Reply #56: The late 70s is a long time ago [View All]

[MellowDem]

You say you've been there since, but I think you are buying into the excuse of "American boogyman" a little too much. Maybe you are still thinking of the attitude back then. I just think it's laughable to use that as an excuse to deny people democracy anymore.

I have never been to Cuba. I do agree that we should lift the embargo and allow people to travel there freely. I think that you take the non-democracy thing a little too hard. I personally don't think it's a democracy, according to my own standards. If we had the same system in the US, I know I wouldn't consider it a democracy. Though I have never been there, I haven't been fed the anti-Cuba bullshit either. I'm fairly young, 22 actually, and never had my head filled with anti-Cuba anything. I have read up on the place though and can take all the information I get with a grain of salt.

Just because I don't think Cuba is a democracy doesn't mean it is in the same category of all the other dictatorships in the world. It's a friendly one in my view, but one nonetheless. The people are relatively happy, so I doubt they will care to protest any time soon. Only if things start going down the shitter will they care. Russia's people are the same way. As long as the petro dollars are fueling their wealth, what do they care for democracy?

I think that we as modern Americans hold democracy and its subsequent rights very near and dear to who we are. Not so with all cultures. For many, having food on the table for your family and being able to practice your culture and religion is all you need, especially if its all you've ever known and you've never experienced democracy. I don't think Cuba has, and I think it's a shame. Just like I think it's a stupid ass policy that keeps the embargo in place, I think it is a stupid ass system that keeps a vibrant democracy from forming in Cuba.

I realize not everyone will have the same type of democracy as the US, but there are a set of general standards that should be applied, or else the meaning of democracy will be lost. I know that Cuba is not a relatively repressive regime, but it is an amateur one in many ways. I only hope that one day Cuba's leaders will stop the Cold War mentality that they impose on their people. I just think that their intentions are not as pure as protecting Cubans from US influence.

And there is dissent. There are many "illegal" political parties in Cuba that operate underground. Are those Cubans against democracy? Obviously, not all Cubans agree with the present system of government, but under the present system, there is nothing they can (legally) do about it. That is not a democracy to me. Unless there is and my naivety doesn't allow me to see it. So what did you see at the candidate nomination sessions? Why is no one ever rejected?