The Cuban people are afraid of the Cuban State, imprisoned in their own country. They need government permission. Obviously, the government does not want their slaves to run away.
Now, why does the slave not just refuse to cooperate? In a way they do. Only the socialist hardliners are dedicated to their work. The great majority perform their duties the way a slave would: with as little energy as they can get away with, serving the capitalist tourist (or ripping them off whenever they can) in their spare time. Because their masters pay them on average no more than twenty (20) to thirty (30) dollars monthly, just enough not to die.
Culture of fear
Fear totally pervades Cuban society. If you believe the Cuban, you should expect to find a microphone in every woman’s bra. This obviously serves to bring out the absurdity of the sense of the fear. Nevertheless, the fear is real and is intentionally and systematically maintained, the colonial pattern in a different setting.
Essentially it is fear itself the Cubans fear. They could, of course, stop prostituting themselves, either mentally or physically, to the tourist and express their disgust openly by wearing a black ribbon, for instance. But they don’t. The courageous prefer to risk their lives in a “balsa” to reach Miami. Why they don’t risk their lives to change the situation at home, remains a mystery.
Turning a negative into a positive
Now, it may appear that this analysis is negative. It is not. Cuba is a great country and may be the first to introduce The Third Way, “La Tercera Posición” as people here understand it better than “Tercer Camino”. It is in fact the only honorable way out for the Castro regime.
Our Havana experience, where we walked and exhibited our message along the “El Prado” and “Parque Central” for three days, has convinced us that our original plan was the better one after all. We’ll explain as we go along. Please bear with us and stay tuned.