I gave a talk here in the US a couple of years ago, in which I said, "In Cuba, things are either mandatory or illegal." So lots of things like begging and prostitution were illegal and also pursued with a vengeance. As things became more desperate, especially after the end of Soviet add, they started to reappear, perhaps starting with prostitution. The government has been embarrassed by those signs of degeneration for a few decades now, so the erstwhile minister made the mistake of voicing what is probably a common talking point within the Party.
As far as I'm concerned, people don't pretend to be desperately poor no matter where they are.
I gave a talk here in the US a couple of years ago, in which I said, "In Cuba, things are either mandatory or illegal." So lots of things like begging and prostitution were illegal and also pursued with a vengeance. As things became more desperate, especially after the end of Soviet add, they started to reappear, perhaps starting with prostitution. The government has been embarrassed by those signs of degeneration for a few decades now, so the erstwhile minister made the mistake of voicing what is probably a common talking point within the Party.
As far as I'm concerned, people don't pretend to be desperately poor no matter where they are.