That kind of poverty is international and, while less visible in much of Europe where healthcare is at least affordable, it is a permanent feature of the American landscape. I’ve spent a lot of time in tent cities across the United States. Trump may not want to see them in Washington, but the much-trumpeted “relocation” of unhoused people never really happened. They were simply moved on, dispersed, made harder to count and in some cases impossible for outreach workers to find again. In Cuba, people are poorer for the failures of both communism and capitalism. What sticks in the craw about communism is that it was at least founded on the promise of fairness. Capitalism in its current feral form has no such moral basis.
Here's a fundraising link to buy solar panels and send them to Cuba, to help them withstand the oil blockade and general embargo. I was sent it by a Cuban contact of mine, and I've sent them €150 myself so far.
Both proponents AND critics of Cuba's system need to put their money where their mouth is, and tangibly help the Cuban people, by donating, sharing fundraisers & solidarity groups, and organising around getting the economic embargo and fuel blockade lifted. Without those things, everything else is intellectual and moral posturing.
I’m not sure that what is happening in Cuba is a reflection of communist ideology: the same poverty exists everywhere and we don’t write articles stating they reflect the failure of capitalism… the issues in Cuba is the extreme pressure on the people who live there and that is more to do with the blockade than the economic and political structures.
But I do write articles about poverty elsewhere being the result of capitalism. I agree about the criminal blockade, but the bureaucratic collectivist system is significantly to blame for what you see in Cuba today. The distortions are very similar to those seen in other Soviet-type systems in the past.
Thank you for replying; this is nice.I am sure there is truth in that, but in the article you published you don’t mention the bureaucratie etc.You mentioned the elite, the nouveau riches and the poor looking for crumbs from the tourists… all of this is common in any poverty stricken country, whether communist or not.For me what matters (or mattered) in the communist ideal is (was) the aspiration, more or less well delivered, to reduce inequality between people. This ideal is valid and gives hope, even when the system is taken over by power thirsty people.At least this is what I felt when I went to Cuba.
Flavoursome writing, James.
That kind of poverty is international and, while less visible in much of Europe where healthcare is at least affordable, it is a permanent feature of the American landscape. I’ve spent a lot of time in tent cities across the United States. Trump may not want to see them in Washington, but the much-trumpeted “relocation” of unhoused people never really happened. They were simply moved on, dispersed, made harder to count and in some cases impossible for outreach workers to find again. In Cuba, people are poorer for the failures of both communism and capitalism. What sticks in the craw about communism is that it was at least founded on the promise of fairness. Capitalism in its current feral form has no such moral basis.
Here's a fundraising link to buy solar panels and send them to Cuba, to help them withstand the oil blockade and general embargo. I was sent it by a Cuban contact of mine, and I've sent them €150 myself so far.
https://www.letcubalive.info/
Both proponents AND critics of Cuba's system need to put their money where their mouth is, and tangibly help the Cuban people, by donating, sharing fundraisers & solidarity groups, and organising around getting the economic embargo and fuel blockade lifted. Without those things, everything else is intellectual and moral posturing.
I’m not sure that what is happening in Cuba is a reflection of communist ideology: the same poverty exists everywhere and we don’t write articles stating they reflect the failure of capitalism… the issues in Cuba is the extreme pressure on the people who live there and that is more to do with the blockade than the economic and political structures.
But I do write articles about poverty elsewhere being the result of capitalism. I agree about the criminal blockade, but the bureaucratic collectivist system is significantly to blame for what you see in Cuba today. The distortions are very similar to those seen in other Soviet-type systems in the past.
Thank you for replying; this is nice.I am sure there is truth in that, but in the article you published you don’t mention the bureaucratie etc.You mentioned the elite, the nouveau riches and the poor looking for crumbs from the tourists… all of this is common in any poverty stricken country, whether communist or not.For me what matters (or mattered) in the communist ideal is (was) the aspiration, more or less well delivered, to reduce inequality between people. This ideal is valid and gives hope, even when the system is taken over by power thirsty people.At least this is what I felt when I went to Cuba.