Che Guevara is not cool
The other day at the gym I saw a guy wearing a Che Guevara t-shirt. I had to ask him why he was proudly brandishing the image of a communist killer. I kindly asked him to explain his gym attire and he responded that Che was his “idol.” Interesting choice of words, I thought. Che certainly is a secular god of the far left around the world.
The man was middle-aged, with a slight Spanish accent. He offered that he was from Bolivia and during his undergraduate years “we all followed Che.” I asked him why he and his cohorts followed a man who was a communist revolutionary and chief executioner for Fidel Castro. Well, he might have been a murderer, admitted the man, but he was dedicated to his ideals. Yes, well, his ideals were brutal and inhumane, I responded. The man didn’t argue, but merely added that there was something mystical about Che. Again, the religious imagery was hard to escape. Yes, Che is a mystical figure among leftist students, professors and coffee shop pseudo-intellectuals. But why would they support someone who practiced and preached violence, not peace? How would they treat someone wearing a Hitler or Mussolini shirt to the gym? Why do left-wing murderers and tyrants get absolution of their sins by the leftist secular elites?
After the conversation I at least knew the answer to one question. This man clearly knew very little about the life and times of Che Guevara. He didn’t defend the murder, nor the failed system of communism that Che espoused. Rather, he just wore the t-shirt because Che seemed cool and everyone else around him thought so to. I guess that’s okay, but at least he now knows that not everyone thinks Che is cool. Hopefully he will think about our discussion the next time he takes that t-shirt out of his closet to put it on. In fact, I hope he decides never to wear that t-shirt again.
Perhaps the power of social reinforcement that encouraged him to celebrate Che can be utilized to halt the celebration.
Tags: che guevara, communism, socialism