Gullibility

Gullibility / Fernando Damaso
Posted on April 14, 2013

These days, perhaps influenced by what is happening in Venezuela (which
seems to be contagious), gullibility is having a deep impact on our
government's journalists as evidenced by various articles, whatever the
subject matter. It is a fundamental aspect of political reporting — both
foreign and domestic — as well as of articles on culture, science,
sports, business and history. Let's take a look at a few examples.

Reports on the upcoming elections in Venezuela have been about only what
the ruling party candidate says or does, completely ignoring his
opponent unless it is to attack or criticize him. When it comes to
telling only one side of a story, these "correspondents" get the gold medal.

On the domestic front everything is great. When important leaders make
appearances and ask students what they know about current world events,
the answers center on the "sacred" Cuban elections, the tense situation
on the Korean peninsula and unfailingly the "blockade" of Cuba. Are
students not interested in the country's problems?

They never fail to mention "the latest injustice in the case of the
Five," which involves the actor Danny Glover not being allowed to visit
one of them for the tenth time because he arrived unexpectedly. The
International Committee for the Freedom of the Cuban Five, created to
address this issue, states that "any person included on a prisoner's
list has a right to visit him." Do Cuban prisons work this way? "The
Humanism of the Revolution is Fully Alive in the Cuban Penal System,"
reads one headline.

"Without flowers the world would be a sad place," says a farmer who
harvests them. He explains to a journalist their importance in funeral
services, adding, "Imagine someone dying and there being no flowers for
the final goodbye." Do flowers not serve other less sad purposes?
Another headline reads, "The Santiago Crematorium Now in Operation;" the
article states, "A service there will cost 340 pesos."* Have journalists
forgotten that the minimum monthly salary is no more than 240 pesos?

Another article on healthy aging states, "The expert stresses the need
for a healthy, varied and balanced diet containing fruits and vegetables
(ideally six servings a day)."* Is the journalist aware that pensions
are meager and fruits and vegetables are expensive?

I think this is more than enough to demonstrate my point. Is this to be
"our American" epidemic?**

*Translator's note: From the journal Juventud Rebelde.

**The term "our American" have been used to refer to multi-national
initiatives proposed by Hugo Chavez and his Bolivarian revolution movement.

http://translatingcuba.com/gullibility-fernando-damaso/