Are We Equal in Cuba?

By Paula Henriquez

HAVANA TIMES – It’s been a while now that the issue of a so-called “egalitarian society” has been on my mind. I guess that many people may think it’s an irrelevant or, quite simply, an unknown issue, especially for our younger generations.

Truth be told, an egalitarian society is only possible in the utopian ideology of a dreamer. It’s different in reality.

Social classes have always existed and continue to exist and, as a result, the needs of these classes depends on their purchasing power. Impossible dreams become boring for some because they are excessive, while for others it’s because they are repeated to death. This has always been the case.

It’s not enough to have a good education to reach the next rung on the social ladder. The relationships you are able to form, being sharp or having mid-to-long-term vision, your eloquence and powers of conviction are much more important. Although in most cases what you need is a privileged surname..

Generally-speaking, the latter are normally the ones who climb the ladder the highest, and with the least amount of effort, of course. It’s not unusual for many people to lack the key ingredients to win over the space they are in.

So, we see them filling management roles in companies and other important positions. And, as you can imagine, this is where bad decisions or inefficient management stem from. The population pays the price.

Going back in time

I sometimes remember my childhood years, with nostalgia. I think that was the closest I ever came to that utopian dream of an economically egalitarian society.

It goes without saying that back then, my age didn’t allow me to comprehend the twists and turns of the era… nor was I interested in learning the reasons behind what was happening around me. Maybe this is why I remember it as a golden age in my life.

Then came the collapse of the Soviet Bloc and the dismemberment of what we knew as the Soviet Union.

This is where the most notable class differences began. Huge gaps opened up between people’s lifestyles.

At that time, I was old enough to begin to see it. Thirty years have passed since and nothing has changed for the better. Every year, you dream that the next might be better than the present year, and so on. Maybe this is the perfect mechanism to push your mind and keep going.

The truth is that many lucky people were already at the top and they continue to enjoy the same privileges. Another few, closer in age to my generation, managed to climb up a rung or two on the social ladder. They combined some of the above ingredients that are so important to “get you to the top”. 

It’s not that I spend my days haunted by the idea of climbing the social ladder, it’s a matter of luck at the end of the day… nevertheless, I still hold onto my dreams and, every once in a while, I stop and look back to the past with nostalgia, thinking back to that utopian dream of social equality.

Read more from Paula Henriquez here.