Fidel Castro was bad, but was he worse than other dictators?

After Castro's death I am struck by the hypocrisy of both the left and the right.

1) The right poor scorn on the 'evil' communist, when they are (at best) nonchalant about their own Governments having far worse regimes as allies.
2) Sections of the left romanticise about him as a man of ideals and someone who resisted American imperialism, when they would obviously be much more critical of lack of democracy or human rights abuses by any right-wing dictatorship.

There were good things and bad things about Castro's Cuba. Their healthcare and literacy was a remarkable achievement for a small country under such huge restrictions. They did resists American control LONG after the Soviet Union crumbled. All that is true, but Castro was still a dictator and we should not be uncritical of the bad things that he did also.

Tatsumi · 31-35, M

I agree. I don't know much about Castro's Cuba, but based on the little i know, as far as dictators go, he wasn't a bad one. That doesn't change the human rights abuses and ruthless destruction of anyone who thought even a little differently. It's not right to demonize or deify him.

Ultimately, people aren't talking about him, at all. They're talking about their own ideals.

ladycae · 100+, F

he was a harsh dictator but he really helped the poor. he was like a Harlequin, two different sides of the same coin.

SW-User

I revered Castro for certain things and was sad to hear of his passing. Where we could have had an ally, instead the US dismissed him. He was a revolutionary first and though misguided his intentions for the working people of Cuba were sincere. I look forward to visiting Cuba someday.