Human Values Meetup - online

Our next Meetup, on the fourth Sunday of the month, will be online. We're still considering the possibility of a hybrid meeting - in person plus a Zoom link for those farther away.

The topic for this Sunday, October 26 is: "The destructive potential of charismatic populist leadership: the cases of Venezuela and the U.S."

In the book Things Are Never So Bad that They Can't Get Worse: Inside the Collapse of Venezuela, author William Neuman says some people point to Venezuela as "the perfect example of the emptiness of socialism, but it is a better model for something else: the destructive potential of charismatic populist leadership.

"The ascent of Hugo Chávez in Venezuela was a precursor to the emergence of strongmen that can now be seen all over the world. Chávez’s regime and policies, which have been reinforced under Nicolás Maduro, squandered abundant resources and ultimately bankrupted the country."

The book "chronicles Venezuela’s tragic journey from petro-riches to poverty. Thirty years ago, Venezuela and Hugo Chavez actually started out sounding a lot like Trump does now. Can the U.S. end up with the same crashing economy that Venezuela has now?" Bill Creasy will introduce the topic, followed by open discussion.
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You can participate either by webcam or telephone call. The link will be sent that morning to anyone who has RSVPd. We'll also check for RSVPs by 11:30 am that day.

To RSVP:
https://www.meetup.com/The-Human-Values-Network-HVN/events/
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If you don't see the link in your inbox by 11:30 that day, send a note directly to the organizer:
https://www.meetup.com/The-Human-Values-Network-HVN/members/?op=leaders
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We welcome a diversity of views, for open-minded discussion, where we can learn from each other.

We meet the 4th Sunday of each month, 12:30-2:00, and are currently meeting online. At about 12:45, the speaker that day introduces the topic (usually a 20 minute introduction), followed by open discussion.

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We were meeting in a restaurant before the covid situation. When we met there, our format was: lunch and socializing, the first hour; then a presentation, followed by open discussions. The topics are on various subjects related to human values, such as: aspects of society; the arts; social science; current events; nature and evolution; history; science and technology; ethics; philosophy, etc.