It is a popular argument, particularly in the USA, to scream “If you like X Country so much, why don’t you move there?” Of course it is not reasonable to demand a person to move across the world to a country where he doesn’t know the language and would struggle to find a role in whatever their economy is. This silly argument also denies agency to the country in question, as I doubt Cuba would want thousands of gringos to move there (with possible exceptions for investors or someone with a particularly hard-to-find skillset). Because when someone says “If you like [Country X] so much then why don’t you go there?” this is a deliberately unreasonable argument made in bad faith. They don’t expect you to actually do it. And the vast majority of the time, this bad faith argument works. Most people do not have the time, money or interest to travel to the other side of the world to prove a point. Especially a place that’s under 24/7 bombardment by the US military.
But when someone actually does move to a “bad” country or even just visits, this can be very upsetting to the “Why don’t you move there?” crowd. Warhawks spent years carefully constructing the narrative that (North) Vietnamese were bloodthirsty subhuman commie savages who would kidnap and torture any American who dared set foot there. So when a pretty American actress went there and got a normal hospitable welcome, that completely destroyed the narrative. That is the reason why warhawks are still so angry with Jane Fonda even 50+ years later.
Visiting a country that is supposedly savage and barbaric is one of the most effective forms of peaceful protest against NATO militarism. They know this, which is why they’re so angry. At the very least Americans are able to do this. Europeans who visit a “barbaric” country and are too public about it typically face criminal charges when they return. So much for democracy.
People who scream that leftists should move to Cuba tend to be very stupid and lack the imagination to even think about their own scenario. If I was a very poor person, it probably would actually be preferable to live in Cuba than anywhere in the USA. If you are an American and fall upon hard times you will, not maybe, will lose your home and healthcare. Even if you don’t have a mortgage and own your home outright, you can still become homeless. The property tax can cost thousands of dollars. If you can’t pay, the city will deploy a SWAT team to forcibly evict you, then sell the property (they keep everything, even if you only owed a small amount). This frequently happens to the elderly, because they often don’t have much money or just forget to pay the tax.
So I’m not a poor person, but if I was told I was going to be born into a very poor family but could pick the country I was born in, I would at least strongly consider a place that has a communist government. I would still be poor, but at least there would be a low crime rate, I would have reasonable access to healthcare and education, and I wouldn’t be thrown out on the street as a baby because my parents couldn’t afford the rent. It might be a small country in danger of running out of food, but at the very least they wouldn’t deny me food for being poor.
Of course I’m sure there will be people in the comments screaming “Even if I was born poor I would still want to be born in the USA so I could lift myself up by my boot straps and blah blah blah.” This is why I say these people are stupid. I would love to see you be born in the ghetto and a school system with a 100% illiteracy rate and still “lift yourself up by your bootstraps.” These USA simps remind me of Uncle Ruckus from The Boondocks.
This isn’t an actual Uncle Ruckus quote, but it sounds like something he would say if asked about Cuba.
Just the fact that the USA is so horrendous, small sanctioned island countries are the only places left that the USA looks good in comparison to is really pathetic.
For all the people screaming about leftists moving to Cuba, it’s time for you to practice what you preach and move to Haiti. Haiti is next to Cuba. Two island countries, one communist and heavily sanctioned, and the other blessed by American influence. By your logic, Haiti must be a wonderful place to live, or at the very least better than Cuba.
If you’re not willing to move to Haiti, then quit telling people to move to Cuba.
Ian Kummer
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EXCELLENT !
I 100% agree with you.
Excellent.
“So when a pretty American actress went there and got a normal hospitable welcome, that completely destroyed the narrative.”
I’ve seen quite a number of videos from Westeners visiting the DPRK or China or and misunderstanding most or all what they see. Especially the DPRK is a hard nut to crack for a brainwashed Westoid. Most often they describe things that are commonplace anywhere as bizarre in the Korean context. They almost without exception can’t comprehend the local economic system and its idiosyncrasies that are mostly the direct consequences of the Korean War or the numberless sanctions. So tourism may help understanding other peoples but (contrary to what most people think) you mostly see what you believe and not vice versa, unfortunately.
I used to work in the oil, alongside of guys that had worked internationally.
For most of them, their perception of foreign cultures did not go far beyond: They don’t even have refrigerators; Drinking beer is illegal; They don’t even know what baseball is. Etc. All they sought in such countries is the same bars and recreation that they they’re used to, hotels for foreigners with standard cuisine …