• ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works
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    4 hours ago

    Castro’s reign was pretty marked with attempted coups, assassinations, and outright invasion. You know, the standard cold war experience.

    The whole ‘make life as hard as possible so the people have no choice but overthrow their government’ strategy hasn’t really been effective. Ever.

    • davel@lemmy.ml
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      2 hours ago

      It was effective in Syria last month, after a decade (really several decades) of effort and hundreds of billions of dollars. All you gotta do is infinitely fund and arm terrorists “moderate rebels” and Bob’s your uncle.

    • MarxMadness@lemmygrad.ml
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      3 hours ago

      What has been effective is the strategy of “make life as hard as possible on Cubans so most Americans will look at Cuba and think communism doesn’t work.”

    • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.mlOP
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      4 hours ago

      Yep, and people think it’s silly that North Koreans hate the US that starved them through sanctions, committed genocide, and dropped more tons of bombs on it than the entire Pacific Front.

  • bdonvr@thelemmy.club
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    6 hours ago

    I visited Cuba some months ago. Amazing what they can and have done better than supposedly “first world” countries like the US in terms of healthcare, houselessness, etc. Of course they also have many issues but almost all of them can be traced to the blockade.

    The blockade is utterly indefensible. A crime against humanity.

    • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.mlOP
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      1 hour ago

      I’d love to visit one day, such a resiliant and kind people. They have trained doctors globally for decades for little to nothing in return.

    • Evilsandwichman [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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      6 hours ago

      Is there any way to (legally) circumvent the blockade? I know they don’t have access to steam so it’s not like people can buy Cuban games like they can buy Russian games, but is there any other way (short of going there on vacation)?

    • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.mlOP
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      7 hours ago

      You should read up on Cuban Democracy. Not only is Cuba now more democratic than under Batista, a fascist slaver US puppet, Cuba is more democratic than countries like the United States.

      Those claiming Cuba does not have “free and fair elections,” without fail, are those who oppose their system of Socialism and wish for the US to recolonize Cuba.

      • ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml
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        7 hours ago

        I think it’s amazing when US people try to claim that other countries they know jackshit about are undemocratic, while having a Dr. Seuss-ass electoral system with legalized bribing that exclusively elects ghouls everyone despises.

        • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.mlOP
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          6 hours ago

          They wish to see Cuba recolonized, so they dismiss any claims that would get in the way of their moral standing in maintaining that stance. Ie, recolonization is better than living in a system where Castro (who isn’t president anymore, though I doubt they know that) eats babies or some nonsense.

          Because of this, they pile a large amount of lies on top of Castro (who again, isn’t president anymore) and demand the Cuban people be “freed” from themselves, ripe for the US to swoop back in and recolonize. If the Communists aren’t evil, then they can’t justify wanting to recolonize Cuba anymore morally.

          I recommend always Masses, Elites, and Rebels: The Theory of “Brainwashing.”

          • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world
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            6 hours ago

            It’s cool how you make broad assumptions about an entire nation of people while criticizing them for doing the exact same. Lol

            It’s not unreasonable to want to see Cubans thrive under a socialist government led by the people while simultaneously criticizing Castro for being an oppressive dictator.

            • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.mlOP
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              6 hours ago

              I am speaking of the subconscious roots of this. I think most people would generally say they want the Cuban people to succeed. However, the underlying base for how information about Cuba, and Castro in particular as a special “demon,” is interpreted is guided by bias. The essay I linked makes a great case for such a process explaining why people believe what they believe even in the face of proof to the contrary, provided by myself and other pro-Cuban commenters.

              It’s absolutely worth hearing Dr. Michael Parenti speak of the Cuban Revolution, who actually visited and spoke with Cubans on the ground.

              • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world
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                6 hours ago

                I didn’t intend to demonize him. He’s just not the man of the people that a small socialist nation needed to prosper. Castro wasn’t always authoritarian. I think he may have been kept in check by Che’s idealism, had he not died.

                • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.mlOP
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                  6 hours ago

                  Can you explain any of this, though? Why do you say he was a dictator? Why do you say he wasn’t a “man of the people,” what could he have done to better help his people prosper? Che and Fidel got along quite well, the anticommunist “left” mostly uses the fact that Che died early to support the idea that the Cuban Revolution was “betrayed,” it’s a convenient rhetorical technique that allows you to claim Leftist aesthetics while agreeing entirely with the US State Department, who wishes to recolonize Cuba.

                • BrainInABox@lemmy.ml
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                  6 hours ago

                  Dumbfuck Westerners are so ignorant that they think Castro is still alive, yet still feel they have the right to spout off on the topic of Cuban democracy.

            • BrainInABox@lemmy.ml
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              6 hours ago

              Dumbfuck Westerners are so ignorant that they think Castro is still alive, yet still feel they have the right to spout off on the topic of Cuban democracy.

      • mhague@lemmy.world
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        5 hours ago

        I’m flabbergasted that the official website of a political entity is being touted as evidence that the political entity isn’t perceived correctly.

        Forget about Cuba, or politics, or class, everything. This is not how you find the truth. What’s the thing I’m not thinking of that’s throwing things off balance? Why would someone link to North Korea’s official website to argue that North Korea is not so bad? What’s the use and whose it for?

          • ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml
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            4 hours ago

            The only sources I trust: Prager U and the US State Department. And maybe some thinktank funded by the Koch brothers called something like Institute for International Freedom and Democratic Policy

        • BrainInABox@lemmy.ml
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          5 hours ago

          And this is why I think Cowbee is wasting his time trying to engage in good faith with shitlibs; you’ll always just worm your way out and find some excuse, because you’re not actually engaging in good faith, you’ve already decided what you believe, and because you’re supremely arrogant westerners, nothing will ever be as good as your gut feeling for you.

          • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.mlOP
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            3 hours ago

            To be clear, I have no illusions about mhague changing their mind, I engage for others who see the clear bad faith and contradictory logic to maybe have their minds changed.

            • TrippyFocus@lemmy.ml
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              3 hours ago

              Gotta say I really appreciate that you do this. I try to varying degrees when I have the time since like you said it’s usually so lurkers can have their minds changed but it can be time consuming.

              It’s really nice when others are jumping in to help and I see you posting great takes a ton.

              • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.mlOP
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                3 hours ago

                Thanks! It’s more of an evolution of myself over time, back in my Reddit days years ago I used to be such a debatebro. Now I try to be more chill and focus on education and unity, though when the obviously bad-faith users swarm in I try to call them out on that moreso than trying to focus on education. Sometimes I get great questions that help me reconsider things, sometimes people thank me over DMs or in comments, and either way it’s a great feeling.

                Thanks for the support!

        • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.mlOP
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          7 hours ago

          Watch the ableism with the claims of “insanity.”

          You really need to do more research. In Cuba, candidates are nominated by the people. The Party plays no role on this process. The actual elections are done with those that have been nominated, logically people will not change their mind. The United States hasn’t had a third party Candidate win the presidency either, that’s a silly sticking point for you.

      • MothmanDelorian@lemmy.world
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        7 hours ago

        Im a different poster than the last person and generally unfamiliar with the Cuban electoral structure, are they able to run non-communist/non-Marxist candidates? If they cannot legally do so they do not have free elections using the standard definition of “free elections”.

        • PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmy.ml
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          7 hours ago

          Yes they are, even wiki would show you there’s 28 unaffiliated members in Nation Assembly, and also you may read about how it look here - Cuba is way more democratic than literally every capitalist country.

        • Lad@reddthat.com
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          7 hours ago

          “Free” elections in Cuba would just mean immediate US vassalage. Influencing elections in the Caribbean and Latin America is a practically a US hobby.

          • Jerkface (any/all)@lemmy.ca
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            1 hour ago

            Right? It’s easy to bloviate about “free, democratic fair elections” when you’re the world’s superpower. When you live NEXT to the world’s superpower, there’s no such thing.

