Cuban priest Alberto Reyes: "They have been regulating and manipulating us through slogans."

The Cuban priest Alberto Reyes, known for his critical stance towards the Castro regime, dedicated a reflection to the "power of slogans" and how the government has always used them to deceive the people.

Reyes, from the Diocese of Camagüey, recounted on his Facebook wall how the dictatorship has always used motivational phrases to manipulate the population, instilling a sense of empowerment that drives people to take a path without questioning whether it is what they truly want to do.

Father Reyes recalled some of the slogans that Cubans have repeated over the years, such as "Pin, pon out, down with the worm!", "Men die, the Party is immortal," or "Do more with less," and pointed out how, now amid scarcity and a lack of solutions, the regime insists on vigorous and empty phrases instead of proposing change.

Next, CiberCuba shares the full text of the publication.

"I have been thinking... (LXXXIX) by Alberto Reyes Pías"

I have been thinking about the power of slogans.

Slogans are short phrases. They are designed to motivate, to lift spirits and instill strength when it's hard to move forward, and also to provide light in moments of darkness, so that we can hold on to them when everything around us is uncertain and bleak.

But as is often the case, there is, additionally, another side, and slogans can be used to manipulate, to guide others where we want them to go, instilling in them a force that makes them take a path without questioning whether it is the path they truly wish to follow.

Thus, from the beginning of what we call the 'Revolutionary Process', which in itself is a beautiful and motivating phrase, we have been regulated, managed, and had our wings clipped by sheer slogans, of which I will mention only a few.

We were taught to shout: 'Pin, pon out, down with the worm infestation!', to channel our hatred and our growing frustration against those who, from the very beginning, refused to support this system. Many shouted, denounced, and attacked the 'worms' who left the revolutionary paradise, before silently following them, from those days to today.

We were repeated to the point of exhaustion that we were the 'Beacon and guide of America,' while what the Americas saw was prefabricated and false propaganda. But it is always beautiful to feel that you are a light for someone.

We were indoctrinated into believing that "The world is inexorably moving towards socialism," and when communism collapsed dramatically in Eastern Europe, shattering that myth, they paraded before us a multitude of flags to convince us that the same would not happen here. Unlike the timid Europeans, we were told: "We are a heroic people," "We are a fighting people," where "Men die, but the Party is immortal," where "Yes, we can," where we must "Resist and overcome."

All of this occurs amidst a series of 'special' periods driven by a continuous economic decline and a general deterioration that has affected everything from the facades of homes to the most iconic industries, ultimately nesting in the souls of the people, stealing their joy and their will to live.

Confronted with the experience of nothingness, increasing scarcity, and the lack of solutions, the rallying cries returned with vigor. Instead of proposing a healing change, we were urged to "Do more with less," "Aim for more," and "Turn setbacks into victories," because indeed, "You can always do more" in a Revolution that "does not abandon its children," even if it makes your life miserable, drives your family to emigrate, threatens you with consequences for any protests, and represses the slightest attempt at questioning.

Time has passed through our land, with its slow and continual march, and has witnessed our decline and sorrow. It has seen us suffer in silence and in anguish, yet always to the obsessive rhythm of the commanding voices urging us to keep walking "Until victory always."