CUBAN POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCES.
DO THEY WORK?

By Ralph Rewes


Who uses them, how do they work and for whom? Both extremes of the Cuban political spectrum and the filling between both sides use marches and demonstrations to make a point. The pseudo-revolution in Cuba and the exile traditionalists enjoy a good parade more than reaching the goals they pretend to impulse with them. Both sides think that a massive manifestation of people proves right this sophism: number of people = quality of thought. Consequently, the target of mass demonstration is… masses!

The triumph Communists get out of these mass demonstrations and the failure their opponents get out of them lie precisely here. Communists control the mass media in Cuba. Any mass demonstration by the masses and for the masses immediately connect both ends successfully. Their masses see their mass demonstrations in their state-controlled mass media.

It cannot work in Miami where the control of the second leg of the process does not exist. The audience seats only in part of one city (an amalgamation of Miami and Hialeah + other neighborhoods simplistically called municipalities, townships, etc.). Out of Miami and in Spanish, such demonstrations are ignored elsewhere. In fact, the more demonstrations exiles produce, the more ignored they are taken seriously by the international media. Remember? “A dog biting a man is not news; however a man biting a dog…”

The Totalitarian Methods — As The Military Spin-Offs They Are — Work Great Under A Dictatorship, But They Are Impossible In A Free Society. It is easy for a totalitarian regime to force a well-organized military parade on workers and followers, and even on a silent majority. They provide all, little flags, big flags, slogans, signs, beer, food, songs, music, etc. They weed out old people, pick up the best looking soldiers (image is very important for them), vital, screaming followers and they have a great parade — without substance, but a great parade! One worth filming.

Traditional exile parades show a disarray of symbols, they can’t even agree as to a uniformity of language order in the signs. They worry for hours about bringing in a young lady in disguise, Frigian cap and all, representing the Motherland, with arms chained can’t be missing (this will accomplish a lot, or so they say). Then there come repetitious, boring speeches under a scorching sun, blah, blah, blah. Almost an exact counterpart of the Communist speech with epithets reversed. Old men and ladies applaud, with the little hope left in their hearts, in an armless fight against an enemy, who in their demonstrations has guns pointing at their audience heads (and not many scruples to shoot). Little boys and girls wave Cuban flags, as if they were foreigners in their land they were born. A vital youth is noticeably low in number, as opposed to any Communist march.

The March is over. In Cuba, participants walk back to their deteriorated sheepish lives. In Miami, participants walk back to the constant annoyances of the Capitalist life, insurance, medicaid, medicare, high-rents, etc. Nothing is accomplished by marches and demonstration on either side!

The factor that the world expects is missing. During these 40 testing, trying years of totalitarianism, the pile of terrible acts against humanity is reaching heights beyond belief, yet, few organization are working on the creation of an international agency that promotes the truth about the victims on a consistent every day strive… as Communists do.

Marches? Cuban humor put it in a nutshell, when they began to see the constant drilling of the Communist militia:

Uno, dos, tres, cuatro... Comiendo mierda y rompiendo zapato.


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