New York Times: Average Cubans Fearful Of “Savage Capitalism” Taking Over After Castro
In an article filled with testimony from Cubans who are “fearful” for what comes after Castro (fearful, at least, per their testimony given to be published in a public newspaper which may or may not be how they actually feel), one Cuban named Miguel is scared of what the Times reporter characterizes as “savage capitalism.”
Still, many people we met shared a fear expressed by Miguel, a 62-year-old retired army lieutenant colonel who lives in Altamar, just outside Havana. He drives a 1958 Dodge with bad brakes and a top speed of about 37, which is the number of years he has owned it. He said he worried about only one thing after Mr. Castro: what he called the Americanization of Cuba.
By that he meant a savage capitalism that might take away from Cubans the best houses, the best land, the best factories. In short, if a transition means that the little they have managed to acquire might be taken away, he’d rather not change.
Oh those icky capitalists who might come into Cuba with investment capital and start a business to give Miguel a better job. Or they might try to sell him a car that was made in this century.
How absolutely savage of them.
What amazes me is how people vilify capitalism, yet most of the world’s major technological advances weren’t done for the “common good” but rather by a capitalist looking for a way to turn a profit. The car? Capitalist. The telephone system? Capitalists. The computer? Capitalists again. Free people operating in free markets are responsible for nearly all the technology and conveniences we love and depend on today, while Marxists and state-owned industry has been responsible for nothing in terms of technological advancement.
They have been responsible for lots and lots of death and misery, though, so there’s that.
ellinas
Ken
robert108
Neiman
The Whistler
Good Ol Boy
