How Hunger Breeds Hatred: Venezuela’s Shortage Crisis

“They’re hunting! The people are hungry” is the cry heard from a jarring video posted by Venezuelan congressman Carlos Paperoni on social media last week, a video depicting a Venezuelan mob beating a cow to death amid violent protests. These cows, property of Merida cattle ranchers, are yet another occurrence of looting that has increased over the past few months as food increasingly becomes scarce in Venezuela. The sheer brutality of the incident, Paperoni notes, speaks to the increasing rage and helplessness felt by Venezuelans, often disproportionately rural Venezuelans such as the ones depicted in the aforementioned video. This brutality is not the only instance of its kind. In fact, it has been reported that 300 additional animals were slaughtered in the area via looting in the past month. More…