Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, the national coordinator of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) and a former spy for the Havana regime, recently shared a video on social media. The video featured a Cuban man sleeping on cardboard in Miami, aiming to criticize Cuban-American politicians and the U.S. capitalist system.
In the video, the man candidly describes his condition: "I sleep on this little spot here, with cardboard on the floor. Look at the cardboard here, I picked it up and put it down for the back of the bed."
Hernández's post included a pointed critique of Marco Rubio, María Elvira Salazar, Mario Díaz-Balart, and Giménez: "Don't they claim they want to help Cubans and build homes for everyone? Build a little house for this guy, and for the many others living like him in Miami! #StopTheHypocrisy."
Cuban Exiles React with Criticism
Instead of the intended propaganda impact, the post sparked a torrent of criticism from Cuban exiles who dismantled the argument piece by piece.
Wendy Galvez Sanchez was straightforward: "Well, there are jobs available. I see him healthy. Here you can't live on make-believe like in Cuba." Galan Yovi echoed the sentiment: "He sleeps there because he wants to; I see him fit to work at a Walmart and earn money."
Maivys Zuñiga highlighted a fundamental difference between the two countries: "He lives there out of laziness, but in Cuba, if someone lives like that, it's because there's no solution."
Mario Ernesto Montero posed a question that captured the sentiment of many: "Ask yourself first why he's here and why he prefers the streets here over going back."
Alain J Aleman added with irony: "Yet I still haven't seen the first raft from Miami to Havana." Ale MP was equally blunt: "He lives there because he wants to, and he'd rather be there than go back to Cuba."
The video garnered over 88,000 views and 998 comments, most of which echoed the same argument: in Cuba, poverty is inescapable, while in the U.S., those who work can improve their situation.
Hernández's Track Record of Backfiring Posts
This isn't the first time Hernández's posts have backfired. On Monday, the ex-spy used photos of "No Kings" protests in Times Square to question whether the U.S. was a "failed state," receiving ironic replies from Cubans pointing out the island's daily power outages lasting up to 20 hours.
Previously, he was photographed riding a pedicab in La Güinera, an act deemed a "farce" and "staged" by internet users.
In January, he attempted to discredit the "Enough Already! Cuba to the Streets" graffiti on Havana's Malecón, which ended up amplifying the anti-government slogan.
Understanding the Cuban-American Perspective
Why did Gerardo Hernández's video receive backlash from Cuban exiles?
Cuban exiles criticized the video for oversimplifying the challenges faced by Cubans in the U.S. and for attempting to use one individual's situation to attack the broader capitalist system. They argued that unlike in Cuba, opportunities exist in the U.S. for those willing to work.
What was the intention behind Hernández's video post?
The video was intended to criticize Cuban-American politicians and the U.S. capitalist system by showcasing the struggles of a Cuban man living in Miami. However, it backfired, as many pointed out the differences in opportunities between the U.S. and Cuba.