Selling Violence vs. Selling Its Absence

Osmel Almaguer

HAVANA TIMES, April 1 — On the news, here in Cuba, it was reported that an American student used a machine gun to shoot five of his classmates – two of whom later died. Though the incident was unfortunate, so too is what lies behind the apparent “humanity” of its reporting.

Using tragedies for political ends is disgusting. Overall, violence is not something endemic in the United States, though it is a highly marketable product featured in documentaries, films and cartoons there.

However I’m Cuban, so I’m more interested in what’s happening here. Yet never, or almost never, do we see or hear about any violent events that take place here in Cuba.

I can talk about this from direct experience, since a few weeks ago a student at my school was stabbed in the head, though fortunately his injuries weren’t life threatening.

The student was trying to defend an underclassman from badgering and harassment by a bunch of bullies. The knife penetrated his skull half an inch, but miraculously it didn’t reach his brain.

The assailant was expelled from school, but only because this was his third felony assault against another pupil. The two previous incidents consisted of hitting one student in the head with a rock and stabbing another one in the stomach.

Despite all this, no one reported him either of those times. I don’t know if this was out of fear of possible retaliation or simply to avoid attracting the authorities and thereby affecting “business” (by this I’m referring to acts of corruption that I’ve referred to in other diary entries).

And this isn’t an isolated event. Near my house, one or two people die from stabbing every year. That’s still a fairly low rate, but it’s increasing, which is why I consider it essential for our media to give more in-depth coverage of these issues.

If violence sells abroad, here they’re trying to sell its non-existence.

It’s time these opportunists stop profiting at the expense of innocent lives…innocent people who, nevertheless, are fully aware of this problem when they see blood flowing in the street.