The semantics of KaSStrism
An interesting phenomenon is taking place in Kuba. Subtle if you just happen to glance at it but VERY powerful if you revisit the revolution’s history.
So, let us rewind the tape and check the finer points of KaSStro history.
Most people do not know that the “war” against Batista was fought by at least 5 independent groups one (and only one) was the July 26 movement with KaSStro at the helm.
In La Habana groups like the “ Directorio Estudiantil Universitario” (which had been in place since 1930!) and Organizacion Autentica acted in a totally autonomous mode.
Groups in Pinar del Rio , Las Villas as well as bona fide political parties in La Habana also took arms against Batista
BUT.. KaSStro got all the glory!
How does this happen ? Well call him what you wish but KaSStro has always been the consummate propagandist , manipulator with an EXCEEDINGLY sharp marketing and PR sense.
All the "independent" news about the war against Batista came from “Radio Rebelde” which broadcasted from La Sierra Maestra inside KaSStro’s camp.
Everything that was reported as actions against Batista , would invariable bear a July 26 spin and KaSStro propagandist little fingerprints all over it.
So whether it was a major strike (albeit unsuccessful) like the attack on Batista’s Presidential Palace on March 13 1957 or some sugar cane fire started by a drunken sailor in Pinar del Rio , the “real” scoop came from Radio Rebelde, but not before embedding KaSStro’s July 26 movement into the news item.
In fact the “Ataque al palacio presidencial” was a futile effort to kill Batista AND avoid the take over of KaSStro!
That is how apprehensive the more intellectual anti-Batista groups were of THE BEAST.
Regardless, listening to news on Radio Rebelde, you would’ve sworn that the plan had been drafted by KaSStro himself.
Hey, it is good to have a Radio station !
Looking back at the attention to detail on these stages of game, even the name “RADIO REBELDE” was chosen with the outmost of care to penetrate the Cuban consciousness.
It was a powerful and instantly unforgettable. Other names were considered (Like radio Sierra Maestra and Radio 26 de Julio ) BUT .. savor the way “RADIO REBELDE” flows ! This would mark the ethos of the revolution. SLOGANS, facile JINGOISMS and quotable sound bites.
Madison Ave. had NOTHING on KaSStro !
As Batista picked up his toys and got the hell out of Cuba, KaSStro has a slight problem.
EVERYONE thinks HE won. but he is in “casa 'el carajo” in Oriente. The Habana anti-Batista groups were right smack in the sit of power AND they now had direct access to media!
Again, KaSStro pulls a small miracle and convinces ALL the anti-Batista groups to fold under one umbrella otherwise they would not be taken seriously by the Cuban people nor any foreign government (read the USA).
The groups somehow acquiesced and KaSStro enters Columbia under the July 26 flag thereby consolidating and appropriating ALL struggles against Batista as HIS!
Fucking BRILLIANT!
The cult of personality became immediate. Not as blatant as that of Hitler’s or Stalin’s but more subtle. Subliminal advertising if you will. Little Plaques proclaiming “Esta es tu casa Fidel”("This is your house Fidel") began appearing on home's front doors as if by magic. Black & red was everywhere.
The brainwashing was so comprehensive that the government went as far as issuing trading cards extolling the virtues and struggles of the revolution. Get them while they are young!
The propagandist engine at full speed declares Radio Rebelde part of the “Frente Independiente de Emisoras Libres” this was by NO means an accidental christening.
The acronym is just WAY too obvious: FIDEL! Yeah I know, WOAH!
At some point KaSStro himself pulled the reigns and went with the less assaulting FIEL (translates into faithful) and FIEL was the ONLY network to listen too because it was : FIEL A CUBA, FIEL A LA REVOLUCION.
Since KaSStro had not yet taken over ALL media any other news would be “suspect”
And the rest is history. Here’s KaSStro claiming that there is no Cult of Personality in Cuba, that you will never find a statue or picture of himself anyplace! Nice rethoric, why pictures or statues when his presence is so ubiquitous ? Here’s a man who would regularly break into a TV show in progress and dish out a 2 hour diatribe about ANYTHING! In fact , the first president of Cuba after KaSStro found out he was out of a job and that KaSStro was taking over while watching TV! The Beast had just interrupted regular programing to issue the pink slip.
