en-us Copyright 2008 - All Rights Reserved. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:20:07 GMT 15 By Samuel Angarita

Thinking about the stagnant controversy of Castro’s death, I broke off from the question of whether or not he is alive, and moved on to a less explored one: why would it matter? Situations in Cuba haven’t changed much since the ‘ceding’ of power to Raul Castro, and even if they have, I doubt that the dogs in power fi nally decided to make communism work. I decided to talk about this with someone who will obviously have an opinion on the matter, I asked my teacher,‘So why would it matter if he does die?’ She explained the quixotic, but common belief in the Cuban exile community, that if Castro dies, Cuba’s scars will heal and history will rewind to the times when leaving the country in search of a better life wasn’t as popular or necessary. A melancholic rancor that so many people hold on to. I tried sympathizing as much as possible. I understood the ardent hope of wanting to hear that your native country is well off and strong again. Perhaps it is out of concern for family and friends, patriotism, or perhaps it is pride. It is -- apparently -- a relief nevertheless. Thinking about the stagnant controversy of Castro’s death, I broke off from the question of whether or not he is alive, and moved on to a less explored one: why would it matter? Situations in Cuba haven’t changed much since the ‘ceding’ of power to Raul Castro, and even if they have, I doubt that the dogs in power fi nally decided to make communism work. I decided to talk about this with someone who will obviously have an opinion on the matter, I asked my teacher,‘So why would it matter if he does die?’ She explained the quixotic, but common belief in the Cuban exile community, that if Castro dies, Cuba’s scars will heal and history will rewind to the times when leaving the country in search of a better life wasn’t as popular or necessary. A melancholic rancor that so many people hold on to. I tried sympathizing as much as possible. I understood the ardent hope of wanting to hear that your native country is well off and strong again. Perhaps it is out of concern for family and friends, patriotism, or perhaps it is pride. It is -- apparently -- a relief nevertheless. ]]> Fri, 09 Nov 2007 17:53:00 GMT