BBC readers mourn Castro's retirement [Updated]
Dear Lord, I hope this isn't a reflection of the world as a whole...
As you probably know by now, the 81 year-old President/Dictator of Cuba, Fidel Castro, just officially announced his retirement after ruling the island for nearly 50 years. Not that much is expected to change; his 75 year-old brother Raoul will take over instead. This is good news, although a trial followed by a jail sentence would be far more appropriate.
Anyway, there is a point to my rambling here. Not everyone is happy about him retiring. I would expect that far-left sites would heap praise on the dictator, and I was right. But I would think that readers of a hard news site would have a more level head on their shoulders; I was wrong.
In fact, BBC News reasders were the worst of all! On the Beeb's "Have Your Say" (note: hit the "reader recommended" tab), almost two thousand comments have piled in, but most of these are saying how sorry they are to see Castro leave! Here is a sample below. What makes it more frightening is that I didn't just sift through the masses of comments and cherry-pick the few worst; these were the top 13 reader recommended comments - in order, (you have to go all the way to the 14th to find even one that is not praising Castro or bashing the US). Over the course of the day, this can change a bit, but here is now they stand now:
What does Mr Castro's decision mean for Cuba? What did Cuba achieve during his rule?
Cuba achieved a highly educated population, high life expectancy. low infant mortality rates.......All this despite a massive trade embargo from the US.
Economic and political reforms are needed, what is not needed is a return to the corrupt vice ridden pre Castro days of Batista.
[Ifancyapint], United Kingdom
Recommended by 181 people
....
having been to Cuba on several occasions I can only give a glowing report, those that think it a backward nation are grossly wrong, this is one of the most forward thinking countries I have visited, they think their way around problems in a similar manner to the Scandinavian countries instead of throwing money at them, something the pro-US lobby will never understand, they export medical care in the form of doctors and look after the health of the nation, all this is a result of Castro
Alex, Liverpool
Recommended by 147 people
....
People can say what they like about Castro but Cuba has a better health service than we do so not all bad !
Piers Catton, Gosport, United Kingdom
Recommended by 145 people
....
His decision means I have to get my skates on and visit before the americans get their greasy paws on the country and ruin it.
Sergio, Bristol
Recommended by 143 people
....
His legacy? Standing up to and winning against American Imperialism....A true leader in every sense and a tough one. And also world class healthcare and education unlike its enemy to the north.
A J Smith, London
Recommended by 126 people
....
Generally I'm very pro-US but America's relationship with Cuba has been one of 50 years of stupidity and petty vengence. Cuba was a grossly corrupt country effectively run by the Mafia and rich landowners until Castro (himself a rich landowner) took over. Initially he was also pro-US but the US favoured the mafia over a popular leader so he was forced to turn to the USSR for support.
I can't see anything changing in Washington with Raul 'on the throne' in the short term.
[Peter_Sym], Nottingham
Recommended by 111 people
....
Anyone who had the courage to stand up to bullying by the USA and Fascist exiles has my respect, whatever his faults!
Neil
Neil Breward, Nottingham, United Kingdom
Recommended by 109 people
....
Nothing but maximum respect and admiration to Mr Castro for standing up to American aggression and interferance. Communism may not be the best way of life but it sure beats so called democracies such as the US.
ENJOY YOUR RETIREMENT MR CASTRO.
Rizwan Saleem, Bradford
Recommended by 106 people
....
"He leaves one of the most backward, undemocratic, oppressed, poor countries on the planet."
What utter nonsense. They enjoy better health care than we do in the UK! I should know, I've experienced both.
bryan, salisbury
Recommended by 100 people
....
Castro has shown the world how communisn could work under responsible leadership. Every person in Cuba has an education, a roof over they're heads and food to eat. He may not have got it perfectly right but his efforts can inspire future leaders.
The majority of problems we suffer in the UK are born from the problems with democracy.
Maybe our future leaders can be inspired by Castro?
Colin, London
Recommended by 89 people
....
Fidel is one of the very few great intellectual leaders of our times who did his best to create an egalitarian state inspite of crippling international sanctions.
[aejazz], United Kingdom
Recommended by 85 people
....
"He leaves one of the most backward, undemocratic, oppressed, poor countries on the planet. Since the Cuban marxist revolotion he has goiven his peoiple precisely nothing and driven large nuimbers of them away"
[imsickofitall]
Driven to the US to live a life of consumerism, debt, unaffordable healthcare...
