Díaz-Canel - Imaginary Dialogue and State Cynicism

Díaz-Canel: Imaginary Dialogue and State Cynicism / Miriam Celaya
Posted on November 14, 2013

HAVANA, Cuba, November 2013, www.cubanet.org – It is known that cynicism
is one of the handiest tools for dictatorial regimes, where democracy
and demagoguery become synonymous terms to legitimize the interests of
the authorities. It is a policy that could well be defined as "State
cynicism". While this aberration tends to increase towards the final
stages of the system in question, in truth it becomes progressively
ineffective when it appeals excessively to the feelings and emotions of
the masses, even when it is evident that that leaders have lost the
popular support.

The deep dichotomy between the official doctrine, the intentions of the
ruling class, the social environs, the lack of rights and the alienation
of ordinary people regarding politics emphasize the absurd, as evidenced
by the words of Miguel Díaz-Canel, First Vice President of the Councils
of State and Ministers, during his recent visit to the province of Las
Tunas on Friday November 1st, where he met with members of the
Associación Hermanos Saiz, university students and media workers.

An article published in the libel Granma ("Diaz-Canel Appeals for
Promoting Dialogue," Saturday November 2nd, 2013, front page), sketches
Castro's emissary in his visit to the province as something that led to
"deep reflection as to how much can and should be done even in the whole
country, in order to defend the true Cuban culture, confront social
indiscipline, alien to the values of the Revolution, and productively
address the best experiences…"

Diaz-Canel urged his audience to work together to "end the banality,
vulgarity and indecency present in certain items as the expression of
the pseudo-culture that the enemy is looking to impose through their
programs of political and ideological subversion against Cuba".

The government's favorite ventriloquist did not offer any examples in
this regard, but they can be inferred: There is concern and fear on the
part of the upper echelons of power about new cultural trends being
manifested in Cuba, especially in the capital, such as recent and
spontaneous Halloween celebrations with costumes and candy, and the
proliferation of 3-D movies and videogame screenings, which have spread
among private businesses, escaping government censorship controls. Up
until their recent direct ban and shutdowns, they were among the most
accepted recreational options by Cubans.

The government, creator of vulgar repudiation rallies and the most
indecent slogans, is repulsed by any influence of U.S. origin that
filters through to Cubans, including holiday celebrations, which are
difficult to avoid, given the steadily increasing number of Cubans
living in that country with family ties in Cuba, as well as the taste of
these peoples for that nation's cultural goods, such as music, TV shows,
movies, etc.

Since society's growing discontent is known, in the presence of the
permanent general crisis and the government's inability to deliver
solutions, Díaz-Canel seems to have been commissioned by the conclave of
olive-green caste of elders to provide an image of democracy, strength
and control. To that end, "he called on to generate an ongoing dialogue
that will generate proposals" (a redundancy of Granma's writer) and —
something worthy of occupying the place of honor among the phrases
generated by State cynicism — he urged to further tap "the broad
potential of social networks and new technology to bring the Cuban
reality to the world from all social and productive sectors". All this
was stated in one of the most backward provinces, and with the least
connectivity, in a country already sharply disconnected from the world.

On the other hand, in Cuba, where there are only two completely
unrelated parallel monologues – that of the elitist in power and the
other one of the millions of dispossessed Cubans — dialogue has always
been notably absent in the relations among both extremes, and recent
events around countermeasures applied to the emerging private sector
indicate that there is no real intention of dialogue by the authorities,
not even with those sectors making financial contributions to the State.

In the midst of the transition to state capitalism XXI century style – a
true sign of Raulism — official discourse distorts the image of the real
Cuba. The un-government and the un-governed continue marching in
opposite directions: the one, to the absolute monopoly of all the wealth
and power; the other, to the greatest poverty and hopelessness with
fewer rights. What about the "dialogue"? Just another euphemism in a
channel of control that only works in one direction… forever downward.

Translated by Norma Whiting

Cubanet, 12 November 2013

Source: "Díaz-Canel: Imaginary Dialogue and State Cynicism / Miriam
Celaya | Translating Cuba" -
http://translatingcuba.com/diaz-canel-imaginary-dialogue-and-state-cynicism-miriam-celaya/