Che Guevara: The Romantic Myth Endures

Exposing the Real Guevara by Humberto Fontova.

Che is a mystifying popular folk hero. People proudly display posters of him on their windows and little pictures of him on car dashboards. My friend, who earns over 100k per year, proudly sports a t-shirt of Che. A statement of sorts to prove he has intellectual depth no doubt.

However, Guevara is also a myth. A romantic figure to misguided souls and minds. The body of evidence about his life pretty much smashes the Follywood perception of this cowardly and senselessly murderous individual. I think I read somewhere once long ago that even Castro thought he was too radical. Imagine that.

I picked this excerpt from a blogger's review of the book:

"One story from the book that particularly impacted me was the tale of a mother who went to Che pleading for the life of her son. The young boy had been arrested for "actions against the revolution." His mother desperately tried to explain that her son's mental capacities would never allow for such a thing. Urging Che to see the boy for himself and then make an assessment of the charges, Che picked up the phone and called his jailers. His orders? To have the boy executed immediately, to his mother's horror."

The people behind the Motorcycle Diaries should be proud.

People will always idolize criminals and killers be it rappers or gangsters. One person I know admired Adolph Hitler's ability to mesmerize and control people and wield power. So much so he had a poster of him in his room. No amount of reasoning or rational discussion about historical context about Hitler would sway him. Jesus had pull yet it's sooo not cool to where a t-shirt with his face on it. Nope. You'd be dismissed as a "nutter." Che Guevara? No problem.

I'm surprised serial killers haven't been elevated in their social status.

Doing so is a way to prove one's existence and defiance of accepted and stable social and cultural norms. It's another way of saying, "I'm cool."

Then again, the whole Che-Che thing reminds me of the episode on The Simpsons about the real origins of Springfield's founder Jebediah Springfield. It seems their mythical hero was nothing but a common thief. When Lisa, God bless her, got wind of this, she set out to enlighten her fellow citizens. When her moment came during a parade, she saw the good (the innocence in the eyes of people were clear to her) Jeb brought out in people despite his piracy. She held back exposing him. Sometimes it's best to let history, you know, sleep.

I wonder if Che's legacy has brought any good to people. He may have a shot at redemption?