For those of you that think...
that our BUCL campaign is wrong-headed, take a look at how Iberia Airlines, a major Spanish company, characterizes Cuba and Cubans in it's promotions:
For those Spaniards that are sympathetic to our cause, this is how we see your country: exploitative and disrespectful. If you don't like that characterization please do something to merit a change in our attitude.
6 comments:
Buenos días:
Una federación de consumidores españoles ya ha solicitado la retirada de la campaña publicitaria:
http://www.20minutos.es/noticia/234419/0/retirada/video/iberia/
Espero que pronto podamos celebrar la eliminación del anuncio.
Saludos desde España,
Javier
I wonder why you insist on lumping together an entire nation of people with a handful of corporate executives that placed a distasteful ad. You are doing to others exactly what you are accusing others of doing to you. It could easily be argued, based on your campaign that all Cubans see all of the Spanish as racist, uncultured, arrogant, and rude - simply because you ascribe one ad, or the management of one hotel chain, or a host of businesses to an entire nation of people that may or may not support or agree with the views of such companies.
The fact is that, even here in Miami within the Cuban Exile community, there is plenty of "apartheid," and in the case of the Miami Cuban Exile community, that includes self-segregation from the rest of the local Hispanic, Anglo, Asian, Middle Eastern, and African American communities. I am a part of the Cuban Exile community; fortunately, I am NOT a part of the community insistent on self-segregation, rather, I extend myself into every aspect of the local community and am enriched by that extension.
I find your campaign slanderous and unjust. You might consider campaigning against the specific companies doing business in Cuba instead of alienating an entire nation of people who are not only ancestors and distant family, but who have taken us in gladly since the fall of Democracy in Cuba.
Liz,
Puulleze. i too am a member of this exile community and I too involve and extend myslef to the remainder of of this community that is not of Cuban descent.
And while we have made it clear that we are not accusing the entire population of Spain as culprits to the exploitation of the Cuban people, it is that same population that elected the officials and govervenment now in place in Spain. The very same government that colludes with the castro dictatorship and works openly and brazenly and without any qualm or compunction to derail any efforst by the European Union to castigate or sanction the cuban government for its apartheid and human rights abuses.
That is the reality. And if some of our Spanish comrades take issue with our stance and our criticism, then perhaps they should keep it in mind come next election time in their country.
Liz:
The point of our campaign is not to slander an entire nation and its people. If you were to take the time to carefully read our press release and all the things that have been said and written regarding this campaign by its sponsors and supporters, perhaps you would not feel as upset as you do right now. The point was to bring attention to the fact that the Spanish government, Spanish businesses, and by their silence, the Spanish people, have been exploiting Cuba and its citizens for 500-years. Is every Spanish citizen equally guilty of this exploitation? Of course not. But as a whole, the nation of Spain has done little, if anything to help the Cuban people regain their liberty.
It is a shame that a sincere campaign to publicize the injustices that are occurring on a daily basis to the Cuban people--your community by your own admission--has caused you to find and name nearly every fault you can think of regarding your own. While accusing the campaign of generalizing an entire nation, you in turn generalized the entire Cuban exile community. Naturally, you excluded yourself.
Perhaps the problem here is not so much the message as it is the messenger.
Liz,
Sorry you have such a narrow view of your own community. If you even had an idea of the people involved not only in BUCL but in other Cuban-American blogs, you would think twice before labeling your own community as self-segregators.
About the campaign, yes we're pointing a finger at Spain. So? They're big boys and girls over there and I think they can take the criticism. We know that many Spaniards are against their countries' exploitation of Cuba.
But if it really bothers them, then they can do something about it, right?
We Americans always have to do the Texas two-step every time some Euro or Latin American nut out there criticizes Americans and America.
But as Henry has noted, better Spain deal with castro than the USA.
The fact that most Cubans can trace their ancestry and culture back to Spain makes it even more ironic, and ultimately painful. We could have picked on any other country. But Spain, of all the countries in Europe and in the free world, should know best. Too bad they don't.
Buenos días:
Afortunadamente, la campaña ya ha sido retirada.
http://www.cnnexpansion.com/actualidad/2007/5/21/iberia-retira-publicidad-contra-cuba/view
Para mí es una gran alegría.
Saludos desde España,
Javier
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