How communist totalitarianism is whitewashed, and its faults blamed on America
A visit to a world-famous botanical garden & conservatory gave me an up-close and personal view of this insidious practice, especially when aimed at children.
If there’s one thing about life in America that never ceases to annoy me, it is how everything -- as in, everything — has become politicized.
Growing up in Chicago, I loved to go to Cubs games (sorry, White Sox), the Art Institute of Chicago, the Shedd Aquarium, the Museum of Science & Industry, etc. The focus of these games and venues was completely apolitical, at least to me, as a toddler through age 16. A family could go to any of these destinations for recreation, and leave behind the personal, professional and political conflicts, and simply enjoy themselves -- along with thousands of others who were often seeking the same release.
With the advent of fanatical leftist ideology, however, one can barely step outside of their homes today, without being hit from innumerable directions, both online and in real life, with political messages, and efforts to clashes. From sports figures to music artists, from supermarkets to coffee shops, those who create and perform at these values now feel comfortable, if not obligated, to convey political messages, that almost invariably divide society into an “us-versus-them” dynamic.
My observations on the anti-American, pro-communist distortions & bias of an exhibit at the Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens
Mostly, in my daily life and travels, I don’t share or comment on what I see, hear, and experience.
But recently, I had the opportunity to visit the world-famous Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Garden, in Pittsburgh, PA. Here’s a 1 minute 20 second overview:
As I toured the conservatory and gardens, I felt like I was getting a good education in the amazing variety of plants, flowers and other flora that populate the Earth, and I was reminded of a quote by Thomas Jefferson, an avid farmer, who said, “There is not a sprig of grass that shoots uninteresting to me.” I am much the same way. My interests, particularly in the natural world, and humanity, are practically limitless.
So it was with this spirit of benevolence and curiosity that I encountered a Phipps exhibit on Cuba’s flora. I anticipated it would be as educational and apolitical as all the other exhibits.
Instead, as I progressed through the exhibit, I was in utter disbelief at the lengths to which Phipps’ curators chose to whitewash the horrors of that communist totalitarian slave island. To provide context, below are some of the pictures I took.
The exhibits discussed the hardships that the Cuban people face and have faced, but consistently indicated that their plight was caused by some external force -- primarily the collapse of the USSR, and then, American imperialism. The visitor is told that America imposed an embargo on Cuba, but not why. The visitor is also told how inventive and resourceful the Cuban people are, in the face of what amounts to American cruelty. They drive cars that are 60-70 or more years old (which are depicted as being in pristine condition), because those mean people in America won't let them buy new cars from us.
It is tough to assign benevolent motives to the wording of this exhibit.
See what you think.
My dissection of the Cuba exhibit at Phipps
Here’s where the exhibit opens:
To the right is the (literal) front half of a 1949 Chevrolet Fleetline sedan:
All’s good so far, right?
Well, not exactly. Consider the panel that accompanies this car:
“Classic cars, like this 1949 Chevrolet Fleetline, still cruise Havana’s streets. These beauties were born of necessity…”
Born of necessity? Huh? This is 2021. What car is “born” — except as in the case of American engineer-entrepreneur, Preston Tucker, and his Tucker Torpedo, “the car of the future,” as depicted in the Francis Ford Coppola film, “Tucker: A Man And His Dream”?
Continuing…
“…as the U.S. trade embargo has made importing new American cars difficult.”
Why did the U.S. impose a trade embargo on Cuba? Blank-out.
Why didn’t the Cuban people import cars from Canada, the UK, Europe, or any other part of the world? Blank-out.
As the exhibit unfolds, however, as shown below, the uninformed newcomer (read: children) come away with two basic premises:
The Cuban people are suffering
Their suffering is caused by America
Think I’m exaggering? See for yourself.
Here’s a sampling of the descriptive panels, that accompany exhibits:
This panel says that Cubans experienced
“…widespread food shortages because of economic collapse. This was a direct result of the Soviet Union’s economic collapse.”
Wait, why were these proud, resilient, inventive Cubans (coming soon, below) dependent on another people, on the other side of the Earth, for their very sustinence? Why could they not grow their own food - as Americans and other free, self-reliant people do?
As Ayn Rand said, in moments like this, when the supposed teacher/advocate cannot or will not explain something: “Blank-out.”
Next, the panel says:
“Fidel Castro allowed some measure of private enterprise due to the financial crisis.”
Who was Fidel Castro - and why did he have such absolute control over the Cuban people? Blank-out.
The answer: Because he was a brutal, murderous, communist totalitarian dictator. Yet nowhere in this entire exhibit does it make any mention of that.
But wait - it gets worse. Far worse. Because by implication and even overt accusations, the exhibit cultivates a belief that the American people eleted political leaders who hurt these poor, starving Cuban people.
This panel says, in part:
“…fertilizer, pesticides and other agrochemicals (become) hard to obtain, after the Soviet Union dissolved…”
Wait, I thought just a moment ago, it said the Soviet Union faced “economic collapse.” Which is it?
It goes o on to say some Cubans…
“… created small edible gardens…”
Why small? Why was there any limit on how much farming the Cuban people could do?
The answer is: Because the murderous dictator Castro would not allow it, under his impositon of communist totalitarianism — the exact same system that, as we learned a moment ago, caused the Soviet Union to economically collapse (or “dissolve”).
Continuing…
Now we see a “Farmacia” (pharmacy). The panel at right bottom reads, in part (below):
“Although salaries are low relative to the U.S…”
Why? Why do Cubans earn so much less for their labor than Americans do for theirs? Blank-out.
