"Spectacular Decrepitude"

“What accounts for our fascination with Cuba? It is not the tropical Havana nights, or the shows at the Tropicana that truly capture the American imagination. It is Cuba’s economy that is the most stunning thing the nation has to offer. It is the way things are set up. Far more novel than all of the well-preserved 1950s cars driving around are the mansions that are full of poor people. Far more novel than the fact that Havana has old buildings is the fact that few of them have been bulldozed to make way for new buildings. Cuba is socialism, real socialism, on display, a short flight from the decadent Miami malls.” — An American visits Cuba in 2015.