Fidel Castro Is Not Dead – Is He?
There is a strong rumour around that Fidel Castro is dead. Reports have been circulating from unconfirmed sources and have been listed high in Google Trends.
This is not the only case where a celebrity, more usually in the entertainment world, has been mistakenly reported as dead. Recent examples have included Lil Wayne, Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga. Despite the lack of evidence from proper news channels, a lot of these internet reports seem to gain a lot of credence for no good reason.
Due to his failing health, Fidel Castro has been reported as “on his deathbed” for some time now. In July 2006 he had emergency intestinal surgery to stem bleeding from diverticulitis, and since then he has been under constant medical supervision. He has constructed a state-of-the-art hospital suite in his principal residence where he is surrounded by his well meaning family and a host of Cuba’s finest doctors. His failing health made him give up power some years ago and hand over the reigns to his brother Raul. Since then he has only been seen in public once or twice.
The state of health of “El Presidente” has been the subject of speculation for some time, but little or no information is given out by the Cuban authorities. Apparently Perez Hilton tried to report that Castro was dead in 2007, but that story turned out to be false.
Doubtless, the rumours will be officially confirmed or denied in due course. It is known that Castro is in his eighties and in poor health, so sufficient fodder there for tabloid speculation. His death now would not be likely to cause any instability in the country as it might have some years ago, so we don’t need to hold our breath.
It seems the rumours are likely to persist until Cuban officials confirm his death or prove otherwise. His death is likely to have less impact on the world situation today than it might have had a few years back, so does it matter whether you believe the rumours or not?
Author: Jack Smith is an skilled sociologist. As part of a national survey he wants to find out whether people believe tabloids or not. Please give him your opinion. Do you believe in tabloids? yes or no? In return you can win a $500 Visa gift card.
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