If communism and a dictatorship are so wrong.....?

Question

why does Castro seem so popular (sky news)? I saw ex Cubans in the US waiting for him to die so they could return home, which I understood, but, why does he seem popular in his country? Are they all pretending? (They made a cake for him!) Surely, they don't have to go that far if they dislike the regime so much.

Answer 1

While an unelected dictatorship is unlikely to be the best arrangement for productive governmanet, Cuba is an interesting case. Castro isn't popular amongst the Cuban population in the US, but if they like him they wouldn't have left. It is definitely fair to say that they are not representative of the population in Cuba.

However, if look at the UN statistics, what Castro has achieved in terms of quality of life is remarkable for what is essentially a very poor country (per capita GDP is a tenth of the USA's). Education levels compare favourably with wealthy capatlist Western nations, litereacy rates are excellent, and life expectancy is almost identical to the USA's.

And remember, this has been achieved in the face of a 40 year or so highly aggressive economic blockade by the USA. This blockade has undoubtedly actually strengthened Castro's support amongst the Cuban population.

Don't believe everything the Western press might want you to believe.

Answer 2

Under Communism or a dictatorship you can not criticize the government. The people are suppressed even more than a democracy. They don't have a chance to vote for someone they think they would like, to run the country. All people in office are corrupted by money after they get in, in any form of government. At least in a democracy you have a chance to vote someone out. Even in a democracy, sometimes you just don't have very good choices to pick from.

Answer 3

Castro is so popular because a good portion of the political left in the US consists of anti-American bigots who are foolish enough to believe Karl Marx's misuse of Hegelian dialectics to form a framework by which history will "inevitably" travel. This belief is pure idiocy, but the try telling that to "true believers" on the left. As such they will heap a lot of praise on anyone who calls himself a Socialist, Communist or Marxist and use a lot of anti_American slogans in his rhetoric.

Answer 4

They are afraid to show dislike for him because he has punished so many people over the years.
Cuban society has some good points, but they are overshadowed by the lack of freedom and choice in the people's lives.
Wouldn't you bake a cake for someone, if you knew that to ignore his celebration meant being watched more closely by the police?

Answer 5

You do a lot of things you wouldn't normally do when someone
has a gun at your back. Why do you think so many Cubans fled
to the US? Here's a clue, they didn't go to Miami for the weather.
I Corinthians 13;8a, Love never fails!!!!!
Romans 8;2, The law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has
made me free from the law of sin and death.

Answer 6

Castro is popular because the people have no choice but to like him that is why so many risk everything trying to get to the U.S.

Answer 7

They started out scared of him but now, for most of the country, he is all they have known. The median age is 35.9 which means half the country was born at least 10 years after he took power.

Answer 8

Chief Commissar here - we're waiting for the revolution here to establish a Socialist Republic

Answer 9

The ones with the cake work in the cigar industry!

Answer 10

personally i think they are scared of him, if they rebelled or shown there anger or hatred towards him they would surely get murdered. Castro has a hold on that country and controls it with such ferosity.