the 07/21/2008

Beck: Instead of glorifying him, Che T-shirt could depict ...

 

Sure, there's plenty of talk of one intelligence team member,nervous about the mission, who wore a Red Cross symbol againstorders. But other accounts confirm the use of something you canprobably pick up at any mall: a Che Guevara T-shirt.

That's right, the same T-shirts you see Hollywood celebrities,starving pseudo-artists and confused hipster teens wearing aroundlocal coffee shops. To all those who decide that you want to becoffee house communist-chic, remember this: When you are wearing aChe T-shirt, you're wearing the same shirt that makes terroristsbelieve you're just one of the gang. I hope that latte is tasty.

How Che became such a revered superhero of the hard-core left islaughable. First of all, he wasn't even a good revolutionary. Hefailed in his attempt at world revolution almost as badly ascommunism has failed in the places it was actually tried.

"This is a history of a failure" is how he himselfdescribed his efforts in the Congo. He was killed in Bolivia,trying to fire up another failure of a war. Earlier, he evenmanaged to drop his gun and shoot himself in the face.

But more important than his incompetence is the fact that the manwas a mass killer. Hundreds were reportedly executed on his watch,and that doesn't include the deaths incurred in the wars he wasconstantly trying to start. He described his maniacal lust for warin his writings, saying he savored "the acrid smell ofgunpowder and blood of the enemy's death." How this guy is ahero to the anti-war crowd is truly perplexing.

I should also point out what seemingly gets eliminated from theHollywood movies attempting to glorify him: his bouts with racism.When describing the differences in the strife between"Europeans" and "the black," the supposedlyprogressive-minded Che wrote, "their different attitudes oflife separate them completely: the black is indolent and fanciful,he spends his money on frivolity and drink; the European comes froma tradition of working and saving which follows him to this cornerof America and drives him to get ahead."

Ohhhhh, so the "European" is a hard worker while"the black" is a fanciful drunk. Now I understand thedifference.

I wonder if that quote would inspire the volunteer office of BarackObama's Houston supporters to remove their Che flag. After it wasspotted on the wall in a local news video, Obama's campaign, farfrom a haven for right-wing nut jobs, went out of its way to makesure everyone knew that it had nothing to do with the flag anddidn't approve of its use. If Che were such a hero, why would thatbe necessary?

Revisionist history's fusion with fashion sense isn't exactly new,but its popularity seems to be growing. When actress Cameron Diazshowed up in Peru, she thought she had a trendy bag that mightgarner some jealous stares. People were staring, sure, but for allthe wrong reasons.

The bag, purchased in China, featured a red star and the words"Serve the people" on it. The problem? That was MaoZedong's most famous political slogan, and it stirred up memoriesof the Maoist Shining Path insurgency, which, according to the BBC,was responsible for 70,000 deaths in Peru during the '80s and '90s.Diaz apologized later for "inadvertently" offendinganyone.

It's been five years since the story of convicted abortion clinicbomber and Olympic park bomber Eric Rudolph led the news. As he wasevading police capture for months, stories of townspeople donning"Run Rudolph Run" bumper stickers were correctly greetedwith horrified disdain.

With the exception of the fact that Che killed a lot more people,what's the difference? You shouldn't be wearing an "I heartabortion clinic bombers" T-shirt, and if you have any respectfor humanity, you shouldn't be wearing a Che Guevara T-shirt,either.

Perhaps I should cash in on a Che T-shirt featuring hisclichéd image too. Except this time, instead of glorifyinghim, it could specifically be designed to point out his patheticand brutal legacy.

Honestly, though, I'm afraid I'd be sued. The communistrevolutionary who dedicated his life to fight capitalism has nowbecome nothing more than a piece of merchandise. Lesson learned: Inthe end, capitalism always wins.

When your only option is a Che shirt, maybe it's just better to gotopless.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of thewriter.