A Cuban's Message Sparks Heated Debate After 10 Years in the U.S.

A Floridian Cuban, known on TikTok as WHITESHARK (@whiteshark_i220a), released a video on Wednesday that has stirred significant discussion. In the nine-minute video, he criticizes fellow Cubans who have been in the United States for just two or three years and are already complaining that the country is for "slaves" or that "money isn't enough."

Having spent 39 years in Cuba before relocating to the U.S. four years ago, WHITESHARK poses a compelling question: How can someone who squandered decades under communism demand immediate results from a nation that welcomed them from scratch?

Challenging the Complaints

"It's so irrational for Cubans to complain about the United States after spending twenty, thirty, even fifty years wasting time in Cuba," he states in the video. "And after just two or three years here, they begin to gripe about not having enough time, that this country is for slaves, that life is slipping away, and money is insufficient," he continues.

To emphasize his point, WHITESHARK suggests a thought experiment: Imagine a European tourist—whether German, Italian, French, or Chinese—arriving in Cuba at forty without a penny. His conclusion is that they'd have to return home within a few months because the communist system doesn't allow for growth from scratch; first, it limits you, then seizes what you produce.

Opportunities in the U.S.

The contrast with the U.S., he argues, is stark: "If you have the ability to reinvent yourself and are smart, you have all the tools here to grow, to get a loan, to start a business, to create a company, and begin generating income."

While WHITESHARK admits he considers himself relatively "poor," he stresses that he has achieved more in four years than during his 39 years in Cuba. He also points out that some Cubans in Miami, with fewer than five years in the country and some still without residency, have already amassed over a million dollars.

The Debate Within the Cuban Diaspora

"This is a country for people who have the drive to move forward, people with character, not lazy individuals," he declares. WHITESHARK uses the hashtag #i220a, symbolizing the many Cubans who arrived during the 2022-2023 migration wave and remain in legal limbo, a community actively sharing adaptation and work experiences on TikTok.

The debate his video ignites is not new among the Cuban diaspora. Other creators have echoed similar sentiments, such as Luis Sánchez (@bethechange80), who went viral with the phrase, "We came here to work, not to party or have fun."

The Cuban community in Florida finds itself split between those acknowledging the real challenges of exile—high living costs, language barriers, exhausting work hours, and the pressure of sending remittances back to the Island—and those like WHITESHARK, who believe complaints are unjustified given the stark contrast to life under dictatorship.

He concludes his reflection with a saying his grandparents often recited before he emigrated: "Over there, you can get anything you want, but you have to work hard for it, like a mule."