The latest episode of the government show Con Filo, hosted by Michel Torres Corona, became the target of massive ridicule on Facebook, prompting the host to refrain from saying a single word about his own article against “El Cangrejo,” the grandson of Raúl Castro who recently shook the country with his interviews with U.S. media.
Context is key: on July 9, Torres Corona published the article "The Crab and the Vampire" on the Uruguayan portal Mate Amargo, where he criticized Raúl Castro's grandson, a colonel in the MININT, who expressed to USA Today his willingness to negotiate with Trump while wearing Hugo Boss clothing, Hermès sneakers, and a Rolex watch.
After several episodes of Con Filo in which Torres Corona was absent, he returned this week to reaffirm his willingness to continue with the program, although he moderated his staunch defense of the regime by saying that in Cuba "the majority of us are troubled" by blackouts and other issues.
On social media, what dominated the comments was the absence of the Crab topic.
"I thought he would say something about the Crab, but he was told that if he spoke up, they would make him disappear. That they didn't give second chances," wrote a user.
Another one was more straightforward: "Gordi, did they scold you or not?".
A third person added sarcastically, "Miche, if they have you threatened, open and close your hand three times."
"I didn't see him as happy as other times; he looked a bit sad, it must be because of the Crab," one of them said.
“The problems you mention are yours,” says the Crab, “he doesn’t have any, but he hopes you live like him,” another mocked.
There were those who recalled that Torres Corona had already been censored in April when he tried to criticize Sandro Castro on screen, Fidel's grandson. "Michelito, can you do a show talking about the little crab and the vampirach? I don’t think they let you do it. They prohibited you, didn’t they?" asked an internet user.
The contradiction of calling critics "haters" also sparked backlash. "Michel, you shouldn't use that phrase about haters anymore because the Cuban government is begging those same haters to invest in Cuba... We are haters when it suits them," remarked an emigrant.
"It's a shame that those who think differently don't have the media coverage you enjoy on Cuban TV. One day, this will change, and you will have to explain a few things," predicted a Cuban frustrated with the regime.
Another dismantled his argument with a concrete image: "Michel: we are not troubled. Ask a family with an elderly person confined to bed, without solar panels, without ecoflow, watching as the heat makes their bedsores worsen, if they are troubled."
The most uncomfortable question came from another comment: "Michel, I'm asking you. Why do I have to endure when the government has to face the problems? Why?"
Some pointed out the historical irony: "One of the greatest ironies of the dictatorship is calling anyone who opposes its doctrine 'haters,' when it was precisely Fidel who delivered endless speeches promoting hatred."
There were those who questioned whether anyone could even watch the program: "What Cuban was able to watch this program? Did anyone have electricity?" referencing the blackouts that plague the Island.
"I think the only thing Cubans don't suffer during blackouts is missing out on such trashy programs with such terrible hosts like this one," stated another user.
The episode thus became an involuntary mirror of the regime's contradictions: a propagandist who criticizes the Castro elite in foreign media because he cannot do so on the television program he himself hosts, while the Cuban people suffer from blackouts and shortages that no episode of Con Filo has been able to resolve.
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