Smart Funny & Black Productions The US Colonized The Caribbean [EP 94]
Dec 25, 2025
Exploring the US's colonial legacy in the Caribbean, the discussion highlights critical points like the country's provocative moves towards Venezuela and the implications of soft power on regional sovereignty. Forced sterilization in Puerto Rico and the Grenada invasion illustrate the darker aspects of colonialism. The impact of NAFTA on Caribbean economies and the systematic destabilization of Haiti further underline the detrimental effects of US involvement. The conversation calls for political awareness among Caribbean leaders, urging them to reconsider their ties with the US.
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U.S. Control Framed As Modern Colonialism
- Amanda Seales argues the U.S. effectively colonized the Caribbean through economic and political control.
- She frames modern ties like trade dependency as soft power that undermines sovereignty.
Mass Sterilization In Puerto Rico
- Amanda Seales recounts forced sterilizations in 1930s Puerto Rico that affected one in three women.
- She uses this as an example of hard power and reproductive violence under U.S. control.
Soft Power Used To Justify Invasions
- Seales links Cold War fears to direct interventions like the 1983 U.S. invasion of Grenada.
- She shows soft-power pretexts (students, construction) were used to justify military action.