Generation Y

In Cuba most girls born after the Revolution have names starting with the letter “Y.”  This is a distinctive way of identifying the “children of the Revolution.”  But, as any parent can tell you, children can grow up to be rebellious.  This means some members of the Generation Y are making the revolutionary processes come full circle.

Yoani Sanchez, age 34, lives in Havana and is one of the most influential persons in Cuba.  Time magazine recognized her as a leading figure in the modern Cuban uprising. Yoani is not in the Sierra Maestra with the guerrilla fighting an insurgent war.  Instead of an AK-47, her weapon is the keyboard on her computer, and her bullets are her words of truth she is broadcasting from her humble home in Havana.  Yoani Sanchez is one of the most celebrated bloggers in the world. Sanchez’s work has been awarded numerous awards by the European Union, and various media outlets in the United States.  Her prominence has come with a price.  Last week, Yoani and her partner, fellow blogger Orlando Luis Pardo, were abducted as they walked on a Havana street in the middle of the day. They were both brutally beaten by a group of “enforcers” working for the communist regime.  A stern warning was issued to Yoani: “Shut Up!”  Unlike disillusioned voters in Iran, or the Chinese students in Tiananmen Square, Yoani and her boyfriend were not making a political statement on the streets; they were not setting tires on fire, throwing rocks at storefronts, or looting establishments as is the norm during political unrest — usually perpetrated by pro “socialist” elements — in most of Latin America today. 

The Huffington Post, a liberal news outlet, Mother Jones magazine, and Hispanic Business have carried the story of Yoani’s beating, and the crackdown on bloggers who live in Cuba.  (Note that less than 2% of the population has accesses to a home computer.)

There is no certainty where all the technological transformation, including blogs, RSS feeds, tweeter, smart phones, etc. will have on the Cuban youth quest for freedom.  There is a mutiny in progress; it is being led by the disheartened children of the revolution. Where that rebellion leads is just anyone’s guess.

In the United States there is also a “quiet media revolution” taking place. Hundreds of laid off and retired journalists have turned to the Internet as the venue to continue broadcasting and writing.  Their reporting has become the resistance movement against absolute media control by special interests.  The orchestrated demise of newspapers, and the consolidation of ownership of radio and TV stations, has lead to the current “trend of advocacy media,” where hate radio is popular and political propaganda is dogma.  

From a member of Generation Ñ to a member of Generation Y:  Yoani Sanchez, I salute you, pray for you and wish you well:  “Que Dios te Bendiga!”