The sun rises in the East. The moon waxes and wanes. It’s always cold at the North and South poles. It hardly ever rains in the Atacama desert.
Some phenomena are so easy to predict that one can’t even speak of “predicting.” These phenomena are incontrovertible unchanging facts.
Among such phenomena, one must include the mentalité of the New York Times and its attitude towards the Castro regime and Cuban exiles.
Yesterday, in the midst of the papal circus, the Times had to publish a story about the fading “bitterness” of older Cuban exiles, in order to promote and reinforce the idea that we exiles have always been unreasonable, but are now doomed to extinction.
By chronicling our loathsome trajectory and highlighting our inevitable demise, the Times continues its hallowed tradition of stoking a feeling of anti-exile schadenfreude in its readers.
In addition, as a bonus, it also promotes and reinforces the idea that the Castro regime must be accepted as a good and honorable experiment in curbing the selfish instincts of Lateeeeen-ohs who refuse to consider themselves noble savages.
Naturally, the Times chose to focus on the adventures of a group of Cuban aristocrats who returned to their native habitat as “pilgrims,” courtesy of the Archdiocese of Miami’s reconciliation crusade.
One must admit, this papal circus will go down in history as one of the most significant triumphs of the Castro regime, and as a memorable moment in the annals of American journalism.
Formerly loathsome Cuban exiles, now rehabilitated, visit their homeland
From You Know Who:
Pope Lures Exiles Back to Cuba, Where a Lifetime Ago Is Yesterday
[The article begins with a saccharine description of a group of former Cuban blue bloods who had refused to return to Cuba up until now, but suddenly find themselves back at the Havana Yacht Club.]
Now they have returned as pilgrims with the Archdiocese of Miami to see Pope Francis celebrate Mass here. In so doing, this group of “historicos” — the first wave to settle in Miami after the revolution — joins a small but steady stream of Old Guard Cuban-Americans who, while still somewhat reluctant, say they have moved beyond once overpowering feelings of anger toward Fidel Castro for cloaking Cuba in Communist ideology.
In the politics of the exile community, it is as momentous a shift as the diplomatic thaw between the United States and Cuba.
Politics was not entirely on their minds. But a few of them said President Obama’s move to draw the two countries closer together, once fiercely opposed by many Cuban-Americans, could prove more fruitful today than the unsuccessful isolationist policy of the past 50 years. At least, some of them say, it is worth a shot.
“It’s time to change,” said José Cuervo, 82, the retired general counsel for the Dow Chemical Company’s Latin America and European division, who left Cuba in 1960. “But we will have to wait to see. This will happen over a long period of time.”
Mr. Cuervo echoed others in saying the bitterness is mostly behind him. “I am past that. We were very fortunate. We were given a great opportunity in the United States to reconstruct our lives.”
As Austin Powers might say: Yeah, baby…Eat crow, Mr. and Mrs. Cuervo… it’s time to swing and lose your bitterness, you wrinkled old bags and useless clowns!
Yeah, baby….You’ve got to let go of that unjustified bitterness…and subscribe to the Times!
3 thoughts on “New York Times offers predictable drivel on Cuban exiles and their fading “bitterness””
Like Alvarez Guedes would say: .Tremendos comemierdas.
They should stay and live in cuba. No conscience..
.
Thanks, Carlos, but you shouldn’t have.
On some level, the New York Times knows what it is, but as long as it remains sufficiently exalted or influential, it doesn’t have to care, and it certainly doesn’t. It also knows we know, and given what it thinks we are and should be, it DOES care we’ve got its number. Predictably, as always, it seeks out Cubans who will lend themselves to its purposes, and alas, such Cubans can always be found. It is no small part of our tragedy that too many Cubans are thus usable, either by nature or by choice, which boils down to weakness or perversity–and lack of dignity either way. José Martí was the antithesis of such Cubans, but they have always been much more typical (Martí, strictly speaking, was highly abnormal, especially for a Cuban). Hence, we have the depressingly familiar spectacle of Cubans “progressive” or “evolved” enough for the NYT to “feature” them as tolerably acceptable specimens who deserve a certain condescension, if not actual respect, for assuming a position the NYT likes and can utilize to advantage. This is invariably sad, embarrassing and/or shameful, but I’m afraid it will continue to be with us, just as the NYT will continue to exploit it. As Zoé Valdés frequently says, “eso es lo que trajo el barco” (that’s what the ship brought in).
Like Alvarez Guedes would say: .Tremendos comemierdas.
They should stay and live in cuba. No conscience..
.
Thanks, Carlos, but you shouldn’t have.
On some level, the New York Times knows what it is, but as long as it remains sufficiently exalted or influential, it doesn’t have to care, and it certainly doesn’t. It also knows we know, and given what it thinks we are and should be, it DOES care we’ve got its number. Predictably, as always, it seeks out Cubans who will lend themselves to its purposes, and alas, such Cubans can always be found. It is no small part of our tragedy that too many Cubans are thus usable, either by nature or by choice, which boils down to weakness or perversity–and lack of dignity either way. José Martí was the antithesis of such Cubans, but they have always been much more typical (Martí, strictly speaking, was highly abnormal, especially for a Cuban). Hence, we have the depressingly familiar spectacle of Cubans “progressive” or “evolved” enough for the NYT to “feature” them as tolerably acceptable specimens who deserve a certain condescension, if not actual respect, for assuming a position the NYT likes and can utilize to advantage. This is invariably sad, embarrassing and/or shameful, but I’m afraid it will continue to be with us, just as the NYT will continue to exploit it. As Zoé Valdés frequently says, “eso es lo que trajo el barco” (that’s what the ship brought in).