Che Guevara as an icon

[maryjoe]

Hi all. I was redirected here from che-lives.com. This is not a purely political question, but it is relevant to everyone on this board, so I hope to maybe get some sincere answers.

The famous image of Che Guevara has, in some ways, detached from political implications and garnered power and momentum as an autonomous visual object. I'm sure I don't need to give any of you examples of the commercialization of this image. I'm exploring the image of Che as a subcultural icon, and I'd like to hear what you guys think about all this. A few things I'm wondering in particular:

- Do you feel that it detracts power from the story of Che's life, or politics, to have his face on a handbag (or a Taco Bell commercial, a keychain, etc)?

- Is it detrimental to the revolutionary cause(s) to have its symbols touted by those who may not fully understand it? Does the image of Che have any sort of political power on its own?

- Is there anyone here who was initially attracted by the image of Che, then became subsequently involved in revolutionary politics directly?

- In the popular high-contrast image of Che, do you think that the subtle graphic changes made to Albert Korda's original photograph are significant?

- How important are the politics and life of Che Guevara to your political views?

- How did Che Guevara's face become such a widely distributed image?

Please respond with any thoughts you have on the iconography of Che Guevara, whether or not they answer the above questions. I am genuinely interested and any sentiments or opinions will be valuable.

[Roses in the Hospital]

It's obviously a little ironic that the image of a communist is working so well for capatalism, but overall I think it's worth having his image out there purely for the handful of people who'll get interested in the cause after looking him up after seeing him on a T Shirt or whatever...also, I don't think it's possible for the way his picture's used to cheapen his image, 'cos the vast majority of people who wear T Shirts don't know who he is anyway, and those that do are likely to be sympathetic to the cause anyway...

[RedScars]

If I hadnt seen his face anywhere around I wouldnt be communist. When I saw the mans picture I started to read about him and now Im studying whats the communism all about. I still got plenty to learn and this place helps me a lot.
I havent posted very much but I have read much.

[ComradeOm]

Today Che is rarely identified as a Marxist-Leninist. Instead he’s been stripped of his ideology and scrubbed so that he appeals to all. I suspect that the vast majority of people today know little about the man’s politics, instead focusing on his fight for “freedom”, a more readily identifiable aim. Its this search for freedom that has resonated with so many youths. Its that ideal that’s encapsulated in a single look in that picture.

That said, for those who do bother to research Che I still believe that there is a lot to admire. His disowning of his past and his single-minded drive for socialism are as relevant today as they were when he lived. He was mortal, he made mistakes and he did not contribute in any meaningful way to Marxist theory but, despite all that, he remains the model revolutionary devoting, and ultimately giving, his life to the revolution.