, LEAVE THE VENEZUELAN PEOPLE ALONE. THEY HAVE A REAL DEMOCRACY, STOP TRYING TO DESTROY IT SO THE 1% CAN PLUNDER THEIR OIL.
US HANDS OFF #VENEZUELA! #NICOLASMADURO #STOPTRUMPSCOUPINVENEZUELA pic.twitter.com/AFi89IGcgV
— Roger Waters ✊ (@rogerwaters) February 3, 2019
One Venezuelan user was outraged: “I’m crying. My biggest musical idol has just defended the government that ruined my country and my family, which forced me to leave my own country to seek a better quality of life. Roger, you have no idea what is happening in Venezuela,” warned a fan, who garnered thousands of likes on the social network.
Other users called on him to educate himself and said that his unfounded statements were “disrespectful” to Venezuelans who are suffering under the yoke of Chavista oppression. As expected, references to Pink Floyd songs were not lacking, to show the total incongruity between the Venezuelan situation and Waters’ generally anti-authoritarian lyrics:
“Wish you were here,” wrote one user…contrasting the high-flying lifestyle of a rock star of international renown with the plight of Venezuelans forced to scrounge in dumpsters for sustenance.
“Do not help put another brick in the wall of the dictatorship. We are fighting to be free. We are pulling down the wall!” another Venezuelan user wrote, alluding to the song “Another brick in the wall,” one of Pink Floyd’s greatest hits of all time.
Will he listen to his own followers and learn more about the unfolding situation in Venezuela? Given his political background, everything seems to indicate that his sharp ideological bias will accompany him for the rest of his days.
Those his lyrics routinely decry authoritarianism, government power, and assaults on freedom, it seems these things receive a pass from Waters when a left-wing government is the culprit.
