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I saw this story about a Che Guevara hairlock being auctioned off in Dallas. I hadn't heard of Che until I lived in South American about eight years ago, whereupon I read an autobiography of his (The Motorcycle Diaries) which chronicled his motorcycle trip around South America with a friend before his revolutionary days.In the years since I have seen Guevara's popularity rise even here in the U.S. to a degree (he's still more popular in South America), so I found this interesting:
Guevera has came to symbolize rebel chic with his likeness emblazoned on countless T-shirts and buttons. But many of his left-wing admirers are uncomfortable with what they see as the commercial exploitation of his legacy.
So, who else here thinks that the best way to quash an ideology is to turn it into a fad? 😀
Yes, but isn't he already a fad with all the t-shirts and stickers and whatnot? I always wondered who this Che guy is when I saw all these stickers on the telephone poles near Brown Univ. After I found out who he was and what he stood for and what he did, I was very perplexed how anyone could idolize such a person. :-I think the best way to sqelch his ideology, or at least remove his “hero” status, is through better education.
I think the best way to sqelch his ideology, or at least remove his “hero” status, is through better education.
Step 1: http://slate.com/id/2107100/
Step 2: Ten Shots At Che Guevara I like the point by point rebuttals.
Interesting story and answers….though I have to say I question whether any kid wearing a Che Guevara T-Shirt would stand around giving ten answers to a stranger who summarily refutes them. I don't think your average Che fan would stick around to be shown up like that.** Edit **Nevermind….upon re-reading it the kid may just have given the answers and the author didn't provide them to the kids face at the time.
Kids are looking for justification for their angst and rebellious nature… they'll take it where they can.Catch-22 or Holden Caulfield… Goodbye Columbus or Harry Potter… On the Road or Che… doesn't really matter. Most of us grow out of it and carry on… the rest get elected to the House as Democrats. 😮
I watched the movie Shooter last weekend and saw that one of the characters, an FBI agent, was wearing a Che Guevara shirt. Yes, it has become a fad in the U.S., although it's taken longer to catch on here than in Latin America (perhaps this shouldn't be surprising). Yes, Che has become like the rebellious figure that people want to cling to….though I'd think that if people really want to attach themselves to a rebel, it would be to Lenin. Strangely enough, why don't more Americans of this kind of thinking attach themselves to the original American rebels of Patrick Henry, Ben Franklin, George Washington…..?
… why don't more Americans of this kind of thinking attach themselves to the original American rebels of Patrick Henry, Ben Franklin, George Washington…..?
Poor P/R mostly; to too many these are a bunch of old dead white guys that are the villains for all the bad stuff we've done since leaving the Commonwealth.We forget they were on the cutting edge of liberalism of the time; Enlightenment ideas from Locke… the extension of citizens rights from English Parliamentary tradition… the challenge to the established authority for individual rights and autonomy from the Great Awakening. These guys were the Che's of their time!Given our current political direction I'd say we need some individuals like these fellows to step forward and challenge the existing power structure. Our government (both parties) represent a conservatism that dictates to the population because it can. Neither party will do anything that might jeopardize the status quo… that is risk losing their place at the public trough or their lock on power. Why else would you see so much pandering to keep everyone happy while working to disarm the population before it wakes up to the fact that our rights and liberties are being quietly deleted.I could go on….
