Ozzie Guillen May Be Stupid, But So Are We

"I love Fidel Castro...I respect Fidel Castro.  You know why?  A lot of people have been trying to kill Fidel Castro for the last sixty years, but that (expletive) is still here"


This quote was given to Time Magazine by Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen, which has set off a shit storm in south Florida that is still raging.  Guillen has been suspended 5 games for these remarks and numerous people and organizations are threatening to boycott the Marlins until he is fired.  Is what Guillen said stupid and unthoughtful?  Absolutely.  But the reaction to these comments says more about America and our archaic view on Cuba and Castro then Guillen himself.

To truly understand the outrage you must first look at the circumstances surrounding these comments.  Miami has a large Cuban population that drives the city and state.  Many have defected or have close relatives who have suffered under Castro's regime and rightly feel pure hatred for the man.  The Marlins, trying to tap into this community, chose to build their new stadium in the Little Havana section of Miami.  To further make inroads with the Latin population they chose to hire Guillen, a Venezuelan who is bilingual, as their manager.

Guillen is no stranger to offhanded remarks and controversy.  During his time with the Chicago White Sox he calling a reporter a homophobic slur, he's stated that Major League Baseball treats its Japanese players better then its Hispanic players, and that America couldn't survive without illegal immigrants.  Within the past few weeks he's told a radio station that he has sacrificed live animals as part of Santeria rituals, and regularly gets drunk after games.  The point is, we aren't dealing with a scholar here.  But the Marlins knew exactly what they were getting; an outspoken latin manager who makes entertaining, and sometimes off color remarks who happens to have a World Series ring (2005 with the White Sox).

When Guillen's comments were released it angered the Cuban community who immediately were up and arms, voicing their outrage and calling for the Marlins to take action.  Guillen, clearly feeling the heat, made public apology after public apology, all seemingly heartfelt.  The Marlins, knowing that something had to be done to stem the tide, chose to suspend Guillen for 5 games, to which MLB commissioner Bud Selig concurred.

Stupid, but sincere

But what did Guillen actually say?  "I love Fidel Castro" - Stupid and oblivious.  How do you say something like that when you work in LITTLE HAVANA?!?!  A lot of people have been trying to kill Fidel Castro for the last sixty years, but that (expletive) is still here" - This statement is absolutely true. Castro has survived numerous attempts on his life (many by our government) and has survived for 60 years.

Since Castro came into power our foreign policy toward Cuba, and some of our domestic policy as well, has been shaped by this group of Cuban expatriates.  But the embargo this country has against Cuba is laughable.  The Helms-Burton Act has been ignored and condemned by such hated countries as England, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil, along with the EU and humanitarian groups.  Hell, we are doing business with China and Vietnam, but Cuba remains persona non grata, even though they are of no threat to us and have a leader on his deathbed.  So why can we repair relations with other countries around the world but refuse to even come to a sensible policy in regards to a small island country?

The answer can be found in the well organized, politically active Cuban community, which happens to reside in a swing state with 27 electoral votes, and is bitterly against anything Castro.  This is why it remains in every politicians best interest to continue to kowtow to their wants and needs.  But how long can this last?  The majority of people who feel this way are the older generation with first hand experiences of the atrocities perpitrated by Castro.  But as the generations pass, the younger Cuban Americans don't hold the same grudge and disdain for an old man who just refuses to die.  They seem to be moving into the present rather than being trapped in the past.

What will they "boicot" next?

Unfortunately this is how our country operates.  There are certain political taboo's that just can't be approached from any other angle than the one society approves.  Talking about Cuba or Castro in any other light other than the negative brings an outcry like no other.  It would be nice if we could have an open dialog regarding such topics as Cuba or Israel and debate them respectfully and intelligently.  But that's not the way it is in this country anymore.  People look at things in black and white, right and wrong, to which the cable news channels, in a constant hunt for ratings, are glad to perpetuate.  But this is not the way a caring and respectful country opperates.  We welcome different views.  We allow people to think and feel what they choose.  It may be incorrect and off base, but that is what makes America such a wonderful place.  We are free to express ourselves, no matter how ignorant.

What Ozzie Guillen said was stupid and insensitive, and he should have been smarter under the circumstances (however it can be argued that this is what makes Ozzie Ozzie).  The Marlins clearly saw this as a publicity nightmare and acted in order to save face (5 games out of 162 is just that).  But it has reminded us of the knee jerk reactions our country has to certain issues, and no matter the context or even the accuracy of the statement, it will be blindly vilified till the end.

Viva America!