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I was born and lived there until 2016. The problem is both things, there is a huge malfunctioning of the government and the society has became conformist of wha

I was born and lived there until 2016. The problem is both things, there is a huge malfunctioning of the government and the society has became conformist of what they have. But, you cannot discard the US as a pretty bad influence on how things are over there. More so in recent years since Trump. I always say if the US gets out of the way, Cubans will free themselves. When there is nobody to blame, people will question the system. When Obama lifted some restrictions over the island I visited there and saw a huge change on people's mentality and there was an entrepreneurship spirit, down that path things would have changed a lot. Now people are more blocked, more hungry, with less resources and with state media blaming the US, they will not think about anything else than survive. I say all this as somebody that doesn't like communism but neither the system in the US, they are both brutal in different ways imho.

aaomidi 6y ago
This is exactly what was happening in Iran after JCPOA. Restrictions were lifting and people were demanding more from the system. Trump has effectively shut that down and has made millions of enemies and millions of future enemies from Iran. You can't just choke an economy and expect the state to get better. If anything you're just making it worse.
rumanator 6y ago
Your comment calls out a couple of US presidents by name but does not come close to mention Cuba's regime, let alone any of his leaders, a single time. Do you believe that the US has most of the responsibility while Cuba's dictatorship has none at all?
- aaomidi 6y ago
  That's a wild implication you're making there based off of a person's comments. And is likely against HN rules.
  - rumanator 6y ago
    > That's a wild implication you're making there based off of a person's comments. The parent poster commented on Cuba's current state but never mentioned any active role of Cuba's ruling regime, which single-handedly rules the country with an iron fist for over half a century. Instead, he commented on a couple of US presidents, including the current acting president which was elected over six decades of continuous rule of Cuba's acting regime. If we are honestly discussing who is responsible for Cuba's current state, can you try to explain to me without resorting to ad hominem attacks why are the two last ruling US presidents relevant but Cuba's very own regime isn't even worthy of a side reference? Because I'm pretty sure the Castro brothers were the ones calling the shots for over half a century, including how and where to jail political dissidents.
    - kls 6y ago
      Not to mention the blame on the current administration for the current situation, when it is well known that US diplomats and dignitaries where routinely targeted with microwave weapons, some of which, have as of so far, suffered permanent brain damage, time will tell if they will fully recover. As well the previous administration killed wet foot / dry foot. It's pretty customary to break off relations with a country when diplomats are attacked, it goes against the very fabric of diplomatic immunity. Sure everybody tails them, everybody spies on them, but physical attacks are so far outside the norm, that I was actually surprised that it took as long as it did to disconnect the small ties that had been established. I have my issues with the current administration but to chalk one up against their side after US diplomats where attacked is wanting at best. There is no doubt the US meddles and sometimes (maybe even most times) for the worse, but to attribute Cuban or even Venezuelan strife to primarily the US is an overreach. The US has backed some bad players in response to communism (Pinochet comes to mind), but to attribute the misdeeds of the ones that actually went left, to the US is more of this fantasy-land, we want to try communism again and this time we will get it right thinking. What someone says, when they say, "if it where not for the US and capitalist influence it would have succeeded" is actually that they are saying: that they are smarter than Engle, Marx, Lenin, Castro, Che, Pol Pot, Mao Zedong, Stalin and the rest of them; if we just implement their non-dictator, non-western influenced, idea of communism things will be great this time. The problem is, all the above mentioned thought the same thing. I lived thru communism (had family that lived under it in East Germany, father-in-law was a refuge from Castro), I never realized it would only take a generation to completely forget how bad it was. Honestly what scares me more is, I always thought Fascism and the Nazis had run their course and there would be no way anyone could make that mistake again. Now watching the apologizes for the failings of communism, I am really not so sure, now I realize if these fringe Nazis find the right voice, appeal the the right social triggers and pull on the correct emotional strings, they could actually become a force to recon with.
- codeadict 6y ago
  I never said the US has more responsibility but has it's share of it. I call by name recent US presidents because they have been both since the 60s the ones that have changed the US policies regarding to Cuba, both in very different directions.

aaomidi 6y ago

This is exactly what was happening in Iran after JCPOA. Restrictions were lifting and people were demanding more from the system. Trump has effectively shut that down and has made millions of enemies and millions of future enemies from Iran. You can't just choke an economy and expect the state to get better. If anything you're just making it worse.

rumanator 6y ago

Your comment calls out a couple of US presidents by name but does not come close to mention Cuba's regime, let alone any of his leaders, a single time. Do you believe that the US has most of the responsibility while Cuba's dictatorship has none at all?

aaomidi 6y ago
That's a wild implication you're making there based off of a person's comments. And is likely against HN rules.
- rumanator 6y ago
  > That's a wild implication you're making there based off of a person's comments. The parent poster commented on Cuba's current state but never mentioned any active role of Cuba's ruling regime, which single-handedly rules the country with an iron fist for over half a century. Instead, he commented on a couple of US presidents, including the current acting president which was elected over six decades of continuous rule of Cuba's acting regime. If we are honestly discussing who is responsible for Cuba's current state, can you try to explain to me without resorting to ad hominem attacks why are the two last ruling US presidents relevant but Cuba's very own regime isn't even worthy of a side reference? Because I'm pretty sure the Castro brothers were the ones calling the shots for over half a century, including how and where to jail political dissidents.
  - kls 6y ago
    Not to mention the blame on the current administration for the current situation, when it is well known that US diplomats and dignitaries where routinely targeted with microwave weapons, some of which, have as of so far, suffered permanent brain damage, time will tell if they will fully recover. As well the previous administration killed wet foot / dry foot. It's pretty customary to break off relations with a country when diplomats are attacked, it goes against the very fabric of diplomatic immunity. Sure everybody tails them, everybody spies on them, but physical attacks are so far outside the norm, that I was actually surprised that it took as long as it did to disconnect the small ties that had been established. I have my issues with the current administration but to chalk one up against their side after US diplomats where attacked is wanting at best. There is no doubt the US meddles and sometimes (maybe even most times) for the worse, but to attribute Cuban or even Venezuelan strife to primarily the US is an overreach. The US has backed some bad players in response to communism (Pinochet comes to mind), but to attribute the misdeeds of the ones that actually went left, to the US is more of this fantasy-land, we want to try communism again and this time we will get it right thinking. What someone says, when they say, "if it where not for the US and capitalist influence it would have succeeded" is actually that they are saying: that they are smarter than Engle, Marx, Lenin, Castro, Che, Pol Pot, Mao Zedong, Stalin and the rest of them; if we just implement their non-dictator, non-western influenced, idea of communism things will be great this time. The problem is, all the above mentioned thought the same thing. I lived thru communism (had family that lived under it in East Germany, father-in-law was a refuge from Castro), I never realized it would only take a generation to completely forget how bad it was. Honestly what scares me more is, I always thought Fascism and the Nazis had run their course and there would be no way anyone could make that mistake again. Now watching the apologizes for the failings of communism, I am really not so sure, now I realize if these fringe Nazis find the right voice, appeal the the right social triggers and pull on the correct emotional strings, they could actually become a force to recon with.
codeadict 6y ago
I never said the US has more responsibility but has it's share of it. I call by name recent US presidents because they have been both since the 60s the ones that have changed the US policies regarding to Cuba, both in very different directions.