“That is it Skippy, The beast is putting down the mask, we dont need no stinkin' president”
As the revolution became more and more stringent and eventually declaring itself communist almost organically Cubans began a charade in semantics.
Some totally confused by the switcheroo would declare “Well I am NOT communist but I am a Fidelista”
Others more militant followed the government’s carefully crafted slogan:
“SI FIDEL ES COMUNISTA QUE ME PONGAN EN LA LISTA”
(If Fidel is a Communist, sign me up on that list)
Like selling Coca Cola!
And this division of loyalties has permeated Cuban society ever since.
It is not at all uncommon to hear someone in Cuba BLASTING the communist regime, complaining about lack of food, services, medicine , medical care and then follow up with:
“This is happening because FIDEL doesn’t know about it”
Or
“If FIDEL knew this, things would be a lot different”
As if ANYTHING in Cuba is done without KaSStro’s explicit approval.
I have asked some of this apologists as to why they feel a need to defend KaSStro, after all is he NOT in touch with the people’s needs? Is he NOT one of the PEOPLE? At that point you get a lot of blank stares and once in a while a dismissive “Well he CAN’T be in all places all of the time”.
Well ACTUALLY Paco... HE IS!
This duality of allegiances is also an acceptable way for REAL anti-KaSStrists to get away with blasting the government in moments of total angst. You can get away with saying ANYTHING as long as you follow it with:
“If Fidel knew of this, this wouldn’t be going on”
The “cult” has become the goverment's worst enemy. The Fidelistas way outnumber the “revolutionaries” or the communists.
And HERE is where this phenomenon raises its unexpected head.
Since KaSStro stepped off the throne and the spotlight, people in Cuba are at odds with the political situation and their reaction to this conundrum.
“Do we OPENLY embrace Raul or any other top apparatik puppet?”
“If we do what happens if Fidel comes back?”
“Do we open up the gates of discontent and blame THE BEAST for 47 years of hell?”
So inevitably lines of allegiance are being drawn out.
As we have said, it is IMPERATIVE that KaSStro’s myth is shattered in order to go forward. We have already seen a couple of hints being published WITHIN Cuba. Juventud Rebelde openly blamed Cuba’s economic problems to INTERNAL mismanagement.
Since Cuba has been managed by one sole person for 47 years , we all can see where that line of reasoning is leading.
But as the Ramiro Valdez of the world plan and scheme, there is a segment that will ALWAYS be FIDELISTA and thusly at odds with any changes within Cuba.
We saw an example of this at the recent “birthday” party.
Attended by NO ONE of high political caliber (including Raul) , the “host” of this event , a rather obscure middle tier lackey closed his speech with this slogan:
“VIVA EL FIDELISMO”
No “PATRIA O MUERTE” or any of the other zillion signature catchphrase but just:
“VIVA EL FIDELISMO”
A taciturn message to those on top is that KaSStrists are not taking change in stride.
The myth is alive and well.
As long as it does, there will be Cubans who STILL after all the atrocities, the 47 years of misery the hunger, the squalor the tyranny. After all that .. they will STILL say
“YO NO SOY COMUNISTA, YO SOY FIDELISTA”
Let us see how Raul and Co. can handle this chasm, because, fortunately for us, these are differences civil wars are made of.
So, let us rewind the tape and check the finer points of KaSStro history.
Most people do not know that the “war” against Batista was fought by at least 5 independent groups one (and only one) was the July 26 movement with KaSStro at the helm.
In La Habana groups like the “ Directorio Estudiantil Universitario” (which had been in place since 1930!) and Organizacion Autentica acted in a totally autonomous mode.
Groups in Pinar del Rio , Las Villas as well as bona fide political parties in La Habana also took arms against Batista
BUT.. KaSStro got all the glory!
How does this happen ? Well call him what you wish but KaSStro has always been the consummate propagandist , manipulator with an EXCEEDINGLY sharp marketing and PR sense.
All the "independent" news about the war against Batista came from “Radio Rebelde” which broadcasted from La Sierra Maestra inside KaSStro’s camp.
Everything that was reported as actions against Batista , would invariable bear a July 26 spin and KaSStro propagandist little fingerprints all over it.