The US Cuban's I've seen interviewed on TV always seem such a miserable angry bunch, whereas the ones I met in Cuba were happy, healthy and had a real zest for life.
[frazzled]
Recommended by 84 people
....
He freed his people from oppression only to have them enslaved again by the rest of the world, Cuba's ills cannot all be laid at Castro's feet, the biggest aid to the situation have been successive American governBents.
Rev Brown, northampton, United Kingdom
Recommended by 84 people
Just some observations:
1) Why is it that the same people who constantly demand that President Bush be impeached, have no problem with the crimes of a man like Castro who sat in his chair, unelected, for 49 years?
2) One common theme among Castro's supporters is praise for ending the Batista regime. But Batista's corrupt government was only in power for seven years, from 1952-59 (or 11 years, if you count his 4 year stint as President from 1940-44). Castro has been in power seven times that long. Who really damaged Cuba the most?
3) Why are people fleeing Cuba to reach the United States? Why not the other way around?
4) Just what do they teach at schools in the UK?
Finally, as a side note, there is a large Cuban art exposition going on in Montreal, called "¡Cuba! Art and History from 1868 to Today". The rather pathetic attempt to elevate works of art officially approved by the Cuban state gets deservedly scornful treatment in the National Post. Not surprisingly, the New York Times art reviewer thinks that it's just peachy!
UPDATE 20/02/2008 12:14:00 PM:
Chris Betram at Crooked Timber:
So let’s hear it for universal literacy and decent standards of health care. Let’s hear it for the Cubans who help defeat the South Africans and their allies in Angola and thereby prepared the end of apartheid. Let’s hear it for the middle-aged Cuban construction workers who held off the US forces for a while on Grenada. Let’s hear it for Elian Gonzalez. Let’s hear it for 49 years of defiance in the face of the US blockade. Hasta la victoria siempre!Not surprisingly, Chris Betram is a Professor of Social and Political Philosophy and Head of the School of Arts at the University of Bristol, UK. Besides his enthusiasm for communist Cuba, does anyone else find his cheering on the enemy who faced the US on Grenada just a wee bit unsettling?
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5 comments:
What's also scary is that that last fellow who claimed Castro "freed his people from oppression" describes himself as a reverend (meaning that he is an Anglican or Catholic priest).
Have you ever stopped to think that what they taught you in "America is the greatest!" school of patriotism was wrong and what they were teaching in the rest of the world could possibly be right? For a developing nation, Cuba does alright for itself. It has a very well established Medical community, its hospitals are cheap and accessible to all, not just those who can afford it, its education is fantastic, and it is government actually takes care of its people.
I wouldn't go ahead and say that everything that we[Americans] have been taught is untrue, I know that the Cuban government isn't a perfect government, but I know that Castro isn't the anti-Christ either. At least he did a hell of a better job than George W. idiot.
To ingenium -
I grew up in America, and don't recall ever them teaching us that "America was the greatest". And this definitely wasn't true in college, when my professors constantly bad-mouthed their country and compared Reagan to the anti-Christ.
Cuba does "alright for itself" for a developing nation? First of all, it shouldn't be a developing nation in the first place! It's location and climate should guarantee a healthy economy - communism has kept it decades behind.
And I'll tell you what - just ask any Cuban to publicly call el Presidente "Fidel A. Idiot" (like you just did with Bush) and you'll quickly see just how well their govt "takes care of its people"
Interesting angle. Cool. Castro is human garbage who has killed thousands of innocent Cubans in his failed pursuit of a communist paradise.
absurd thought -
God of the Universe says
Castro was BRILLIANT
like Marx, Lenin and Mao
he helped redefine EVIL
absurd thought -
God of the Universe says
celebrities are GUILTY
of having talent and luck
so they must praise dictators
absurd thought -
God of the Universe says
never admit you were wrong
Communism’s FANTASTIC
BEST false ideology
absurd thought -
God of the Universe says
keep your people poor
deny them decent health care
convince them they have it GREAT
Fidel Castro
murderous tyrant
- fools' hero
communist freedom killer
imprisons many poets...
http://absurdthoughtsaboutgod.blogspot.com/
http://www.therealcuba.com/
:)
.
in spite of the effort of the US to lead Cuba to failure, it has been able to go on with its limited sources.
instead of complaning so much about castro why doesnt the us goverment trade with cuba and allow other countries to do it too...maybe its because the politicians who want to knock down the goverment dont want to see it succed.
for them its allright to be friends with Saudi Arabia were women can't even go outside by themselves but not Cuba because they dont have oil.
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