Wife was shopping in a cosmetics store while I waited outside. She told of a nice shopping experience with a saleslady who was from Poland. They were speaking when the saleslady asks: Are you from Europe ? The Wife says : No, I'm from Cuba. Saleslady then responds: Where is Cuba? I was floored : No one would have asked that when Fidel was alive. The Bastard was a relentless promoter of Cuba and its Communist system. He had the media eating out of his hand. Her question sounded like something an ignorant American might ask not a cultured, connected European, or so the stereotypes might go. To the first point, where has our media and culture gone on Cuba and its system? Where is the trumpeting of socialist values ? Seems like reporting on The Island has disappeared since the time of Mr. Obama's outreach. Whats left is a depopulated island that can't feed itself or keep the lights on. A repressive Orwellian police state. Our media has abandoned its vanity in promoting Cuba moving on to other issues without a reconing on its failed portrature of a socialist Cuba. The International Left in its hunger to flog American capitalism held up Cuba as as sort of aspiration to working class people. We were bullshited. So Where is Cuba now.
I'm sure the Russians can find it. I don't know how old the sales lady was, but Poland hasn't been communist for a long time now. Back in the day all communist countries knew the names of the others because they traded with each other and had lots of meetings. Like you said Castro was around to tout his socialist /communist vision and he was a revolutionary hero, like Ché, so he was a popular figure even in the US. Of course kicking out the Capitalists who were exploiting the island and it's people, angered those who lost their businesses and land. So the US has been punishing the poor island for 65 years. No wonder they could not achieve their dream. Socialism thrives when it allows capitalism. But when it destroys the existing Capitalist system hurting people, it leaves a bad taste that never leaves.
