One of the accusations most used by the authorities to disqualify and discredit their political opponents, or simply citizens who think differently, is to label them “employees of the empire.” The accusation has its media effect and many honest people accept it as the absolute truth and even repeat it against some of their neighbors, acquaintances and even family members, without questioning its supposed veracity. From so much repetition over so many years, it has become obvious: Those who do not think like the establishment must be paid by someone for it.
I am not going to sanctify a priori all the disaffected, nor put their hands to the fire, defending their moral and civic purity, but as in every social or political group, in the vineyard of the Lord there is everything (even infiltrated agents). Life has shown it every day, and every day proved it. There must be, above all, realists!
Let’s get to the heart of the matter: those who serve the regime in various jobs. In this country, like everything else, all the communication media belong to the State and, therefore, those who work in them are, whether they accept it or not, employees of the regime. In this category are the journalists, broadcasters, program hosts, commentators, director, producers, technicians, consultants, etc., both in radio and in television, as well as in the so-called flat press. This means that, if they don’t follow the orders of their boss, they can run into problems and even become “available” (a synonym for “unemployed”) and lose, in addition to their salaries, some of the incentives provided for good behavior (hard currency, vacations at the beach, gas for their cars, foreign travel, etc.). This is well-known fact. Something similar happens in the privileged study centers (for example at the University of Computer Sciences), where if the professors and students don’t carry out the assigned computer tasks, they risk being thrown out.
A few wise words: Who, then, are the real employees? It is a shame to listen to the employees of the regime repeat insults and diatribes against other Cubans who, unlike them, are, in fact, employed by no one, as if they weren’t following their own conscience.
A lie has such short legs that the truth always catches up. At some point, sooner rather than later, our deluded people will discover for themselves the manipulation they’ve been the subjected to over many years, and demand an accounting from those responsible. They should think about it!
March 27 2011