So whether it was a major strike (albeit unsuccessful) like the attack on Batista’s Presidential Palace on March 13 1957 or some sugar cane fire started by a drunken sailor in Pinar del Rio , the “real” scoop came from Radio Rebelde, but not before embedding KaSStro’s July 26 movement into the news item.
In fact the “Ataque al palacio presidencial” was a futile effort to kill Batista AND avoid the take over of KaSStro!
That is how apprehensive the more intellectual anti-Batista groups were of THE BEAST.
Regardless, listening to news on Radio Rebelde, you would’ve sworn that the plan had been drafted by KaSStro himself.
Hey, it is good to have a Radio station !
Looking back at the attention to detail on these stages of game, even the name “RADIO REBELDE” was chosen with the outmost of care to penetrate the Cuban consciousness.
It was a powerful and instantly unforgettable. Other names were considered (Like radio Sierra Maestra and Radio 26 de Julio ) BUT .. savor the way “RADIO REBELDE” flows ! This would mark the ethos of the revolution. SLOGANS, facile JINGOISMS and quotable sound bites.
Madison Ave. had NOTHING on KaSStro !
As Batista picked up his toys and got the hell out of Cuba, KaSStro has a slight problem.
EVERYONE thinks HE won. but he is in “casa 'el carajo” in Oriente. The Habana anti-Batista groups were right smack in the sit of power AND they now had direct access to media!
Again, KaSStro pulls a small miracle and convinces ALL the anti-Batista groups to fold under one umbrella otherwise they would not be taken seriously by the Cuban people nor any foreign government (read the USA).
The groups somehow acquiesced and KaSStro enters Columbia under the July 26 flag thereby consolidating and appropriating ALL struggles against Batista as HIS!
Fucking BRILLIANT!
The cult of personality became immediate. Not as blatant as that of Hitler’s or Stalin’s but more subtle. Subliminal advertising if you will. Little Plaques proclaiming “Esta es tu casa Fidel”("This is your house Fidel") began appearing on home's front doors as if by magic. Black & red was everywhere.
The brainwashing was so comprehensive that the government went as far as issuing trading cards extolling the virtues and struggles of the revolution. Get them while they are young!
The propagandist engine at full speed declares Radio Rebelde part of the “Frente Independiente de Emisoras Libres” this was by NO means an accidental christening.
The acronym is just WAY too obvious: FIDEL! Yeah I know, WOAH!
At some point KaSStro himself pulled the reigns and went with the less assaulting FIEL (translates into faithful) and FIEL was the ONLY network to listen too because it was : FIEL A CUBA, FIEL A LA REVOLUCION.
Since KaSStro had not yet taken over ALL media any other news would be “suspect”
And the rest is history. Here’s KaSStro claiming that there is no Cult of Personality in Cuba, that you will never find a statue or picture of himself anyplace! Nice rethoric, why pictures or statues when his presence is so ubiquitous ? Here’s a man who would regularly break into a TV show in progress and dish out a 2 hour diatribe about ANYTHING! In fact , the first president of Cuba after KaSStro found out he was out of a job and that KaSStro was taking over while watching TV! The Beast had just interrupted regular programing to issue the pink slip.
“That is it Skippy, The beast is putting down the mask, we dont need no stinkin' president”
As the revolution became more and more stringent and eventually declaring itself communist almost organically Cubans began a charade in semantics.
Some totally confused by the switcheroo would declare “Well I am NOT communist but I am a Fidelista”
Others more militant followed the government’s carefully crafted slogan:
“SI FIDEL ES COMUNISTA QUE ME PONGAN EN LA LISTA”
(If Fidel is a Communist, sign me up on that list)
Like selling Coca Cola!
And this division of loyalties has permeated Cuban society ever since.
It is not at all uncommon to hear someone in Cuba BLASTING the communist regime, complaining about lack of food, services, medicine , medical care and then follow up with:
“This is happening because FIDEL doesn’t know about it”
Or
“If FIDEL knew this, things would be a lot different”
As if ANYTHING in Cuba is done without KaSStro’s explicit approval.
I have asked some of this apologists as to why they feel a need to defend KaSStro, after all is he NOT in touch with the people’s needs? Is he NOT one of the PEOPLE? At that point you get a lot of blank stares and once in a while a dismissive “Well he CAN’T be in all places all of the time”.
Well ACTUALLY Paco... HE IS!
