socialist guinea pigs

servile-masses-arise:

socialistguineapigs:

reason-in-revolt:

cuba is not socialist.

it’s an authoritarian regime. trade unions are oppressed and the workers are still fucked over, it’s been under castro and his ‘revolution’ (which was basically a load of middle class people overthrowing a horrible regime to put in place another rather shitty regime, it…

True, Cuba is not socialist. But I would argue that it isn’t any more authoritarian or less democratic than a country like the US. The poor have power there in the sense that they get insanely good health care and mental health care, free education throughout life, free food and housing. The poor in the US are listened to far less than the poor in Cuba.

Lower infant mortality rate, higher literacy, better mental health, and much more of a community focus, make Cuba a far better country to live in than the US for even middle-class Americans.

Eh? Cuba is a far better place to live than in the US? I’m no fan of US society but that is bullshit. Cubans aren’t allowed to travel, they are not even allowed to talk politics with tourists and there’s only one newspaper. There’s free healthcare but no drugs in the clinics. People are paid in a currency that’s worth nothing, they are forced to use the black market for which the punishment is long term imprisonment. Shit, not paying your busfare will get you jailed in Cuba. Ordinary people are not allowed internet access. It’s fucked. 

The US is fucked too but at least they allow you to leave. Cuba is literally a prison.

I spoke to Cubans about politics. I spoke to strangers I met on the street about politics. I think you’re thinking of how Cuba was a few decades ago.

The currency is not worth nothing. It’s not Zimbabwe. It’s currently 26 CUP to 1 US dollar. And far more importantly, Cubans get their necessities for free, so they only need money for extras. They’re less likely to go into debt than Americans. Do you have any idea how costly education, healthcare and housing are in the US? Add food to that, and you’re in debt for life. You have less than zero dollars.

I’d rather get sick in Cuba than in the US. My parents got sick in Cuba and got medicine immediately. Sure, there was a short supply, but that was because of the embargo imposed on Cuba. Castro didn’t ban or limit medications. I’d rather have Cuba’s limited health care system than have my house taken away because of one ambulance ride, and then be denied a life-saving surgery because I can’t afford $7000/year insurance.

You get enough to survive which is more than I can say for many, many people in the US.

As for leaving. You really think the poor in the US have that option? Whether it’s jail or money that prevents you from leaving, the outcome is the same. They’re just as trapped as anybody in Cuba. Moreso, since they starve and die of preventable diseases.

Btw, don’t ever, ever claim that Cuba jails people more often than the US. The US has the highest incarceration rate PER CAPITA in the world. It’s #1. Cuba is #7. Your chances of being put in prison, especially if you’re poor, are FAR HIGHER if you live in the US. Think about that one.

Cuba is a dictatorship. But so is the US. Don’t fool yourself. The wealthy have complete control over the government, and power is continuously stripped from the poor. If you’re poor and black, chances are you end up in jail.