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Fidel absolutely was a dictator who sent gay men to labour camps.
But its also a fact that he was much better than Batista, the dictator he overthrew, and made lives better for ordinary Cubans with land reform and universal healthcare and education programs. https://twitter.com/jaketapper/status/1328353870934913027
But its also a fact that he was much better than Batista, the dictator he overthrew, and made lives better for ordinary Cubans with land reform and universal healthcare and education programs. https://twitter.com/jaketapper/status/1328353870934913027
There's also the fact that once he found out the appalling conditions that gay men were suffering in the labour camps, he abolished those camps and later publicly apologized for his policy.
Does that erase what he did? No. But definitely makes him better than the likes of Reagan.
Does that erase what he did? No. But definitely makes him better than the likes of Reagan.
One of Castro's most prominent positives is his support for anti-colonial and anti-imperialist movements in the Third World. He wasn't just another Kremlin shill. He was one of the leaders of the Non-Aligned Movement and genuinely cared for the Third World.
If we're gonna go by vulgar death count, than Castro's count is lower than American Presidents like Bush. If we're gonna go by oppressive policies, he was less bad than dictators like Batista and Pinochet which USA supported.
So while we shouldn't forget Castro's actions, casting him as some uniquely terrible ruler while whitewashing the actions of American Presidents like Bush as well as US-backed dictators is completely hypocritical.
