A bad time to be Cuban-American

By Daniel Vasquez

Sun Sentinel

You heard the Bill Maher joke about Sen. Ted Cruz? If you’re Cuban, you may want to cover your ears.

The comedian and talk show host goes after Cruz’s heritage: My Cuban half once robbed my Canadian half at knifepoint.

Ha. Get it? In the joke, Ted Cruz is bi-racial. One race is brown and the other is white, and the brown DNA, of course, commits armed robbery against the white DNA. Now, that’s funny.

It’s also mean. Derogatory. And racist.

Relax. I’m not calling Maher racist. He’s a comedian. Comedians tell jokes that are mean, derogatory and racist. Doesn’t mean the comedian is racist.

But it’s important to pay attention to what makes the Cuban/Canadian joke so funny. We live in race-challenged America at a time when Donald Trump’s presidential campaign is inflaming racial tension. Some of Trump’s supporters believe the storyline is simple: Whites are good people. Blacks, browns and yellows are not-so-good people.

That’s why Ted Cruz’s Cuban half robbed his Canadian half.

BAN ON CUBAN-AMERICANS

But don’t blame Cuban-Americans for getting bent out of shape. It’s kind of a bad time to be Cuban in America.

Carnival Corp. recently announced cruises to Cuba that banned Cuban-Americans per request of the Cuban government. Thankfully, the ban was tossed overboard. But Maher’s comments also follow a thwarted attempt by Sen. Marco Rubio, one of the most famous Cuban-Americans to come out of Miami, to end U.S. immigration laws providing special treatment to Cubans fleeing Cuba.

America gives Cuban immigrants special treatment because Cubans continue to live in oppression, fear and violence under the Castro Brothers regime.

Yes. Bill Maher’s Cuban joke is funny.

What’s not funny is what is happening in Cuba right now. Under our noses. At a time when Americans are champing at the bit to open new businesses in Havana or hop on a flight or cruise to enjoy beaches, cigars and mojitos, and ignore the greater reality.

Daniel Vasquez is a columnist for the Sun Sentinel. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.