Continuing…
“… Cuba has a lower infant mortality rate [than the U.S…]”
The normal, uninformed person, upon doing an Internet search about Cuba might, at this point, say to themselves, “Wow! Maybe communist totalitarianism isn’t so bad after all!”
Except… like every other communist totalitarian regime on Earth, the Cuban “government” cooks the books, to fool the world. Details below.
Consider: From “About that Cuban Life Expectancy,” by The Library of Economics and Liberty:
Physicians are given health outcome targets to meet or face penalties. This provides incentives to manipulate data. Take Cuba’s much praised infant mortality rate for example. In most countries, the ratio of the numbers of neonatal deaths and late fetal deaths stay within a certain range of each other as they have many common causes and determinants. One study found that that while the ratio of late fetal deaths to early neonatal deaths in countries with available data stood between 1.04 and 3.03 (Gonzalez, 2015)—a ratio which is representative of Latin American countries as well (Gonzalez and Gilleskie, 2017). Cuba, with a ratio of 6, was a clear outlier. This skewed ratio is evidence that physicians likely reclassified early neonatal deaths as late fetal deaths, thus deflating the infant mortality statistics and propping up life expectancy. Cuban doctors were re-categorizing neonatal deaths as late fetal deaths in order for doctors to meet government targets for infant mortality.
Oh. Moving on…
This panel reads, in part:
“In the [United] States, Cuba may invoke images of colorful vintage cars, rhytmic music or iconic cigars…”
Wow! Sounds like pareadise, doesn’t it? After all, who doesn’t love “colorful vintage cars,” like the gleaming Fleetliner, and pictures of other undented, pristine ancient cars, that adorn the opening of this exhibit?
It continues:
“… but travel restrictions make visiting nearby Cuba impossible for most Americans.”
Wait… whose travel restrictions - America’s, or Cuba’s? Blank-out.
Continuing…
“The political and social dynamics are complex, but one facet that can transcend politics, embargos and even revolutions, is the natural world.”
Wait… whose political and social dynamics, politics, and embargos? Blank-out.
The bottom line: People (especially children) can go through this entire exhibit, and never discover:
The subhuman brutality and destructive ideas that lay at the root of communist totalitarianism
The fact that many Cubans, year after year, risk everything to try to escape to America - to live in freedom, free enterprise, and peace
The fact that the cars on Havana’s streets do not look like those “beautiful… classic cars”; instead, most of them are actually rickety, cobbled-together relics, that barely run, and belch pollutant-filled exhaust, as depicted in this mini-documentary:
Conclusion: This is but the tip of the iceberg of the upside-down versions of America, capitalism and communism, that are being rammed into our kids’ heads
Why is this all so relevant to 2021 America? Because this exhibit is just one small indication of the extent to which anti-American fanaticism and communist ideology are being rammed into our childrens’ heads, primarily through our “educational” system. Consider:
The number of Millennials who say they “approve of communism” jumped from 28% in 2018, to 36% in 2019. 22% think all private property should be abolished.1
The Communist Manifesto — the “bible” that Castro, and all the other communist totalitarian dictators used to justify their murderous oppression and controls — is the most-assigned “economics” book on U.S. college campuses, assigned more than twice as frequently as any other.2
43% of Millennials think The Communist Manifesto better “guarantees freedom and equality” than the U.S. Declaration of Independence, or aren’t sure.3
83% of U.S. college graduates and 68% of elected officials cannot identify the functional differences between the free market and a command economy (communist totalitarianism).4
64% of American adults overall agree with the phrase, “From each according to his ability to each according to his need” (the foundational principle of The Communist Manifesto). As of 2002, 69% of American adults either think that phrase is contained within the U.S. Constitution, or don’t know if it is or isn’t (up from 45% in 1987).5
80% of Millennials, and 88% of Generation Z, are unaware that at least 100 million people were murdered by the most notable communist regimes of the 20th century. 42% of Millennials are unfamiliar with Mao Tsetung, who murdered an estimated 55-65 million people in less than 10 years, during China’s “Cultural Revolution”; 32% of Millennials and Gen-Zers believe George W. Bush killed more people than Stalin.6
61% of Americans aged between 18 and 24 have a positive reaction to the word “socialism.”7
Are you starting to see the problem here?
If so, and if you love freedom, free enterprise, and America, I suggest you:
Express your views to the Phipps Botanical Gardens & Conservatory, and let them know your reaction to its Cuba exhibit (here)
Make as generous of a donation as you can to the Victims of Communism Memoral Foundation (here).
Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation: “Fourth Annual Report On US Attitudes Toward Socialism,” 2019.
Karl Marx is the most assigned economist in U.S. college classes, by Tom Bemis, MarketWatch, January 31, 2016.
Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation: “Fourth Annual Report On US Attitudes Toward Socialism,” 2019.
2008 Intercollegiate Studies Institute survey data, as reported in “Our Fading Heritage.”
(1) “Annual Report on U.S. Attitudes towards Socialism,” Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, October 17, 2016; (2) “Americans Don’t Know Their Constitution: Columbia Law Survey Finds Confusion Over Founding Fathers vs. Karl Marx,” Columbia Law School, May 29, 2002; “The American Public’s Knowledge of the U.S. Constitution: A Hearst Report” (New York, 1987). Also: A 2019 survey by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) found that 82% of four-year U.S. colleges do not require students to take even a foundational course in U.S. government or history, in order to graduate.
(1)“Annual Report on U.S. Attitudes towards Socialism,” Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, October 17, 2016, p. 5-6; (2) YouGov survey, via Intellectual Takeout analysis.
This is outstanding - but chilling - writing, Jon. But, thank you for writing it, and I hope you continue to write good-quality posts here on Substack!