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http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/10/22/1350892681793/Cuban-leader-Fidel-Castro-008.jpg

Fidel Castro lived like a king in Cuba, book claims

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/21/fidel-castro-lived-like-king-cuba (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/21/fidel-castro-lived-like-king-cuba)

<< Former bodyguard Juan Reinaldo Sánchez writes that leader ran country like a cross between medieval overlord and Louis XV. >>

I have come across multiple stories about castro from western media. But it is difficult to know the reality unless someone from Cuba actually speaks up in the forum.

That is the whole point of socialism...bringing back the days of kings.

Not just socialism.

Capitalism or society run by religious madman are no difference.

I doubt that you can know something about life of Fidel even if you live on Cuba. You see, normal people does not know much about their leaders life. As you may have know former president of Ukraine lived king's life and everyone knew about it. Yet, it was shocking where pictures of his mansions, cars, arts and overall huge wealth were published. Life of Fidel is no different I think. No surprise there.

Yes it happens here too.  Information about the rich's lifestyle is published but not necessarily publicized knowledge.  

I was watching a documentary about the mega rich and one (billionaire?) guy was bragging about how he bought six mansions on his street - because he "didn't want any neighbours".     Mind you, this opulence of wealth is in the Great Recession America where many people have lost their jobs and modest homes and some reduced to living on the streets.

The living arrangements of the rich are something most people in this society can't imagine and they don't want to know, because they would be envious.

Myself I was watching the television the "Housewives of (insert city)", and the television show caused huge backlash in my city that it didn't make it to season 3.

 I live in a very high cost of living metropolitan and many people were outraged when a show about train wreck disgusting divorcee middle aged women were living it up in Condo Penthouses. . when hard working office professionals with six years plus of education can barely afford the half million one bedroom condos. .  it got us peasants angry. .   :P

What a surprise...
Even in Republics, absolute power tends to create a life of a King and, in certain cases, real kingdoms, with power going to the closest family member: North Korea, Syria and, of course, Cuba, from Fidel to Raul Castro.

An autocratic leader in a third-world country that came to power through a military coup ruled like a king? You wouldn't say! I hope that guy's book has more interesting revelations, because everyone already knows that...

exactly, the ancaps here are anti socialism and all, but i think capitalism leads to the same shit.

but it's not just religion.. it's a system of government that rewards the sycophantic power hungry people.

Give absolute power to someone and it isn't important if it's secular or religions rule, capitalist or socialist. He will abuse his power, if not for him (that would be very rare, but there are serious people everywhere) at least for his family and friends (and, probably, also for his enemies).

no one institution or group of people have complete ownership on corruption and greed... except for the human race. ancaps seem to think that "government" is the lowest common denominator, but it's actually just human nature.

+1

socialism is the best way for normal living

To told the truth. Socialism, capitalism or communism even all are good political systems. The only problem it is just theory. People will make any system flawed and corrupt, because they are flawed themselves. That is just state of things here on earth. Nothing is perfect.

Yes agreed. It's ideally good but practically not so good.

I respect Fidel Castro and I think he is a great politician.

You know, this doesn't surprise me. What's the use of being a supreme dictator if you can't live like a king.

On the case of Cuba, tell me about a country where political leaders stay in power until their death, or quasi-death, and I won't have much doubts about their nature as a dictatorship.
China, under this perspective, is remarkable, because even if their elections don't have real choices, at least there is rotation in power. That avoids the worst cases of abuse.

Human nature is malleable.

yeah but so what? so he the role of government. either way, government and human nature are collectively fucked up.

What do you mean, "so what"?  Are you okay with the world is today?  Because obviously you think it's fucked up, and so do I.  So how do you fix it?  As I said, human nature is malleable, so if you seek a better world, you have to raise better humans.  Where does this primarily occur?  In parenting.  When parents raise their children peacefully and rationally, you get a generation of peaceful, rational children.  What do peaceful, rational children do?  They play nicely: they share, they don't hit, they don't lie, they respect each other's things.  Which system is a mirror of these values?  Anarchism and capitalism: statism necessitates a violation of property rights, and socialism (the "property is theft" sort) necessitates a violation of property rights, and people who will not put up with this support neither; because people today are raised constantly having their property violated, e.g. spanking, time-out, having things taken from them, on and on, these values are mirrored in the state: you have an entity which can punish, put in prison, and take things away such as taxes, and you have individuals who have to put up with it for the good of society.  It's a mirror; modern government is an extension of "human nature", as are all forms of social organization, including Anarcho-Capitalism.  So: who adheres to AnCap beliefs?  People who are going to raise their children peacefully and rationally, who will fix this world and shape a culture which doesn't accept where the world is going now.

I'm pointing out that your observations are shallow and your intentions are worthless, if you've yet to catch on.

well i didn't quite get the context, i thought you were making a point against what i originally said. i support better parenting and all that, but it's not really in my power to affect how people and parents teach their kids, especially if they are part of the group of people who are fucked up.

"Fidel lived like a King" etc etc - Fidel Castro is a king.

Did he siphon money from the people of Cuba that he might live off the fat of the land ?   No he didn't - and if you are trying to suggest that he might have then you are a gullible stooge willingly swallowing the US imperialist bilge that is routinely fed to you.

What to expect, he conquer Cuba.

Just some western propaganda probably from Florida where all the runaways went after their gambling casinos were expropriated and the Mafia got screwed over in Havana.
I agree Castro did a good job considering how many times the CIA wanted to assassinate him its a damn good run
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_attempts_on_Fidel_Castro
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/638_Ways_to_Kill_Castro
OH and he had ICBM's in Cuba during the Cuban missile crisis just as an aside

Wow...a lot of pro-socialists lately.

Doesn't Dogecoin have its own forum?

The leaders of any country get into top by fooling the population.

I don't like the cuban regime, but doesn't mean it hasn't do some good things, even if it is a poor country under brutal american sanctions.
Check cuban education levels, health system, kids mortality, etc, and compare them with Latin-American states in the seventies, eighties and nineties. Or even today.

you sir, sound like an ancap extremist. not everyone has to say things that you agree with.. it doesn't make you a bad guy to concede that castro did some good things. i don't know if anyone here is calling him a saint, they are just saying he has done some good.

while i'm not a big supporter of socialism, i don't think anarcho-capitalism is any better.

Same position, considering his circumstances he did the best he could, not always the ideal but he adapted to circumstances.
The whole period after the end of Russian support at the end of the cold war destroyed the economy.

But Castro did try to fix it with increasing tourism and making new alliances with Latin American countries
All while facing that US boycott of Cuba that every other country abandoned years ago and said interference that comes with that.
Even the UN has been condemning them the USA for its boycott since 1992 end of Cold War.

That said I do credit Cuba with some creative ideas to address food problems like Organopónicos and making do even with the economic problems they face. The tourist money and differences in wealth is a problem in that country but the resolution requires time, and economic development.
We can compare it to China in that sense.

At the least they provide free high quality education, Cuban doctors are in high demand and trusted for a reason, and they do practice preventive healthcare not just the standard type, like in the Western countries.
Only humans they can't be perfect or a super robot (Except in Robot Chicken XD)
http://video.adultswim.com/robot-chicken/dance-dance-revolucion.html
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AMR25/007/2009/en/51469f8b-73f8-47a2-a5bd-f839adf50488/amr250072009eng.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2315760

So there is an extreme and then a step in the right direction to seeing the whole issue.

Anarchism is that lovely political system no one knows what it means, but some of its defenders (specially, on the beginning of the XX century) did knew how to get it, bombing their way on.