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At the beginning of May, thousands of people came together in Los Angeles to protest a law they believed was unjust.
Protestors chanted, waved American flags and some even wore T-shirts with the picture of an iconic man: revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara. The black and white photograph titled “Guerillero Heroico” was taken 50 years ago, but it has somehow crept into American fashion and pop culture, glorifying a murderer.
Let me give you a very quick overview of what Che stood for. He was an intellectual and author. His motorcycle journey around South America became a best-seller and an award-winning film. Above all, he believed in the power of one man to make a difference for social and economic equality. The means by which he went about achieving this end is where I stop agreeing with him.
For Che, answers to the world’s problems were gained through violence. He was an advocate of guerilla warfare, a leader in the Cuban Revolution and successfully helped Fidel and Raul Castro take over the country they still control today. Che also played a major role in repelling the Bay of Pigs Invasion and bringing nuclear missiles to Cuba. Later he was executed by Bolivian forces for trying to incite a revolution.
Yet everyone from pissed-off teenagers to activists wear T-shirts and carry messenger bags with his face emblazoned on them. Let me also point out the irony of these consumer products since Che was completely against materialism and capitalism.
Che isn’t the only villain who gets the hero treatment. The images of Mexican Revolutionary leaders Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata are regularly spray painted on black shirts. Their dates of birth and death as well as something like “Viva Zapata” usually surround the images. Instead of being looked at as train robbers and banditos, they are praised for their contributions to Mexican history.
We even idolize fictional anti-heroes. Pulp Fiction, The Godfather and even comics like The Punisher are all about people doing horrible things, but we still idolize them. The difference is, that’s fiction. This is the real world where people bleed real blood and knives hurt.
I get it. They stand for something you stand for. They have a strong personality. But you can’t just take the good with the bad when the bad includes murder. These men killed people with families, without the blink of an eye. Fighting for something in the name of a cause is great, but there are other ways to go about it.
Wearing a shirt with the image of a so-called revolutionary doesn’t make you counterculture or a rebel. Learn your history and pick someone a little more worthy of your adoration.
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