Education, politics, and anything else that catches my attention.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Che Guevara, A Classy Guy
I wonder why anyone would wear a t-shirt with an image on it of someone they know nothing about--except maybe that he rode a motorcycle when he was young.
For the same reason that people think that Paris Hilton is a celebrity. They see the face around enough and figure it must be popular, so they wear it. I put it right up there with wearing a shirt with Mao or Stalin on the front, and I have seen those as well.
Why do they boys wear their pants under their buttocks? Why ask why? The answer is because they can and because they don't know, and don't want to know.
Anne Applebaum pointed this phenomena out once. Imagin if people went out with t-shirts with images of Hitler, Himmler, or Goebbels on them. How would people react? To me, the whole "Che" t-shirt phenomenon boils down to a extreme lack of knowledge and history education, as well as the adage that "Nothing Bad Ever Happens On The Left" (when was the last time you heard of Stalin, Mao, or Pol Pot talked about in the same breath as Mussolini or Hitler)? Personally, the "Che" t-shirt I would wear would be the one showing what he looked like shortly after his arrival in Bolivia 40 years ago :-).
I had a college student write two research papers on how great Che was. She knew that he was a terrorist but she thought that was necessary to get rid of bad government. She knew he'd killed a lot of people, but so has the US government. And he didn't kill THAT many, after all. He was her hero and she knew at least a little what he had done. But she also thought that a lot of bad things said about him were just propaganda of the US government.
Her other heroes for the paper were Stalin, Lenin, and the Black Panthers.
The only reason I can think of to wish that Che were still around is so that he could have seen his revolution implode. Of course then we'd have to put up with him working in the English department of some elite, American college.
Darren: In advance of the new leadership and the attempt to create a sphere of influence by Venezuela's resident monster, how about we market a bunch of shirts with his image and the international symbol for "no". After he has quashed his own dissidents and as he waits patiently for Castro to die, I am sure he will appreciate the publicity. Of course, if Hillary wins, he will be an invited guest and conservatives will be running in the streets dodging gunfire.
I just put a movie on my Netflix queue today, called the "The Lost City". It is about how Cuba went down the tubes after Castro and Che took over.
The movie was a labor of love from well-known actor (and one of my wife's heartthrobs) Andy Garcia. Unlike other naive Hollywood actors, Garcia is an outspoken critic of the Castro regime, and I understand that Che's excesses are addressed in the film.
I'm looking forward to reading Fontova's book. He has another one on my read-it-someday list called "Fidel: Hollywood's Favorite Tyrant".
You *really* don't see a difference, or does your BDS just require you to say that? Either way, you don't come out looking anything like a mental giant.
Yes. He's been dead for a long, long time.
ReplyDeleteFor the same reason that people think that Paris Hilton is a celebrity. They see the face around enough and figure it must be popular, so they wear it. I put it right up there with wearing a shirt with Mao or Stalin on the front, and I have seen those as well.
ReplyDeleteWhy do they boys wear their pants under their buttocks? Why ask why? The answer is because they can and because they don't know, and don't want to know.
ReplyDeleteChe is well liked in Argentina tho.
Anne Applebaum pointed this phenomena out once. Imagin if people went out with t-shirts with images of Hitler, Himmler, or Goebbels on them. How would people react?
ReplyDeleteTo me, the whole "Che" t-shirt phenomenon boils down to a extreme lack of knowledge and history education, as well as the adage that "Nothing Bad Ever Happens On The Left" (when was the last time you heard of Stalin, Mao, or Pol Pot talked about in the same breath as Mussolini or Hitler)?
Personally, the "Che" t-shirt I would wear would be the one showing what he looked like shortly after his arrival in Bolivia 40 years ago :-).
I wear one that has a small Che with a red circle/slash over him, and above that in large letters reads Commies Aren't Cool.
ReplyDeleteI had a college student write two research papers on how great Che was. She knew that he was a terrorist but she thought that was necessary to get rid of bad government. She knew he'd killed a lot of people, but so has the US government. And he didn't kill THAT many, after all. He was her hero and she knew at least a little what he had done. But she also thought that a lot of bad things said about him were just propaganda of the US government.
ReplyDeleteHer other heroes for the paper were Stalin, Lenin, and the Black Panthers.
So maybe folks do know what the shirt symbolizes.
The only reason I can think of to wish that Che were still around is so that he could have seen his revolution implode. Of course then we'd have to put up with him working in the English department of some elite, American college.
ReplyDeleteDarren: In advance of the new leadership and the attempt to create a sphere of influence by Venezuela's resident monster, how about we market a bunch of shirts with his image and the international symbol for "no". After he has quashed his own dissidents and as he waits patiently for Castro to die, I am sure he will appreciate the publicity. Of course, if Hillary wins, he will be an invited guest and conservatives will be running in the streets dodging gunfire.
ReplyDeleteI just put a movie on my Netflix queue today, called the "The Lost City". It is about how Cuba went down the tubes after Castro and Che took over.
ReplyDeleteThe movie was a labor of love from well-known actor (and one of my wife's heartthrobs) Andy Garcia. Unlike other naive Hollywood actors, Garcia is an outspoken critic of the Castro regime, and I understand that Che's excesses are addressed in the film.
I'm looking forward to reading Fontova's book. He has another one on my read-it-someday list called "Fidel: Hollywood's Favorite Tyrant".
You *really* don't see a difference, or does your BDS just require you to say that? Either way, you don't come out looking anything like a mental giant.
ReplyDelete