The late Cuban-American historian, journalist, and historian Luis Aguilar León authored what many consider the definitive work on describing the personality traits of Cubans. In his “El Profeta Habla de los Cubanos,” Dr. Aguilar León indicates that “los cubanos toman en serio los chistes y hacen de todo lo serio un chiste … Su espíritu es universal e irreverente.” (Cubans make a joke out of anything as their global viewpoint is universal and irreverent).
What better way to affirm Dr. Aguilar León’s take on Cubans than by playing a monologue by a Cuban who makes fun of the hardships that Cubans have to put up with on a daily basis in La Habana.
That “irreverence” has been at best a double-edged sword. Everything is NOT a joke and cannot be treated as such. Everything cannot be blown off or dismissed as inconsequential. Being cavalier, superficial, indolent and/or irresponsible is NOT cute–and overestimating one’s cleverness and capacity to wriggle out of any jam or get around any problem can be VERY dangerous. One cannot laugh off a heart attack, so it’s highly advisable to avoid having one, so to speak.