How about a Cuban RW-disinformation debunking thread?

[BushOut06]

We all know there is quite a bit of lies being spread about Hugo Chavez and Venezuela, and I'm glad someone started the Chavez debunking thread. Now we need to debunk some of the myths and lies about Fidel Castro and Cuba. While I'm sure that Cuba is no utopian paradise, I'm positive that it's nowhere near as bad as the neocons make it out to be, and that Castro isn't the brutal Hitler that they make him out to be either. So if you have can help dispel any of the falsehoods about Cuba, post them here.

[Sammy Pepys]

1. I travelled there recently...

And got to get beyond the touristy areas (yes, they have them) and into some real neighborhoods, so here's a recent, first-hand account:

Honestly, the type of living conditions Cubans contend with would not be tolerated here. That's not to say some of them don't live relatively comfortably, when you combine the lack of most everything except for basics (even basic home appliances aren't as ubiquotous as they are here) and the rundown nature of most homes and apartment buildings there, it would certainly be perceived as crushing poverty in the US and many other nations.

The government there is pretty ubiquotous, but they don't have police marching everywhere harrassing people. I did witness police attempt to bribe a guy who was giving us a ride, claiming he was acting as an unlicensed taxi. He wanted 5 pesos to forget the whole thing, but our friend refused and the cop gave up. Obviously, traveling otuside of Cuba is very difficult for Cubans, and though the chance to emigrate is technical available, the process is so costly, time-consuming and complex that most Cubans don't even bother. I think it ends up costing around 2000 pesos or something by the time an application to emigrate is accepted (and the entire process can take years), and that's about 8-10 years worth of wages for most Cubans.

I don't know the Cuban perspective on it, but it seems like everyone generally moves around very freely within the country. Some of the Cubans I talked with do tend to be cautious about how they say or emote things though, because there is the feeling that you don't know who might be paying attention. Political discussions are pretty much off limits. But the Cuban people are very friendly and good-spirited.

Fun fact: they are generally indifferent or resentful towards Europeans (most of the ones they meet are tourists), but they love Americans.

[BushOut06]

2. Is it any worse than what you would find in any Central American country?

I'm not doubting that the vast majority of Cubans live in poor conditions - but if you compare it to other Central American countries, is it about the same, worse, or better? And how much of this is a direct result from American sanctions against Cuba?

[Sammy Pepys]

4. Don't know

Haven't traveled anywhere in Central America.

I have no doubt that the sanctions have hurt Cuba immensely, and would love to see them lifted. But I'm not sure how well Cuba would fare even without them in place...much of the mystique of things like Cuban rum and Cuban cigars (and by relation, tobacco and sugar), while still very good, is attached to the embargo and their relatviely unavailability. Even among places where stuff like that is available, Cuba has increasingly relied on tourism among Europe and Mexico to keep it going.

Also, I honestly don't think Castro has helped much in the area of making Cuba productive.

[RaleighNCDUer]

5. Isn't the US the only country that still maintains sanctions against

Cuba? Sure, we're the largest single market for them so it must hurt, but not to the extent we are told. Most of the problem is that it is a socialist command economy, so a single wrong decision from on high can be devastating all the way down the chain.

On the other hand, the poverty there is mitigated by universal health care, free public education thru college, and a literacy rate that we could envy (assuming the statistics are true). IMO, the system there is less a socialist state than a personality cult state, and the system will change dramatically within months of Castro's death.

Of course, as soon as Castro dies we will lift the sanctions so that when the inevitable changes come we will take the credit. Like Ronnie winning the cold war.

[Sammy Pepys]

6. Hmm...I don't know.

I did see a decent sum of Toyotas, Volkswagens and the Suzuki dealership. Lots of Europeans and Mexicans travel there on vacation. My guess if we're not the only ones still imposing sanctions, we're probably the only major ones. I'm pretty sure Canada and Europe impose no sanctions of any kind.

The health care is pretty good I think, but they tend to lack the facilities to perform major and complex operations. I'm familiar of several humanitarian trips made by US doctors (bringing equipment with them) to perform things like heart surgery. But, the general health of Cubans is very good, and they have fairly high life expectancy.

They are all literate too, but interestingly enough not many of them speak English...not even a little bit. I think Cuba is changing that and younger children are learning the language now. But the schools are generally in excellent shape. I visited one that had a computer lab...not terrifically advanced, but it was running Microsoft Windows 95 (how MS does business with them, I don't know...I think they may get the software second hand from other countries). The schools actually appear to be among the best kept buildings besides government facilities.

One thing that was kind of disturbing was the sheer number of stray dogs running around...most in very poor condition. Most people just don't have the means to support a pet and someone I was with was actually chastised by a Cuban for feeding one part of her lunch. A lot of the outer suburbs have them everywhere.

[bryant69]

3. What if you want to print accuracies about cuba that don't happen

to fit your thesis?

Bryant
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