Friday, November 05, 2010

To golf or not to golf?

The Cuban government decided over two years ago that it wanted more golf courses, then offered up 99 year leases for luxury golf development.  The idea was to bring in revenue and provide security for foreign investors.  So it is interesting that now, Hugo Chávez wants to seize golf courses in Venezuela because of their association with the rich, then build public housing on them.

Sport has so often been connected to ideology.  In these particular cases, golf is really symbolic of the divergent paths Cuba and Venezuela are taking.

4 comments:

leftside 2:05 PM  

I know this is your pet analysis on Cuba and Venezuela Mr. Weeks. But I think you are putting a little too much stock in it. Cuba was quite upfront about the distaste for bourouis golf - and its associations with the old order. Golf courses were turned to parks and arts campuses. Today, golf is only being talked about in reference to increasing tourism dollars. Its simply a way to suck more dollars from gringos - not a synbol of the return of capitalism those on the right are so eager to proclaim.

In Venezuela this issue first arose at the municipal level - by the Mayor of Caracas. Caracas has no land left, due to georgraphy. There is nowhere to build affordable housing - and the result is the shanties creeping up the mountains. Chavez was silent for a long time on this issue. But the recent mudslides have made decent affordable housing jump to the top of the agenda. Chavez's words contained some class content, of course, but this is better seen as a housing issue, rather than some grand ideological representation of divergent philosophies. Chavez and Venezuela is less radical than Cuba and its leaders.

Simply put, Cuba is not going capitalist and Venezuela is not going Communist. Yes Cuba is much more far advanced on its revolutionary journey - but the paths could not be more different and trying to conflate them for your own ideological purpose does not substitute for this reality.

Randy Paul 1:59 PM  

I hate golf simply because I think it's a piss poir use of land.

mike a,  9:29 AM  

"Today, golf is only being talked about in reference to increasing tourism dollars. Its simply a way to suck more dollars from gringos - not a synbol of the return of capitalism those on the right are so eager to proclaim."

Um, the last time I checked, tourism is capitalism. Luxury hotels, restaurants, golf, etc do not exist just because the owners are nice guys. They exist to create profit. In Cuba it is no different.

You may want to take your "revolutionary journey" delusions elsewhere. Unfortunately for you, the countries willing to proceed down such a path are rapidly dwindling.

leftside 5:16 PM  

Um, the last time I checked, tourism is capitalism.

Tourism can be socialist or capitalist. In Cuba it is mixed, but still State controlled, State owned and the State gets most of the benefits. I'd argue most tourism to Cuba is socialist.

Unfortunately for you, the countries willing to proceed down such a path are rapidly dwindling.

Actually, those countries willing to accede to the US neo-liberal capitalist model are the ones dwindling - particularly in Latin America. Countries willing to show solidarity with Cuba have been on the ascent for a while.

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