Some used to call them “limousine liberals.” Late Soviet defector Yuri Bezmenov might have branded them “useful idiots.” Now perhaps they can be dubbed Five-star Faustians. Hundreds of left-wing activists from the United States, Latin America, and Europe traveled to Havana, Cuba, last Wednesday and over the weekend to, as they put it, deliver aid and “show solidarity with the Cuban people.” They’ve come under fire, however, as some have lived lavishly at five-star hotels while average Cubans suffer.
Of course, the best thing they could do for Cuba is encourage a transition from Marxism to economic freedom. But this won’t happen, as these activists are sympathetic to socialism/communism. Put differently, they’ll occasionally administer symptomatic treatment for political reasons (they’re against President Donald Trump’s sanctions). But they support the underlying disease that keeps the Cuban people perpetually sick.
Daily Wire reported on the story Saturday, writing that the left-wing activists
descended on Havana this weekend, meeting with communist officials, staying in upscale hotels, and traveling in air-conditioned buses as ordinary Cubans grapple with widespread blackouts and severe shortages of basic necessities.
The “Nuestra América Convoy,” also called the “Our America Convoy to Cuba,” brought roughly 650 delegates from 33 countries and more than 100 organizations to the island, transporting about 20 tons of humanitarian aid, according to organizers.
Of course, helping those suffering privation can be noble. But is there something organizers aren’t telling? As the New York Post reports:
The stunt was organized by Cuban politician Mariela Castro through a nonprofit called Progressive International. Few details have been released about how the hundreds of boxes and suitcases of aid will be distributed once they arrive on the island, the local press noted.
In fact, and as is the often the case with Third World aid, we could wonder how much of it will actually reach the Cuban people. Note, too, that the activists have already departed the island and thus will not be overseeing the aid’s dispensation. Who or what will? The Post again:
One of the organizations involved with the distribution is the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, which has been identified by the CIA as a front for Cuban intelligence services.
Demitasse Democrats
Of course, though, “The devil is in the details” — and in this case also the Cuban government. But neither reality seems to bother the left-wing activists, as critics noted (illustrative tweets below).
Also illustrating the incongruity was a Monday segment on Fox News’ Gutfeld! “Nothing says solidarity with the oppressed like maid service and a mint on your pillow,” quipped host Greg Gutfeld. Perhaps the most amusing part was a clip of leftist podcaster Hasan Piker. Also known as “Hasanabi,” the socialist made himself the poster boy for lack of self-awareness. How?
First Piker talks about the “dichotomy” between the luxury he was enjoying and the privation suffered by the Cuban people. Ever eloquent, he said while lamenting this, it “really f***** me up.”
And as he was concluding, he raised a demitasse cup to his lips, presumably enjoying espresso-style Cuban coffee! (Begins at 6:27 in the video below. Gutfeld starts discussing the Cuban situation at 3:05.)
(Note: Piker’s claim of U.S. law compelling five-star hotel stays in Cuba is false. In reality, American law does, if anything, the opposite.)
To be fair, virtually all of us enjoy prime conditions when visiting under-developed nations. But not all of us do it while advocating the very systems that leave them under-developed. And as deliciously ironic as demitasse Democrats’ behavior is, not everyone is laughing. Just consider a top comment from under the above video:
My parents fled Cuba to give our family a better life and to escape Communist oppression. I cannot state in words, that YT will not censor, how much I hate these propagandists. They hate Trump more than they love the Cuban people. If they really wanted to help, they’d march in solidarity with the 1000s of Cuban political prisoners languishing in Cuban prisons.
For sure. As someone close to me put it, “It’s easy being idealistic when you don’t have to live with your ideals.”
The Wrong Ideals
Now, before drowning his sorrows in rich coffee, Piker lamented that the Cuban government “has very limited resources.” They’re thus limited for a good reason, too.
Because communist countries always are.
Piker and other leftists won’t accept obvious economic realities because, as the aforementioned Bezmenov explained, they are “demoralized” — “programmed.” Low-virtue people, they’re in the grip of disordered thinking. But for a civilization to become wealthy, it must allow for economic freedom and “market” incentives. It is this, and only this, that catalyzes the creative capacities of the common person and encourages productivity.
And it is this, and only this, that explains what even left-wing Think Progress admitted in 2013.
The worldwide standard of living was the highest it had ever been in all of history.
(And it’s even higher today.)
In contrast, what does socialism breed? Well, take a gander at the satellite photos below of the Korean peninsula. Notice anything?
In European market economies, effectively 100 percent of the people have electricity. In Asian market economies, 99-100 percent do. South Korea’s figure is 100 percent. And communist North Korea?
Only about 57.5 percent of the people have electricity — and even this is deceptive. In practice, most “connected” North Koreans have very limited access, perhaps just one to two hours daily.
Of course, there is brightly lit up Pyongyang. That’s where the minority of the population privileged by the despotic regime live. (And even they get inconsistent service.)
Socialism Is Nice (Sort of) When You’re More Equal Than Others
So, equality? “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs”? Well, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un does apparently have greater needs — he’s very fat.
All this, not to mention that communist governments murdered 60-100 million people during the 20th century.
For more on the countless communist evils, you can read my March New American essay on the “warmth of collectivism.” Suffice it to say, however, that there’s good reason the left-wing activists departed Cuba quickly for their market-economy nations. That is, playing socialist can be fun. Just be sure to run out before the espresso and power do.
