Fidel's down? The infallible leader? To be honest, I'm not enitrely sure how to feel about this. Sure, the Cuban people are due for some change, and Fidel hasn't been the world's most inspirational leader, but most people don't recall the years before Fidel, the years where the government subsidized land, and citizens were forced off their own land, and resorted to desperate ploys in simple order to attain a simple way of life. Nobody remembers the days of Ernesto "Che" Guevara, the days where one simply needed to look around to see the fruits of revolution blossoming, and now, when one of the world's eldest leaders finally steps down, we try to deestablish 50 years worth of hard effort and preparation? It honestly doesn't seem right.
I don't know where this comes from. I myself was born in South Korea (but still on American soil), and am 100% raised in America, but I can't help but think of things on a global scale. I'm sure that the majority of American citizens don't think this way, because, well, if this were true, then many of these terrible attacks upon our soil would never have happened. Regarding both situations in Iraq and Cuba, it's true that both people are living in a realm of oppression, but who are we to free them? Do we believe that since we see a problem, we MUST fix it? Have we become to the world what Tom Cruise is to Scientology? I'm so conflicted on this matter. Sure, I feel for these people, but the majority of cultures have become what they were by breaking loose of their own chains, rather than the shackles being loosened by some third party.
I'm sentimental, I suppose. Stubborn to rid the world of the old ways. I'm going to hate being old, reminiscing of the way things were when I was younger, of the beautiful actors, of the decorated war veterans who fought before nuclear weapons and laser sights, whose bones are nothing more than soft dust, of these simpler times. It sounds disgusting to imagine a future of cold, gray metal, of stiff, unwavering numbers, where every single blink, every twitch is calculated and explained by the great Science. I've recently read that teleportation is now possible (on a molecular scale, of course. Tiny steps.).
Nobody remembers the days of Ernesto "Che" Guevara, the days where one simply needed to look around to see the fruits of revolution blossoming, and now, when one of the world's eldest leaders finally steps down, we try to deestablish 50 years worth of hard effort and preparation? It honestly doesn't seem right.
Are you serious? If anything people remember Che more than Fidel. Where I live, tons of people where Che shirts. How many people have you seen with Fidel shirts? Che's assassination elevated his position. Thus, making him more popular than Fidel. Assassinations make people famous.
Enough Said.
+mspin
Well, I may have misspoken. Che is certainly more "face" popular, that is, everybody knows his face from the t-shirts and posters, but for the majority of people I've talked to who have sported this look, they assume he was mexican or something. At least where I'm from, nobody makes the connection of Fidel in power and Che 6 feet under. People know the faces, but even less know the story behind them.