New Cuba Thread

[SickBeast]

Originally posted by: Sawyer
So what was so great about their culture that isn't matched anywhere?

It's difficult to describe it in words. Cuban music and art are absolutely beautiful. I'm blown away by the local talent in Varadero. I've been fortunate enough to have a few live musical performances right at the dinner table with my wife. The Cuban people emanate a joy and radiance that I have not seen elsewhere. They come across as very warm and genuinely caring people. They also tend to be highly educated and very interesting to talk to. It's beautiful to see people who have so little in terms of material things, yet they put on a smile and seem to enjoy life.

 

[SickBeast]

Originally posted by: DanceMan
And there is much difference between poor and rich Cuba, just like any other society. And to think that their life is compleatly paid for by the government is not true. They get healthcare and pretty good early education, and that's about it.

Under communism where inheritance is illegal, how does one become "rich"? My wife and I spent around $100 on tips during our week, and those probably went to at least 15-20 people.

Is there a private sector in Cuba?

Do people get rich on the black market selling cigars?

With all due respect, what you're saying doesn't make much sense to me. Have you been to Cuba? The quality of life I witnessed was quite consistent throughout my travels.

I was told that all of their higher education costs, food, and clothing are paid for by the government. Like I said, they have their life covered and they get $10/month spending money. I'm not sure why we have this conflicting information. How much does university cost in Cuba?

 

[CanOWorms]

Personally I couldn't vacation in an oppressive dictatorship, but some democracies probably aren't too much better. I guess living as a peasant under a monarch desensitizes that stuff to you though.

 

[Nebor]

How many Cubans were staying at your resort?

 

[Sinsear]

Originally posted by: SickBeast

Originally posted by: Sinsear
Clever disguise for "by the 7th post i'll start america bashing"

If you see it as bashing, that reveals an issue within yourself.

Horseshit. Your whole "please don't be offended" crap is a load of shit. You're doing the same thing here as the last Cuba thread. This whole thing should be locked.

 

[Sinsear]

Originally posted by: SickBeast

Originally posted by: Sawyer
So what was so great about their culture that isn't matched anywhere?

It's difficult to describe it in words. Cuban music and art are absolutely beautiful. I'm blown away by the local talent in Varadero. I've been fortunate enough to have a few live musical performances right at the dinner table with my wife. The Cuban people emanate a joy and radiance that I have not seen elsewhere. They come across as very warm and genuinely caring people. They also tend to be highly educated and very interesting to talk to. It's beautiful to see people who have so little in terms of material things, yet they put on a smile and seem to enjoy life.

Originally posted by: BoberFett
I'm sure Cuba does have it's greate qualities and lifting the embargo is long overdue.

That said, SickBeast is one of the dumbest people I've had the displeasure of coming across on these forums. Everyone in Cuba is a master mechanic and an amazing singer? They're all beautiful, multi-talented, polite people? Nobody is poor, and everything is as near to perfect as it comes in this world? Do you actually believe the words you're typing?

 

[nismotigerwvu]

Originally posted by: SickBeast
If you find the comments offensive, as I said, it's a reflection of yourself.

You do realize that just repeating something over and over again doesn't make it true by default. It just makes you that little child that puts his fingers in his ears and screams "La la la la". So if anything needs to be repeated, it is your stunning lack of maturity. You tried to make a flame tread, it didn't work, deal with it.

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: SickBeast

Originally posted by: DanceMan
And there is much difference between poor and rich Cuba, just like any other society. And to think that their life is compleatly paid for by the government is not true. They get healthcare and pretty good early education, and that's about it.

Under communism where inheritance is illegal, how does one become "rich"? My wife and I spent around $100 on tips during our week, and those probably went to at least 15-20 people.

Is there a private sector in Cuba?

Do people get rich on the black market selling cigars?

With all due respect, what you're saying doesn't make much sense to me. Have you been to Cuba? The quality of life I witnessed was quite consistent throughout my travels.

I was told that all of their higher education costs, food, and clothing are paid for by the government. Like I said, they have their life covered and they get $10/month spending money. I'm not sure why we have this conflicting information. How much does university cost in Cuba?

Are you smoking crack? Seriously. Some sort of wacky Cuban cigars? Because there's no way you're so naive as to think that because there are rules against inheritance, people aren't rich. There is no private sector, and the black market is fairly limited in scope, but the men who control the market in Cuba are very very wealthy. They're members of the Communist party. They aren't held to the same rules as everyone else. They aren't held to any rules at all (you do realize Cuba still imprisons, tortures and executes political dissidents, right?) And they live like kings while the rest of the Cubans can't afford telephones or televisions.

Fuck yeah, communism is the shit... if you're the one in charge.

 

[Mursilis]

Originally posted by: SickBeast

Originally posted by: Infohawk
Veradero is a resort town. I hope you're not trying to generalize based on that.

The U.S. government deserves to be bashed for not letting its citizens go to Cuba. Let the Cubans worry about their sucky government.

You assume that I've been to Varadero and that's it. My wife has described Havana to me and some of the poverty she saw, but really it doesn't sound much different from the homeless problem we have here in Toronto.

Only in Toronto, the homeless don't have to worry about being locked up if they bitch about the gov't. If you meant it when you said "I hold freedom as a core value", then the difference between being in poor in Toronto and poor in Havana is huge.

