< Castro
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- Kuz0
it was all so much better under Batista.
- rafalski0
Ironically, it was better, Kuz, even if he was a dicktator.
Out of the frying pan into the fire, as some say.
- paraselene0
well, it was better in some ways, for some. and worse in others, for others.
i think the worst part is that we don't really know what the cubans in cuba want from their government. the censors have been hard at work for so long now that the end product of the initial proposal of censorship has been achieved and people censor themselves.
- rafalski0
They censor themselves, because they're scared, and simply smart enough to keep their mouths shut. Their children are trained in schools to tell on their parents, who can go to jail if their brainwashed kid catches them discuss politics.
- rafalski0
well, it was better in some ways, for some. and worse in others, for others.
[..]
paraselene
(Jan 9 07, 02:22)now this is the kind of relativist talk that smuggles the idea of "it's somewhat better" into the picture.
in what ways is it better now then?
hint: I won't buy the health & education theatre Castro prepared for the westerners
- paraselene0
there did take place a redistribution of wealth and property, in a society that engendered and permitted a revolution precisely because the inequalities were savage.
people are no longer starving to death.
the literacy rate is greater there than it is in america - greater than in washington d.c. for chrissake (although, that has to be taken with a grain of salt, as cubans don't have access to much more than jose marti...)
a significant proportion of the population (generally those old enough to have memories that predate the revolution) are still incredibly loyal to castro, auto-censorship or no.
why won't you buy the health and education arguments? it isn't necessarily just theatre. and while i'm not at all in agreement with the regime, nor do i think it's been the best thing for cuba and cubans, i certainly don't think being reabsorbed into america's caribbean playground is the way forward, either.
- rafalski0
I thought people stopped starving to death once Castro allowed some free market: introduced casas particulares and more tourism.
Cuban literacy is reported to be 4th grade and unlike tourists, Cubans don't have access to better health service than a working American. Obviously, an unexpected medical procedure can ruin an uninsured American, but when you compare it to average Cuban being broke in the first place..
- paraselene0
well, the special period, as dire as it was, didn't see people dying of starvation as the poor people did during the batista era. believe me, raf, i'm not at all condoning the terrible human rights record of castro's regime, but i'm not sure that capitalism is a panacea for the ills of cuba.
- rafalski0
batista wasn't capitalista, just a dictator imo. never mind, we're not here to argue..
just out of curiosity: Castro vs. Pinochet, para?
- Bluejam0
*sigh*
if only we could ponder upon Stan Peach's range of T-shirt designs...
- paraselene0
just out of curiosity: Castro vs. Pinochet, para?
rafalski
(Jan 9 07, 03:26)i reckon castro could take pinochet. in his prime he had a killer left hook.
- rafalski0
i reckon castro could take pinochet. in his prime he had a killer left hook.
paraselene
(Jan 9 07, 03:36)I doubt he outlived him though