Fidel Castro was a controversial figure both in life and in death. And now, with the news that Fidel Castro is dead at the age of 90, many celebrities from different parts of the entertainment industry have taken to social media to express their reactions to his death. Their reactions range from grief, to joy, to wonder.
Perez Hilton was one of the first to react to the news that Fidel Castro was dead . The celebrity blogger, born Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr. to Cuban parents who emigrated to Miami (where they raised Perez and his siblings), posted a video of his mother — whom he dubs Momma Perez — on his site, where she is crying “happy tears.”
“Time to let out the tears and let the celebrating begin!!”
In a different story on his site, Perez points out that the reason many in Miami are celebrating the death of Castro is because they lived through his terrifying reign and escaped to America to avoid it. His death, then, closes a very painful chapter of their lives. Put simply, “Castro is dead and Miami is alive.”
But as CNN pointed out in their news reports about Fidel Castro being dead, the celebrations in Miami were not necessarily about death being a good thing, but about the fact that it symbolizes a new day in U.S.-Cuba relations.
Soledad O’Brien, a former CNN anchor who, herself, is of Cuban descent, pointed out that Cubans’ relationship with Castro is a complicated one. While he was seen as a much better alternative to Fulgencio Batista, he was also racist and enforced many policies that Cubans found impossible to maintain.
Legend and dictator. He was very complicated. And for many Cubans a hero (at first) bc he got rid of Batista and gave the finger to the US. https://t.co/xvO8Uiazga
— Soledad O’Brien (@soledadobrien) November 26, 2016
Oh I think her point was they both were evil. That Castro’s brand of evil had neighbors spying and reporting on neighbors. Sorry not clear. https://t.co/7sRs3AX377
— Soledad O’Brien (@soledadobrien) November 26, 2016
So, while Castro certainly created progress for many people in Cuba, his failings were just as self-evident. To reduce his death to a one-sentence platitude, then, is reductionist, according to O’Brien.
Many other Cuban celebrities, however, aren’t looking to enter into the fray on Twitter due to the controversy surrounding Fidel Castro being dead. According to the International Business Times , the nuances of a complicated man’s death are causing a lot of misinterpretations and fights that aren’t necessary. How, really, can you encapsulate the long and complicated history of Cuba — and its controversial leader — in 140 characters or less?
That’s why some celebrities like Jose Canseco — who was born in Havana, Cuba, and fled to Miami with his family when he was young — are limiting their opinions to one sentence that merely state the facts of their circumstances, not delving deep into the nuances of Fidel Castro and/or Cuban history.
I was born in Cuba and Fidel Castro was our leader. Came to the USA because of him.
— Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco) November 26, 2016
Like Jose Canseco, television personality Daisy Fuentes was born in Havana, Cuba, and fled to Miami with her family when she was still very young. Unlike Jose, however, she made her feelings about the Cuban dictator be known with a rather interesting quote from Clarence Darrow.
#FidelCastro dead at 90 #Cuba ???? pic.twitter.com/wo6caxgNDY
— Daisy Fuentes (@DaisyFuentes) November 26, 2016
What do you think of the news about Fidel Castro being dead? Leave your thoughts about the Cuban leader Fidel Castro being dead in the comments below.
[Featured Image by Jorge Rey/Getty Images]
