I don't write in this blog nearly as much as I'd like to, but I got out of class early so I have some time to think.
I'm taking a class on United States and Cuba relations, and I can safely say I'm more than fascinated at the way our country has treated Cuba in the past, and even now. There's been this demonization of Fidel Castro, and I fear that American history textbooks in high schools only vaguely and briefly touch on the subject of our relationship with our little neighbor just ninety miles away. Anyway, I barely talk in the class, because I'm intimidated of this professor- he might be the smartest guy I've ever encountered, and I have this fear of appearing stupid in public. He probably thinks I'm some ditzy teenager, but in reality I can't keep my mind off this stuff. We've read a ton of books so far, the most recent being The Politics of Illusion, which deals with the Bay of Pigs and operation Mongoose. I'll get back to that book in a second.
To say the least, we royally screwed up. But it wouldn't be the first time our country has taken on this "We're big, we're mean, we can do anything we want in the sake of our own national interests!" attitude. We get this notion, particularly recently, in the Bay of Pigs, that we can just go into whatever country we please and do whatever we want- in this case, overthrow Fidel and establish a government more in the 'interests of the cuban people'.(Even if we weren't using American soldiers but instead Cuban exiles-yeah, that worked out swell.) What the hell did we know about the Cuban people's interests? Zero, we had been squashing their hopes of domestic economic development ever since the Platt Amendment. Then in Vietnam, later in Afghanistan and today in Iraq, for example. But the reason why our country has this complex, the reason why Americans in the past few years can travel anywhere and be judged around the globe, is because the American people will support almost any military expenditure we go on. Because we can do it. We're America! Guns blazing, horse riding off into the sunset, with that romantically rugged cowboy drawl. Those big foam hands at football games. Yeah, we're number one. Although there will always be liberals opposing military involvement, the American public virtually always initially supports the government when it sets out to do anything. Because WE CAN DO IT.
To say the least, we royally screwed up. But it wouldn't be the first time our country has taken on this "We're big, we're mean, we can do anything we want in the sake of our own national interests!" attitude. We get this notion, particularly recently, in the Bay of Pigs, that we can just go into whatever country we please and do whatever we want- in this case, overthrow Fidel and establish a government more in the 'interests of the cuban people'.(Even if we weren't using American soldiers but instead Cuban exiles-yeah, that worked out swell.) What the hell did we know about the Cuban people's interests? Zero, we had been squashing their hopes of domestic economic development ever since the Platt Amendment. Then in Vietnam, later in Afghanistan and today in Iraq, for example. But the reason why our country has this complex, the reason why Americans in the past few years can travel anywhere and be judged around the globe, is because the American people will support almost any military expenditure we go on. Because we can do it. We're America! Guns blazing, horse riding off into the sunset, with that romantically rugged cowboy drawl. Those big foam hands at football games. Yeah, we're number one. Although there will always be liberals opposing military involvement, the American public virtually always initially supports the government when it sets out to do anything. Because WE CAN DO IT.
There was an interesting passage which addresses the 'John Wayne' complex that America has had for too long now in Politics of Illusion:
"The film critic Eric Bentley claimed in 1971 that John Wayne was the most dangerous man in America because without him, and the mythology of his movies, America's tragic involvement in Vietnam was unthinkable. We are not prepared to claim quite this much for "John Wayne" and the Bay of Pigs ((Although I, myself am.)) It is worth noting, however, that there are far closer historical connections between the themes of Wayne's most successful films of the 1940's and 1950's and issues related to Cuba, rather than to Vietnam. According to popular North American myth, the United Sates had liberated Cuba in the Spanish-American War, and had taken care of it ever since. It is also worth meditating on the finding that polls then, and now, indicate that Wayne is-not was but is- America's most popular actor. The analysis of precise connections between Wayne's films and U.S Cuban relations in the Kennedy years would seem to be fertile ground awaiting a cultural critic with knowledge of both western movies and Cuba. For us, for now, we are satisfied if "John Wayne" serves as a useful shorthand for a particular set of Cold War illusions that, due to elapsed time, availability of documents, and the courage of the Musgrove participants, can just now be seen for what they were."
After reading texts from this class I feel a bit cheated - and I wish that kids learning about U.S history could know the real history behind U.S / Cuba relations. Why is Fidel seen as a 'bad guy?' He gave Cuba, his country, back to Cubans. It might be near impossible to get a can of cola for a decent price on that island, but you can bet that you'll never see anyone go hungry or be deprived of medical treatment. Unlike New York City, the economic and social powerhouse of our country and most of the world, you won't see people sleeping on the streets in Cuba. I'm not advocating socialism here, but I'm just wondering why the United States finds this way of life so offensive. Are we, as people, or our government, as our elected officials, jealous that schooling is completely free there? Of course, free speech is severely limited - people are still allowed to speak their minds in the street and their homes- but a common Cuban defensive argument when Castro declared communism was something along the lines of, 'when it comes down to it, we'd prefer a roof over our heads, food, and medical care over free speech.'
I'm kind of straying from my original point here, but I still can't wrap my head around us not learning from our own history. The CIA was severely, disgustingly misinformed during the Bay of Pigs invasion. They had barely any intelligence at all, and that can now be said about the Iraq invasion, but only years after- it's all dandy invading and getting ourselves in, but what do you do when you get there? How do you get out? The failed invasion made a mockery of one of our own institutions that we were supposed to be able to rely on. And of course, Kennedy was still beloved by the public, because it was the 'big bad CIA's fault, and of course Kennedy knew nothing about it..' although he did, it wasn't his favorite idea on the drawing board or anything. Regardless, we seem to disregard previous failures when it comes to military invasions, or nation building, or whatever is we're trying to do across the world.
We might have used to think we were the best. Maybe we used to be imperialists. John Wayne might have been the most popular actor in the country. Unfortunately, if you ask anyone younger than I am, I'm afraid a good amount of kids wouldn't know too much about him or his movies. So, as a country, we're moving on. Can we shed this tanned, leathery, tobacco stained skin?
