Continuity guaranteed

Continuity guaranteed
VERÓNICA VEGA | La Habana | 6 de Febrero de 2017 - 11:19 CET.

Last Sunday during the plenary session of the National Council of the
University Students Federation (FEU), Vice-President Miguel Díaz-Canel
stated that "Cuban youth is responsible for the historical continuity of
the Island's social project."

Since we are immersed in a controversial rapprochement with the US,
and amidst a no less controversial process for the implementation of the
country's economic and social policy, the official warned of "the
aspirations of the adversary to impose upon our people values opposed to
ours, and the ideology of neoliberalism, to destroy from its foundations
the identity, culture and memory of the Revolution, and restore
capitalism in Cuba."

Young Cubans, who throughout their history as students have not carried
out a single political act that reflects their own interests, and are
well aware of the cost of non-conformity, reaffirmed their commitment to
the system. As is known, at official events there are no surprises (that
improvisation by Robertico Carcassés was an anomaly that will not be
repeated).

Conditioned to accept contradictions, young Cubans observe the
establishment of lavish businesses, hotels, boutiques, luxurious cruise
ships, and the influx of foreign visitors as something normal. It is
true that the scenarios increasingly resembles that of a capitalist
country, but who cares? What everyone would like is to be able to start
a business, rent a house to tourists, and be prosperous, just like in
American movies.

Habituated to lies from early childhood, young people try to dress
fashionably, and display smartphones that the vast majority of their
parents cannot pay for with their state wages. Some teachers use the
Zapya application in their classes, such that students are required to
have a cell phone equipped with the Android system, regardless of
whether that requires remittances, illegal business dealings, diverted
resources, or sexual favors.

Having learned the rules of the game, young people know that the
Internet access given them by the university is certainly not to allow
them to access a broad range of information, and far less to search for
that abstract entity known as "truth." So, they create a Facebook
profile, share photos, and banal messages, and use social networks for
entertainment or dating; even better if they can meet a foreigner, from
a capitalist country, of course.

They have thoroughly assimilated the fact that political reliability
determines job placements for years of social service and ascent on the
officially established scale: a position in a profitable company, a
corporation, the ability to travel and, if possible, stay in a
(capitalist) country.

Outside official events, young people ignore politics, official or
alternative. The most sophisticated enumerate the many failures of
projects demanding rights for Cubans. They know all too well the price
of being a dissident, and are convinced that it is not worth taking any
side but that of apathy.

Despite the repeal of the "dry foot, wet foot" law, most see the
solution as remaining on the other side of the sea. If among the crowd
that applauds and cheers someone dares manifest a divergent thought,
however justified, young people know how to boo and reject it.

If the continuity of the revolution involves survival based on the
biting of tongues, incessantly parroting words that have lost their
meaning, denying what one sees, and even calling the deployment of state
capitalism socialism, there is no doubt that it is fully guaranteed.

Source: Continuity guaranteed | Diario de Cuba -
http://www.diariodecuba.com/cuba/1486376354_28703.html