When you make the transition from one country to another there are going to be a lot a changes involved. The biggest challenge is to get used to the lifestyle and customs. I have experienced in the last 20 month a lot of things mostly the hard way that kind of makes me an expert in these so called taboos. First of all I will like to say that a taboo is commonly defined as something that is forbidden by a specific society.
In the case of Cuba the most known taboos are the ones involved with politics, mainly because there is not freedom of speech. For example you are not allowed to express any critics about the government mostly because of the fear of going to jail. Another taboo I remember is homosexuality. In Cuba Homosexuality was seen as a disease, there was even a time when they will be in prison just because they had another sexual orientation.
In contrast in USA taboos are of course most known. Some of them are staring at someone for a long period of time, being late, cracking or popping your knuckles, and touching without permission. I have experienced some of them. While in Cuba you never called anyone by their last name, as I recall you only called by last name in military live. In USA if you don’t know the person you are supposed to name them by last name is like a rule. In addition racial taboos are evident here in USA. You are not supposed to call people names that refer to any kind of race while as in Cuba is really typical to call people by their race as NEGRO or Blanco I think because we don’t see it as an insult as they see it here in the states.
In conclusion, I think that the mainly cause of taboos in Cuba is, as all problems in the Island, the government which has create a different society based on lies and disinformation. While, here in USA freedom of speech and all the different melting cultures have created a different society based in respect and good manners.