Three
cheers for Bolivia!
If
there is any symbol for the multinational Corporation and its
destruction of local culture (and health) – it is Coca Cola.
'End
of capitalism': Bolivia to expel Coca-Cola in wake of 2012 Mayan
'apocalypse'
In
a symbolic rejection of US capitalism, Bolivia announced it will
expel the Coca-Cola Company from the country at the end of the Mayan
calendar. This will mark the end of capitalism and usher in a new era
of equality, the Bolivian govt says.
RT,
1
August, 2012
“December
21 of 2012 will be the end of egoism and division. December 21 should
be the end of Coca-Cola,” Bolivian foreign minister David
Choquehuanca decreed, with bombast worthy of a viral marketing
campaign.
The
coming ‘end’ of the Mayan lunar calendar on December 21 of this
year has sparked widespread doomsaying of an impending apocalypse.
But Choquehuanca argued differently, claiming it will be the end of
days for capitalism, not the planet.
“The
planets will align for the first time in 26,000 years and this is the
end of capitalism and the beginning of communitarianism,” said
Choquehuanca as quoted by Venezuelan newspaper El Periodiquito.
The
minister encouraged the people of Bolivia to drink Mocochinche, a
peach-flavored soft drink, as an alternative to Coca-Cola. Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez followed suit, encouraging his country to ditch
the American beverage for fruit juice produced in Venezuela.
McFailure
Last
year, Bolivia became the second Latin American country not to have a
single McDonald’s. The fast food giant finally gave up on Bolivia
after being unable to turn a profit in the country for over a decade.
Following
this failure, the monolithic multinational released a documentary
titled ‘Why McDonald’s failed in Bolivia.’ Referencing surveys,
sociologists, nutritionists and historians, the company came to the
conclusion it was not their food that was the issue, but a culturally
driven boycott.
Bolivian
President Evo Morales has a reputation for controversial policies
similar to the Coca-Cola ban. Morales pledged last month to legalize
the consumption of coca leaves, one of the main ingredients of
cocaine.
“Neither
the US nor capitalist countries have a good reason to maintain the
ban on coca leaf consumption,” said Morales.
The
coca leaf was declared an illegal narcotic by the UN in 1961, along
with cocaine, opium and morphine. The consumption of coca leaves is a
centuries-old tradition in Bolivia, strongly rooted in the beliefs of
various indigenous groups.
+5 (7 votes)
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