Cuba: ‘Patria’ (fatherland) is uselessness

By Enrique Del Risco on his blog Enrisco (translation by Asombra):

‘Patria’ (fatherland) is uselessness

One of the greatest accomplishments of the [Castro] regime has been the production of people incapable of functioning in a different setting, perfectly useless when it comes to making a living in a normal way. That explains not only a good deal of the nostalgia felt by many [Cuban] emigrants but also the resistance to change by society in Cuba.

Even more curious is how many Cubans wind up associating that incompetence with their national origin, and thus wind up feeling proud of an ineptitude that transcends them and which they confuse with patriotism.

3 thoughts on “Cuba: ‘Patria’ (fatherland) is uselessness”

  1. So true, and this is the actual dividing line between Cubans living in America. It’s not Mariel or the rafter crisis. It’s the question of competence and confidence in one’s own abilities.

  2. When people are damaged goods due to being the product of a shitty and perverse system, they typically can’t see or won’t admit that they’re defective. In order to defend themselves, as it were, they tend to excuse, justify, whitewash and/or rationalize the system that formed them, even if it takes inventing merit where there was none. This is as sad as it is human. I have seen this phenomenon in action, and it’s very disconcerting, not to mention frustrating, because it’s VERY hard to get through to these people, especially if you don’t want to hurt their feelings (and even then, they get defensive very quickly). It’s sort of like dealing with alcoholics–you can’t help them unless they admit their problem and choose to get help themselves.

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