I work two blocks from the White House, and I can personally assure you that every day of the year, there are protestors of some sort in Lafayette Park across the street from the White House denouncing Bush and the U.S. gov't. Sometimes they're even foreigners. There's one couple that's essentially been living in the park as part of an ongoing anti-nuke peace vigil since approx. 1984. As far as I know, they've never been arrested, because they're still there. Try doing that in front of Castro's place in Cuba, and let me know how it goes. If freedom were truly a "core value" with you, I don't think you'd be so full of praise for Cuba.

 

[Mursilis]

Originally posted by: SickBeast
They seem to do ok; they're poor but they have life's necessities.

So did some slaves.

 

[Mursilis]

Originally posted by: SickBeast
If I were Cuban, I'm not sure I would revolt.

And yet you said above "I hold freedom as a core value". Guess not. Like far too many Americans, you've just become weak and dependant, happy to trade freedom for gov't cheese.

 

[Mursilis]

Originally posted by: Sinsear

Originally posted by: SickBeast

Originally posted by: Sinsear
Clever disguise for "by the 7th post i'll start america bashing"

If you see it as bashing, that reveals an issue within yourself.

Horseshit. Your whole "please don't be offended" crap is a load of shit. You're doing the same thing here as the last Cuba thread. This whole thing should be locked.

Locked? It's funnier to watch SickBeast dig his own hole.

 

[Red Dawn]

LOL at those who pretend to give shit about the Cubans. You guys would be the first to bitch if your neighborhood was over run by Cuban Immigrants moving in.

 

[Mursilis]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
LOL at those who pretend to give shit about the Cubans. You guys would be the first to bitch if your neighborhood was over run by Cuban Immigrants moving in.

Not true at all. I've got a lot of liberal compassion for the Cubans. I'd be happy to give them a ton of other people's money.

 

[sandorski]

Pavlov left the kennel doors open again. :|

 

[Kntx]

Cuba thread summary:

Person who has been to Cuba: "It's not all that bad, kinda nice!"
American: "Cuba is the devil!!!! Devil Cuba die!!!"

 

[Xavier434]

The resort towns are meant to look 10 times better than the real Cuba. Many Cubans are not even allowed to be in those towns in order for them to look pretty for all of the outsiders. It is disgusting.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: Xavier434
The resort towns are meant to look 10 times better than the real Cuba. Many Cubans are not even allowed to be in those towns in order for them to look pretty for all of the outsiders. It is disgusting.

Mexican Resorts any different?

 

[JD50]

Originally posted by: Kntx
Cuba thread summary:

Person who has been to Cuba: "It's not all that bad, kinda nice!"
American: "Cuba is the devil!!!! Devil Cuba die!!!"

What about the people that actually live in Cuba? You know, the ones that will risk their lives by floating on inner tubes through 90 miles of shark infested waters just for the chance to get out of Cuba.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: JD50

Originally posted by: Kntx
Cuba thread summary:

Person who has been to Cuba: "It's not all that bad, kinda nice!"
American: "Cuba is the devil!!!! Devil Cuba die!!!"

What about the people that actually live in Cuba? You know, the ones that will risk their lives by floating on inner tubes through 90 miles of shark infested waters just for the chance to get out of Cuba.

A whole lot more Mexicans seem to want out than Cubans.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: sandorski

A whole lot more Mexicans seem to want out than Cubans.

whole lot easier to get out of mexico than cuba

 

[Mursilis]

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: JD50

Originally posted by: Kntx
Cuba thread summary:

Person who has been to Cuba: "It's not all that bad, kinda nice!"
American: "Cuba is the devil!!!! Devil Cuba die!!!"

What about the people that actually live in Cuba? You know, the ones that will risk their lives by floating on inner tubes through 90 miles of shark infested waters just for the chance to get out of Cuba.

A whole lot more Mexicans seem to want out than Cubans.

There are a whole lot more Mexicans. Plus, the Rio Grande isn't 90 miles wide. Anytime more people are leaving than coming in, a nation is most likely seriously flawed.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: Mursilis

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: JD50

Originally posted by: Kntx
Cuba thread summary:

Person who has been to Cuba: "It's not all that bad, kinda nice!"
American: "Cuba is the devil!!!! Devil Cuba die!!!"

What about the people that actually live in Cuba? You know, the ones that will risk their lives by floating on inner tubes through 90 miles of shark infested waters just for the chance to get out of Cuba.

A whole lot more Mexicans seem to want out than Cubans.

There are a whole lot more Mexicans. Plus, the Rio Grande isn't 90 miles wide. Anytime more people are leaving than coming in, a nation is most likely seriously flawed.

Although true points, is it possible that "Evil" is not the deciding factor when it comes to Cuba? I mean, Mexicans(and other Central/South Americans) keep flooding into the US, so much so that their numbers are causing alarm to some. You can't just ignore what's going on everywhere else and assume that Cuba is "evil" because some of their citizens risk their lives to get to the US.

 

[SAWYER]

It's because America is the best country on Earth

 

[CanOWorms]

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: Xavier434
The resort towns are meant to look 10 times better than the real Cuba. Many Cubans are not even allowed to be in those towns in order for them to look pretty for all of the outsiders. It is disgusting.

Mexican Resorts any different?

What? Mexicans are allowed in resort towns.

You don't have to support Cuba just because Americans do not. Behavior like that led to the Canadian slave trade in Sudan in the 1990s.