Cuba: Ending the "Obama Fallacy"
Dispelling misconceptions around the blockade's mere existence is critical and easy
In October, I traveled to Havana as part of a 44-person delegation from the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), and when I returned, I wrote a blog series on my experience. I plan to continue writing about Cuba as I learn more in hopes to sustain your interest and, ultimately, mobilize you to action against the blockade.
“Not back on it, Joe—still on it.”
In the days since my final entry in my series on my recent trip to Cuba, Belly of the Beast’s has delivered two devastating reports on their Instagram that have stuck with me:
While not surprising given all that I experienced during my trip, the post on the left got my blood simmering (can you imagine what it would be like for the U.S. to lose HALF of its food production and medical supplies in just 5 years??), and the one on the right, alongside everything that I’ve been consuming around Israel’s ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people, caused me to boil over.
So, I decided, once again, to take to the pen about Cuba [not even a week after that last post, even if you’re getting this a little later].
Fog of War
One thing that I tried to make clear in my posts that I think needs to be reiterated is that not knowing much about Cuba or having a misunderstanding of Cuba is not a fault of ours as individuals; rather, it’s an intentional effect of the blockade.
Hands down the most common point of conversation that I’ve had with folks since my return to the States has been around the misconception that Obama ended the blockade during his term. The vibe I’ve been getting is that Cuba, as if it weren’t enough already, became even more out-of-sight-out-of-mind when people got it in their heads that “Obama ended the embargo.” The feeling is that we did the thing, Cuba was granted the ability to do theirs, the blockade is still over, and Cuba is just doing its thing.
Remember, Obama and Raul Castro’s negotiations eased some sanctions and Obama removed Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism (SSOT) list. So while even that was huge for Cuba, the bedrock of the blockade still existed under the Obama administration. It was a move towards normalization, not a dismantling of 60 years of imperial colonialist policy. And of course, Trump re-added Cuba to the SSOT and applied 243 more sanctions, and Biden continues Trump's policies.
The blockade has been super effective in creating a type of fog of war. No matter how unwillingly, we are taxpayers to the United States war machine and bystanders in the long-game economic war against Cuba. And the blockade obscures, or even blinds, us to the increasingly brutal realities that the Cuban people face daily.
Once we are educated and thus made to see through the fog, there is no room for complacency. We must act. And the first action is so simple that everyone can do it.
Phone a friend
Based on my experience, one of the first key acts to ending the blockade is ending what I’m terming the “Obama Fallacy” among the masses. We must make it crystal clear that the blockade never ended, that it’s worse than ever, and that the entire world outside of the governments of United States and Israel recognizes that the blockade is a moral obscenity. It has recognized that overwhelmingly since 1992—31 years straight.
How does one do that? A sample conversation at the water cooler:
Friend: “Hey Greg, how has your week been?”
You: ”Pretty good. I’ve been learning a lot about Cuba, actually. My friend got back from visiting there and has been writing about it.”
Friend: ”Oh, really?”
You: ”Yeah, like, I thought Obama ended the blockade on Cuba but actually that was a total misconception that most people seem to have. Did you think that, too?”
Friend: ”Yeah, didn’t he?"
You: ”No, actually, his negotiations with Raul Castro only eased some restrictions, but everything was put back into place under Trump and then some. The policies are literally starving people. Cuba’s lost 50% of its food production in just the last 5 years because of it. And Biden doesn’t care—he’s just continuing Trump’s policies.”
Friend: ”Wow. But they're communist and that's not good, right?”
You: ”Well, regardless of what you think about communism, that's not even the issue. The craziest part is that every year since 1992, the whole world has voted to end the blockade outside of the U.S. and one or two other countries. The U.S. just vetoes the vote every time. But no one knows! There's so much I didn't realize that I didn't know about Cuba.”
Friend: ”Uh, okay, man, I’ve got to get back to capitalism now......”
You: ”Cool, me, too, I love capitalism, yessiree.”Of course, you can then offer to send them more info another day.
By the way, I’m not saying send them to my blog, per se… You can if you think they love reading or want a deep dive from a personal point of view, but remember at the end of my last post I included a bunch of resources for further learning and social accounts to follow. In particular, if they like 10-minute video shorts, Belly of the Beast’s The War on Cuba is an engaging, well-produced series that hits the major points rather succinctly.
And if you’re asked about something you can’t answer or someone retorts with a wild right-wing conspiracy or accusation against Cuba, you can say, “I don’t know about that!” As long as you remain steadfast to the notion that the blockade is clearly evil and we must end it, it’s all good.
It’s important to keep in mind that education ≠ action, but the bar is so low that even just planting the seed is critical at this juncture. When the time comes to take action, the power of being able to cut to the chase and say, “Hey, remember when we talked about the horrors of the blockade on Cuba? You want to go protest it this weekend?” is huge.
ICYMI
I don’t claim to be an expert on Cuba or an authority on how to end the blockade. I just know that it is evil and together we must take mass action to end it. The Cuban people must be allowed to live.
If you have questions, I’m happy to answer them as well as I can. Please don’t hesitate to ask.
Peace,
Greg
PS: A better world is possible—join DSA today and let’s fight for it together 🌹