          • MothmanDelorian@lemmy.world
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            3 hours ago

            If giving the Cubans the choice to no longer pursue Marxism resulted in them choosing to no longer follow Marxism why should that be stopped? If that was what the population wanted why should the state force them to adhere to an unwanted ideology?

        • BrainInABox@lemmy.ml
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          6 hours ago

          That idiot literally thinks Castro is still alive and that Cuba has a “throne”, don’t act like westerners have any idea about the specifics of Cuban elections law when they’re giving their ignorant opinions of it.

  • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world
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    5 hours ago

    You’re trading one form of corruption for another. Once Castro was given enough time in power, he proved to be no better than Batista. In 1959, he falsely promised free and fair elections in 18 months, and then ruled for five decades.

    I think Che’s idealism may have been better suited for the role, but that wasn’t the plan. With Cuba’s small scale and valuable exports, they should be able to successfully run a socialist or communist nation without intervention.

    • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.mlOP
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      7 hours ago

      This is entirely false. Life expectancies rose dramatically, slavery was abolished, literacy rates rose dramatically, and the economy was democratized under Castro. To claim Castro is “no better than” the US backed fascist slaver is incredibly out of touch with reality.

      Further, global trade is a necessity. No country in the Global North runs on its own, rather, they function based on Imperialism and plunder the Global South. If, say, France were to be cut off from the countries it plunders, it would collapse. The resiliance of the Socialist system therefore has proven itself.

      You should read up on Cuban Democracy. Not only is Cuba now more democratic than under Batista, a fascist slaver US puppet, Cuba is more democratic than countries like the United States.

    • BrainInABox@lemmy.ml
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      7 hours ago

      Once Castro was given enough time in power, he proved to be no better than Batista

      You’re a fucking moron or a white supremacist if you think Castro was not better than Batista.

        • BrainInABox@lemmy.ml
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          6 hours ago

          A .worlder do apologetics for the fascist Batista regime? It must be a day that ends in Y.

            • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.mlOP
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              6 hours ago

              Your key issue was that Castro “jailed political dissidents.” The political dissidents jailed by Castro were supporters of the Batista Regime, who were slavers, fascists, and colinizers working with the United States. The “authoritarian action” you are criticizing was jailing fascists and slavers, this is definitionally implying that you support Castro letting slavers and fascists run free, ergo defending fascism.

              • Acemod@lemmy.world
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                6 hours ago

                Lol lol lol.

                You got upset that I don’t like the government of cuba. Never have, even before they were authoritarian communist.

                Oh no… an internet communist calling me homophobic as an ad hominem. So edgy.

                • BrainInABox@lemmy.ml
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                  6 hours ago

                  You don’t know enough about the government of Cuba to not like it, as proven by the fact that you think Batista was no worse than Castro. You’re just a brainwashed western fascist who thinks their ignorance is equal to actual knowledge.

                • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world
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                  4 hours ago

                  It’s fun watching this person berate you for being homophobic over an analogy while wholeheartedly supporting a dictator who persecuted, imprisoned, and forced conversion on homosexuals.

            • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.mlOP
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              7 hours ago

              I’m not sure you understand that the “political dissidents” you are defending were right-wing death squads, fascists, and slavers. Of course they opposed their slaves and workers rising above them.

                • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.mlOP
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                  7 hours ago

                  First off, drop the homophobia. It is entirely unsurprising that anti-communists inevitably resort to ableism, honophobia, transphobia, or misogyny to attack those supporting Socialism, but it’s truly horrible behavior. Claiming I am being “bad-faith” when you resort to homophobic attacks is ironic.

                  Castro was elected, and did not have absolute power. The people he oppressed were the Slavers, Fascists, and Capitalists that worked with the United States to colonize and enslave the people of Cuba. Castro is labeled a dictator for taking away the freedom to enslave, the freedom to colonize, from the United States and their allies in Cuba.