I will tell you that you are less likely to contract a communicable disease in Cuba than pretty much anywhere in the southern hemisphere this side of the Atlantic or Pacific.
Which has nothing to do with standard of living, but rather the government's focus on health care. Healthcare is but one minor component of the standard of living of a country. What about economic and social development or freedom? What about access to markets with varied choices? What about the ability to communicate freely and cheaply? You cannot deny that the Cuban government has sharply limited imports of technology, automobiles, and millions of other normal daily products that are found in Latin Households all over the world. I have never said that Cubans cannot do more with less or that they live in abject poverty and mud huts. I am pointing out reality which is that their standard of living is not that high for Latin America. Until you have some actual figures or facts to prove something to the contrary my stance remains the same. Look at their GDP per capita, economic and press freedom indices, or even what a typical Latin family has in relation to a typical Cuban family. Once you can get past your emotional bias you will be able to look at this in an objective manner.
You think that because you have visited a few resort areas or households (who gladly took your convertible peso and used it to buy real food instead of the typical rice, beans, and a bit of meat) that you know how Cubans live when you are not around them. Most of that delicious Cuban food you ate is only available to those in the state government or tourists. Your average Cuban rarely -- if ever -- eats that way. Make a real connection with the people and get them to tell you the truth. Their choices for diet and normal everyday products is extremely limited.
You are also very likely to run into educated people there.
And I never said you were not. I have not criticized Cuba's educational system nor the healthcare system. We are speaking solely about the standard of living there vs. the rest of Latin America. Having a highly educated populace does not mean that your standard of living is higher than that of another country. Your point is a non sequitur. Many Latin countries have poor education systems but through natural resources, trade, larger markets, and sheer population they have a higher standard of living than Cuba.
I honestly don't think you're qualified to tell us what Cuba is like until you go there. I was personally shocked the first time I went there. I had a completely different picture of reality before I went.
I've been to -- and lived in -- a lot more of Latin America than you have, and I speak Spanish. I am pretty sure my understanding our Latin America and its standard of living is predicated on a lot more substance than your few casual visits to resort areas of Cuba. Simply because I choose to got to other places instead of Cuba does not preclude me from being informed on their history, standard of living, and reality. Would you actually argue that some dumb beloved patriot that has visited Cancun a couple of times knows more about the standard of living in Mexico than someone who has extensively studied it -- or better yet -- someone who has family and friends that live there yet has not been because they were not born there? Visiting a resort a few times and making a few day trips into the outskirts of the resort area hardly qualifies you to speak about Cuban policy OR their standard of living in relation to the rest of Latin America.
We are shaped by our experiences and what we see, do, and hear. The media really is a powerful tool (and so is government propaganda).
Which again has nothing to do with me nor this thread. You are creating strawmen about what you THINK that I am saying or what I think not the actual reality of what we are discussing.
If you're only listening to people who left and didn't like it there, what do you expect to hear?
Again, I am not sure why you are creating a strawman about what I said. I never said my experience was with Cuban exiles or people who have left. You are creating a delusional fantasy about what you THINK is my experience. I have studied at Universities with Cubans in Latin America as well as meeting and talking with quite a few overseas who still LIVE in Cuba but were away on business or vacation.
Do you expect them to tell you how much they regret leaving, and how they want to go back but can't? Probably not. They didn't like it there and in their eyes they had reason to leave. Talking about the good is probably painful for them as they no longer have it.
Seriously, go argue with someone else. You are not even addressing what I have said. It is laughable that you would even attempt to say Brazil (a country with enormous wealth disparity and one of the highest GINIs among countries of the Western Hemispehere) is a country with a high standard of living. I have had quite frank discussion with Cubans (exile and non-exiles), and I have studied in, lived in, and visited enough of Latin America to be able to make a fair comparison of Cuba to the rest of it.