Viva Fidel!

[poliphilo]

OK, I hate dictators, but allow me this one little inconsistency: I have a weakness for Fidel.

I like the way he's stood his ground against the superpower that's been breathing down his neck for the past half century.

And I like it that he's something like a real socialist.

And then there's the aesthetics of him. The beard, the cigars, the cap. That guy knows everything there is to be known about being an icon. In a world full of bland, image-conscious, be-suited politicians, he's the only world leader still standing who's full-flavour and caffeine-rich.

Comments

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

I have a weakness for Fidel.

I know what you mean. And, fwiw, he's one of the few holdovers from my childhood, when titans walked the earth. Most of the iconic figures are gone now, replaced by undistinguished suits who mostly exemplify the banality of evil. Castro is still a broad stroke kinda guy.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

To be a world leader is to have blood on your hands. Fidel is no exception, but....I like his style.

[four-thorns.livejournal.com]

i agree. i sort of prefer his openly dictatorial style to bush's buck-passing of responsibility for the bloodshed in iraq and his behind-the-back subversions of due process.