This duality of allegiances is also an acceptable way for REAL anti-KaSStrists to get away with blasting the government in moments of total angst. You can get away with saying ANYTHING as long as you follow it with:
“If Fidel knew of this, this wouldn’t be going on”
The “cult” has become the goverment's worst enemy. The Fidelistas way outnumber the “revolutionaries” or the communists.
And HERE is where this phenomenon raises its unexpected head.
Since KaSStro stepped off the throne and the spotlight, people in Cuba are at odds with the political situation and their reaction to this conundrum.
“Do we OPENLY embrace Raul or any other top apparatik puppet?”
“If we do what happens if Fidel comes back?”
“Do we open up the gates of discontent and blame THE BEAST for 47 years of hell?”
So inevitably lines of allegiance are being drawn out.
As we have said, it is IMPERATIVE that KaSStro’s myth is shattered in order to go forward. We have already seen a couple of hints being published WITHIN Cuba. Juventud Rebelde openly blamed Cuba’s economic problems to INTERNAL mismanagement.
Since Cuba has been managed by one sole person for 47 years , we all can see where that line of reasoning is leading.
But as the Ramiro Valdez of the world plan and scheme, there is a segment that will ALWAYS be FIDELISTA and thusly at odds with any changes within Cuba.
We saw an example of this at the recent “birthday” party.
Attended by NO ONE of high political caliber (including Raul) , the “host” of this event , a rather obscure middle tier lackey closed his speech with this slogan:
“VIVA EL FIDELISMO”
No “PATRIA O MUERTE” or any of the other zillion signature catchphrase but just:
“VIVA EL FIDELISMO”
A taciturn message to those on top is that KaSStrists are not taking change in stride.
The myth is alive and well.
As long as it does, there will be Cubans who STILL after all the atrocities, the 47 years of misery the hunger, the squalor the tyranny. After all that .. they will STILL say
“YO NO SOY COMUNISTA, YO SOY FIDELISTA”
Let us see how Raul and Co. can handle this chasm, because, fortunately for us, these are differences civil wars are made of.
3 Comments:
ñoo viraste acabando
Actually, I think that many of the Ad agencies in the city have learnt a thing or two from Mean Mr. Kasstro. At least, the managerial style one sees around is pretty much in the "dictator school".
Branding, brand recognition, slogans, marketing, he was great at those. Look for example at the myth of che huevera. A loser trasformed into an icon by a hail of bullets. That the Bolivians decided to play their arrogant anti-Americanism (very ungrateful of them, that's why they are getting Indio Evo now) and ordered that prick slaughtered was a huge mistake. An old criminal in a U.S. jail doesn't sell those many T-shirts unless his name is Charles Manson. The arrogance and stupidity of the Latin American politicians gave kasstro a cadaver, and he trasnformed the rotting corpse into a mine of gold. The same with the slogans. Little known is the fact that the department of propaganda of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba has a huge payroll of graphic designers, specialists in communications, semiotics, semantics and languages. They also have people who design video spots.... One needs to be very naive to think that the innumerable photo ops where all the top honchos of the system appear are not staged and rehearsed. They are in some instances even overdesigned. The music used in the TV newscasts, the photography, the posters, even Cuban cinema is in a way controlled by the master propagandists of the party, who in turn take note of all ideas that come from kasstro and report to him pleasing his every whim. It's not a "revolutionary" discovery. This is simply the lessons kasstro learnt from the department of propaganda of his two idols, Hitler and Mussolini.
He actually mocked the Russians and the Socialist Realism of their propaganda. On the other hand kasstro went more towards the racist type of fascist propaganda, which worked very well. One time I heard somebody who worked for one of those propaganda outfits defining himself as a racist-leninist (a play on marxist-leninist) in an attempt to explain someone why they didn't have blacks in a certain propaganda campaign.
And going back to the parade, take a look at the buildings that surround the plaza. Most of them are built in the Italian Fascist style. Which kasstro loves, by the way. The jackboots sound, the noise of the tanks, the lowflying planes, the sirenes, all has been studied and applied for almost 48 years, that's how terror looks from a design standpoint.
After witnessing and seeing so much heartache throughout this past 47 year nightmare, I offer no apologies when I state that...this regime born out of the sword of destructive violence should die by the very same sword wielded by its very own victims of the last 47 years.
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