Photo via Instagram
If you were hoping to make it out to Cuba before it was sullied by American consumerism, it's too late. The Kardashian invasion has already begun.
This week the dignified diplomats knowns as Kim, Khloe and Kourtney all descended upon the island nation with family and friends in tow.
This led to obvious pictures with cigars as well as one polarizing image that has the Internet fuming at the moment.
While many of the images remain in the realm of Snapchat, Khloe Kardashian was happy to offer a glimpse of the reality-TV stars enjoying Cuban life.
The caption reads, simply, "Pablo was here." As many have pointed out, if she is referring to Pablo Escobar - which is an odd reference to post during such a momentous occasion as visiting Cuba - he was Colombian. So, a swing and a whiff on hat tips to previous nefarious drug cartel bosses.
According to the Kardashians, Cuban culture can be whittled down to cigars and, apparently, facial expressions devoid of meaning.
There was this rather nice image of a Cuban street.
Khloe includes the following caption: "With everyday, my goal is to expand my mind. Now, it has been filled with new memories and knowledge of culture, food, traditions, daily life.... It will never go back to yesterday's dimensions! I'm so blessed to be able to appreciate another's culture."
That's a beautiful gesture. It's just too bad Khloe also took the following image.
Let this be a lesson to the famous and not so famous out there. Remember that your images not only carry weight but are painted with wide brush strokes of context.
Regardless of where you fall on the subject of Cuban politics and how the decades under Fidel Castro has affected the people who inhabit the proud country, you have to understand the tremendous weight his name carries.
Taking a photo that on the surface seems flippant and superficial understandably angered quite a few people.
In fact, People Magazine spoke with South Florida Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen who tells the publication: "Another day in Cuba seems to bring another selfie in Havana for the Kardashians. While Khloe is taking photos with a sign that says Fidel, she should have at least some awareness that Fidel would have prohibited a Kardashians-style show."
The representative continued with a more pointed assessment of the image: "More than anything it's disappointing that someone who exercises her free speech right in the U.S. is blind to the lack free speech when she takes a selfie glorifying a serial repressor."
US Weekly compiled a list of various social media users who offered their own assessment on the image.
Essentially, you should think twice about posting an image that may just prove to be far more polarizing than you intended.
Then again, media attention is a commodity for the Kardashians, so perhaps some congratulations are in order.
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