Brokenhearted and outraged, Cardona forgets what it means to be an American
Al’s Loupe
Brokenhearted and outraged, Cardona forgets what it means to be an American
By Alvaro F. Fernandez
alfernandez@the-beach.net
“As a product of the gospel of rock ‘n’ roll, my faith is shaken. As the son and grandson of Cuban exiles, my heart is broken. And as an American, I am outraged.”
— Joe Cardona
Monday’s Miami Herald Other Views section contained an interesting piece by Joe Cardona, who is described as an independent filmmaker who resides in Miami. Titled “Juanes concert useful tool for Castro,” what struck me most about the column was how upset Cardona wanted to come across as. I believe he failed in that pursuit. He also seemed to miss the boat when he proclaimed himself “outraged” as an American.
What Cardona did accomplish was to assure his readers of an adherence to, for purposes of this column, what I will call the Miami rules. In other words, he wrapped himself in the American flag, spoke of being reared on the freedom of rock ‘n’ roll and then proceeded to tell Juanes, the Colombian singer who now lives in Miami, what his concert in Havana should be like and who the invited singers ought to be.
I guess Cardona has bought into several of the Miami rules:
- Rule 1: If we don’t agree with what you’re doing, you must immediately undo it, start again, and follow our rules.
- Rule 2: I know it’s your concert but we don’t like the invited artists so, you must also invite Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Willy Chirino, Lissette and so on. And there is no please and thank you here… just do it. (It’s why our style of democracy works: we dictate and you follow. Don’t dare step over the line.)
- Rule 3: Invite Gorky Aguila. He seems to bother the Cuban authorities, so we like him here in Miami.
There are several other rules I can think of, but, believe it or not, the one that seems to bother me most is Rule 3. By imposing it on Juanes, Joe demonstrated he has very little taste — at least in music. Have you ever heard this guy Gorky? Musician… he is not.
Look, I wish Willy Chirino, Hansel & Raul and whoever else you can think of could offer free concerts in Cuba. If they’re not allowed, and of that I am not sure of, then, in my opinion, it’s a mistake by whoever makes those decisions in Cuba. But where does Joe Cardona, and so many others in Miami and other places, come off telling Juanes that “the concert promises to be nothing more than a shameless, thoughtless and heartless appearance by the 36-year-old singer and his fellow performers.” In his column, Cardona also chides Juanes because his “Peace Without Borders” campaign failed to invite some of the artists I just mentioned.
A few years back I shared a microphone with Cardona on a local radio program. He appeared to be a nice enough fellow. I’ve often seen him promoting his films on Channel 2 here in Miami. He has produced a number of documentaries (many around the Cuban exile experience), which I understand that in the end he has to sell. That’s apparently how he makes his living. So, although in some ways not surprised that he’s decided to tack in this direction, it bothered me to think that this 42-year-old son and grandson of Cubans would buy into the traditional undemocratic (and corrupt) Miami style of Cuban politics.
At the start I mentioned that Cardona had failed to prove he was upset. I believe that with his words he showed more a sense of opportunism than one of outrage. (I am convinced sale of his films will spike upwards in the next few weeks.) Cardona insists on imposing rules on Juanes that go totally against every concept that this country was founded upon. If he really felt so strongly about that freedom he speaks of, which he equates to rock and roll, he’d be the first commending the Colombian singer for doing whatever he feels he must — especially under the white flag of peace.
Instead, Cardona falls back on decrepit Miami rules. Fifty years wasted on hatred and rancor, mixed with an opportunism that has only benefited very few while hurting the many.
