i want to start learning about cuba

[u/nipsych]

hello, i am from the united states. my biological father was cuban but dipped so i have only been raised with my white family. but now i really want to learn as much as i can about cuba!

im trying to learn spanish (need to get onto that again ive been slipping) and i have no clue where to start on learning about a whole country. should i start with the specific people that are important to cuba? do i start with the beginning of the timeline and work my way up? are there any sources or media i can read or watch that may help me understand the culture more?

unfortunately all i know is a little about che guvera, cigars, and communism 🫩 other than that i dont have much to work with. my mother doesnt want to help understand it either so im just on my own for this one lol.

id love to hear anything about cuba, and thank you for your time! ❤️

[u/OpeningPotential2424]

I went to college at the University of Miami majoring in Spanish because I wanted to learn about my heritage as well, and Miami just made sense. I’d recommend starting with general history for context and making friends with Cubans to get as close to them as possible. I’ve visited Cuba a couple of times, specifically to be with and around the people, and it has been one of my favorite experiences abroad. The government is evil, but the people are some of the most beautiful souls I’ve encountered. Much different from the ones you’ll meet here in the U.S., I don’t have anything nice to say about those ones 🤷🏾‍♂️

[u/OpeningPotential2424 → u/[deleted]]

I’ve also grown up around Cubans in South Florida, and I’ve lived for years in Miami/South Florida as that’s where I’m from, and I’ve only had the pleasure of being around the ones in Cuba for a short time, but enough to get a sense for them. I can confidently say that they are not the same. Of course, not all Miami Cubans are the same, but generally speaking, they are not welcoming, they are very judgmental, and they are overwhelmingly white or white adjacent, and they’ve assimilated into a very toxic American environment, and they vote like it too. Against their own best interests. There’s a reason why there’s a belief here in the U.S. among other Latinos, and Floridians in general, that the Miami Cubans are a problem for the community. It’s not romanticization in this regard, it’s simple awareness. Your experience is yours, that’s all I can say about that.

[u/OpeningPotential2424 → u/[deleted]]

I don’t think I have to always start by saying “not all Cubans” or “not all Miami Cubans,” because that is something that should be understood, there are beautiful and horrible people in every group and in every country. That being said, I spent most of my time with black Cubans on the island. The truth is, they hardly get the opportunities to leave the island to move here or elsewhere for very obvious reasons, hence why they’re not common to come by is the U.S. I see them mostly in places like NYC and D.C.

And no, they don’t have to assimilate here to support MAGA, I never made that claim, so I’m not sure where you’re getting that from. I did say, however; that the ones here in South Florida behave a certain way politically and culturally, and it’s very well documented and discussed. It’s no secret that they are a problem. It seems to me that you’re here simply to argue, which I understand since I said something quite inflammatory, but it won’t change my opinions.

[u/WildeDad → u/OpeningPotential2424]

I've read your comments and I think they are some of the most ignorant ones i've ever heard.

[u/OpeningPotential2424 → u/WildeDad]

You are allowed your opinions. Doesn’t mean that they’re true, relevant, or that I have to acknowledge them. Hope this helps!

[u/WildeDad → u/OpeningPotential2424]

Do you know that only nine percent of cubans are black? Making this into some kind of a racial thing is just beyond ignorance!

[u/OpeningPotential2424 → u/WildeDad]

About 1/3 of Cuba’s population is African descended. Many will claim white simply because of the status it carries. The Cuban population has a huge Afro population, but they only make up a tiny fraction of the diaspora. Perhaps you know why?

[u/WildeDad → u/OpeningPotential2424]

Well, that shows you really don't understand the situation there. You can't claim you're white or not. They do it by the race of the mother. If the mother is black, the child is labeled as black. If that mother is white, the child is labeled as such. I've beento cuba many times all over the country. And the black population is not that great. They have what's called mulatto, which is a mixture of either Spanish and black or white and black or other races and black. But it's been diminished over time.  But even to make it a racial thing is ridiculous.

[u/OpeningPotential2424 → u/[deleted]]

And yet you sat here to refute what I’ve been saying in this thread. That is, by definition, arguing. The passive aggressivism is unnecessary, say what you mean and mean what you say, you won’t hurt my feelings.