PinnedA Quick-and-Dirty Reply to American Supporters of Puerto Rican StatehoodIt’s true that a slim majority of Puerto Ricans supported statehood in the last plebiscite. If you put it up against the other options, probably a plurality of Puerto Ricans want statehood. If that’s enough for Americans to think it’s a good idea and advocate for it to their elected…Puerto Rico2 min readPuerto Rico2 min read
Feb 2, 2022Short(ish) Takes: A Transition Plan for Puerto Rican IndependenceSome back-of-the-envelope math that might satisfy both Puerto Ricans and Americans. — “Short(ish) Takes” are my too-short-for-an-article, too-long-for-a-Tweet musings. They’re in-progress thoughts and arguments that are subject to change; I welcome your comments here or on Twitter @AlbertoMedinaPR. I don’t write a lot about the economics of the Puerto Rico status debate, for two reasons. First and foremost, it’s far from my…Puerto Rico3 min readPuerto Rico3 min read
Apr 1, 2021Final Fantasy: RemadeThe recent remake of FF7, one of the most iconic video games of all time, has something to say about storytelling in the age of reboots and remakes. — Note: This essay was originally published in May 2020 on another platform — from which it was mysteriously deleted. It’s not even a little hyperbolic to call Final Fantasy VII Remake the most highly anticipated video game of all time. The original, released in 1997, became an instant classic. You…Final Fantasy8 min readFinal Fantasy8 min read
Jan 21, 2021For Puerto Rican Statehood, It’s Now or Never: So It’s Never.Originally published in Latino Rebels on January 21, 2021. You may note that, over at LR, the piece’s title ends with an question mark instead of a period. That was an editor’s addition, which I appreciate, but the period is a more accurate reflection of my sentiment. Supporters of statehood…Puerto Rico7 min readPuerto Rico7 min read
May 19, 2020El plebiscito de estatus en Puerto Rico es una buena ideaPublicado originalmente en Latino Rebels el 19 de mayo de 2020 La gobernadora de Puerto Rico acaba de anunciar que este noviembre, junto con las elecciones generales, se celebrará un plebiscito “Estadidad: Sí o No” sobre el estatus de Puerto Rico. Las reacciones de quienes no apoyan la estadidad (grupo…Puerto Rico6 min readPuerto Rico6 min read
Mar 1, 2020El argumento independentista a favor de votar por Bernie SandersNo se trata de una fe ciega en el afán descolonizador que, acepto, no tiene Sanders ni nadie. Se trata de ir cambiando, poco a poco, las condiciones sociopolíticas de las que se nutre la colonia. — Revive el debate sobre la participación de los puertorriqueños en la elección primaria presidencial estadounidense en la isla. Queda estipulado que la mera existencia de una primaria en Puerto Rico, cuando no podemos votar en las elecciones generales, es uno de tantos artefactos absurdos de nuestra condición colonial. Para muchos…Puerto Rico7 min readPuerto Rico7 min read
Jul 25, 2019#RickyRenunció: 10 reflexiones sobre una revoluciónSin orden específico… 1. …excepto el primero, que tiene que ser éste: honor a quien honor merece. A los jóvenes y no tan jóvenes que protestaron día tras día. A los que aguantaron gas lacrimógeno. A los que convocaron, caminaron, gritaron, bailaron, hicieron arte, hicieron patria y, al fin y…Puerto Rico7 min readPuerto Rico7 min read
Oct 20, 2018Venezuela y Cuba: carnadas irresistibles para la izquierda puertorriqueñaResulta profundamente irónica la reacción, a veces burlona y otras indignada, de “la izquierda” boricua ante el apoyo de Ricardo Rosselló a la oposición venezolana, y a su pretensión de convertir a Puerto Rico en el “centro logístico” de dichos esfuerzos. No porque la iniciativa no merezca todo tipo de…Puerto Rico5 min readPuerto Rico5 min read
Feb 9, 2018Citizenship! What Is It Good For?(Almost) absolutely nothing, if you’re from Puerto Rico. — I work at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life, a center at Tufts University devoted to advancing people’s participation in their communities and in democracy. (The views expressed here, and always, are my own.) It used to be called the Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service. A…Puerto Rico5 min readPuerto Rico5 min read
Oct 19, 2017It’s Not You, It’s Me (or, What I Wish Americans Would Say to Puerto Rico)Hello, my fellow American citizens! I’ve been reading a lot about Puerto Rico lately because, let’s face it, who doesn’t love disaster porn, and because the media has helpfully packaged your struggles in bright, colorful, TRUMP IS BAD wrapping paper that I, well-meaning liberal, am drawn to like a moth…Puerto Rico6 min readPuerto Rico6 min read
