Ninety miles south of the United States, an uprising is happening in real-time, with thousands of Cubans marching the streets and fighting for their liberties. The public is rising after decades of socialist misery and communist oppression, serving as a reminder that “When government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.” Back home, millions of Americans have implored the government to terminate their rights for the sake of progressive ideology, political correctness, and the terror of hearing a different opinion. Is this the first generation in U.S. history to actively campaign against their rights, or has a considerable portion of the American public become too comfortable with the Netflix and Chill lifestyle and checks from Uncle Sam that they do not think they need liberty?
Is Cuba a Paradise to Emulate?
Contrary to leftist dogma, Cuba is not a free society. Speech is only allowed, according to the Cuban constitution, if it is "in keeping with the objectives of socialist society." Artistic expression is permitted as long as it does not oppose the Revolution. Censorship is prevalent throughout the country, with the government prohibiting access to websites and officials shutting off the internet whenever they please. Overall, Cuba ranks in the top ten of the most censored nations on the planet.
This restriction on a fundamental right is the tip of the Cuban cigar. Elementary economic principles are abandoned in favor of government decrees that only exist to mask the foul stench of other socialist endeavors. From price controls to hyperinflation, Havana is not the utopia that many on the left pontificate. But is this paradise for those American progressives who wish to curtail freedom?
In recent years, Americans have been rethinking their stances on free speech. For example, a November 2020 Gallup/Knight Foundation poll found that 56% of respondents believe in freedom of expression, down from 65% in 2019. An October 2019 survey discovered that 61% of Americans agree that free speech should be restricted, and 51% say the First Amendment should be rewritten to adapt to new cultural norms. A November 2015 Pew Research poll reported that 40% of millennials were fine with limiting speech if offensive to minorities.
Liberty Nation recently reported on an Axios and Momentive study that spotlighted a continuing and concerning trend: Many Millennials and Generation Zers are opposed to capitalism and favor socialism. Even young Republicans, the supposed youthful stalwarts of conservatism, have seen their support for a system responsible for an explosion in prosperity dwindle. For years, numerous reports have showcased comparable results of the 18-34 demographic infatuated with a philosophy responsible for lethal results in Russia, Cambodia, Venezuela, and, of course, Cuba.
It turns out that many generations in the nation’s history maintained a fierce appetite for government intrusion in every aspect of their lives, particularly when the Faustian bargain promised all the benefits without any of the consequences. The Progressive Era of the early 20th century, the New Deal amid the Great Depression, the Great Society of the 1960s, and the eternal expansion of the federal budget are all contributions to the degradation of the American fabric. Unfortunately, too many people were also willing to surrender their constitutional rights for security in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. This is what happens when individuals refuse to read the fine print.
When the American people possess an abundance of liberty and security, they might be content to donate a small portion at a time to the state, convincing themselves that they are sacrificing for the greater good during times of strife. Remember the “if it saves just one life” mantra throughout the coronavirus pandemic? This is crisis opportunism. Eventually, there is nothing left to give to the motherland, and that is when a democratic state metastasizes into an authoritarian socialist wasteland.
Perhaps instead of “Don’t California my Texas” or “Don’t Fauci my Florida,” the next catchphrase could be, “Don’t Cuba my America.”
The Vicious Cycle of Life?
Whether it is Cuba or North Korea, a panoply of reports spotlights citizens escaping these socialist dumps and absquatulating to freer nations. Despite hyperbolic balderdash about internal threats to U.S. democracy or public policymaking carrying out a white supremacy agenda, people from every corner of the globe migrate to the United States to attain a modicum of freedom and prosperity. But, as they flee from measures that impoverished and desecrated their land, how long until they or their kin start voting for those exact mechanisms? It is a vicious cycle that could be avoided if both citizens and immigrants learn from the past and realize that socialist orthodoxy is the chief cause of subjugating society. Liberty – and everything that is associated with it – is the effective antidote to repression.
The infrastructure of Western civilization and its pillars of reason, rationality, and logic are being dismantled. The debris is being tossed into the same ashtray as the remnants of Cuba’s fine cigars.
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Read more from Andrew Moran.
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