New to Che

[Titus]

I've seen Che a million times. I live in the UK. Where, just as in America, it is 'trendy' and 'cool' to wear Che Guevara T-shirts with his legendary face and beret emblazoned upon them. I see so many people wearing his image simply for the 'respect' they seem to gain among others. He is - in many senses of the word - 'cool' for his 'freedom-fighting' status.

But they don't really know who he is. They know his name, sure. They even know what he looks like *surprise, surprise* but they don't really know what he did. Not exactly. I'd be surprised if most of them knew anything about Cuba - or even the fact that he was so close to Fidel Castro.

I'm here because I first heard of Che through people who wore the T-shirts. Some of which actually did know a little about him and shared little gems of knowledge which just sparked my curiosity further. Who was this man? What did he do? What cause did he martyr himself for?

I have found answers to some of my questions, and have since become a bit of a liberal social/marxist. I understand the main principles of it all. But not so much the nitty-gritty. So I was wondering... What are your opinions on this hugely influential man, and his own disciplines of thought?

[man in the red suit]

I wear che shirts but luckily I DO know about him and what he did. I often find myself giving 10 minute long bios on him to 5 different people a day every time a wear a che shirt so I have recently stopped wearing them. i don't see why everyone praises him THAT much. he was a great man but he is not god. He exported the revolution to the third world and helped overthrow the evil Batista. He wrote a couple books on guerilla warfare too. I guess that is quite an acomplishment. I have respect for him but many worship him. I guess he is thought highly of because he is an icon of freedom and determination. He fought the revolution against batista's regime with only about 100 people or so. It just comes to show that anything is possible.

[Red Anarchy]

I don't wear che shirt because, as you said most people wear it only for fashion and nothing more.
I admire Che because he always did what he thought, never thinking about his own good. For example, he left his family and the power he had in Cuba, and went to fight and maybe never come back. I don't think anyone would do something like that. He was always ready to give his life for what he believed in. All his ideas were based on deep revolutionary humanism, and that's what makes him an icon.

[Avamatha]

Quote: from IrishGuevara32 on 4:24 pm on July 28, 2002
Tea tastes better! lol IrishGuevara

A revolutionary way to start your morning.

Well, there has been a lot of discussion about those shirts. As it's been said, some know about him, some don't.

I don't think you should take an bad attitude to all of them, you never know.

(Edited by Avamatha at 9:58 pm on July 28, 2002)

[Titus]

I generally assume that people know who he is, unless they seem to let it slip that they dont. I'm not against wearing them: it's a nice way of making friends sometimes, where other people can see what you believe in. I just don't like the whole 'cool' thing.

What some of you have said reinforces what I thought of him. He went all the way to liberate what he saw as a nation of limited people who were tied down by an aggressively strict regime. It still happens today... we need more like him. Maybe he's the icon to inspire future people to do the same...

[canikickit]

Do you ever wonder how you would have felt about Che if you were around at the time?
Its hard to know for sure, but I suspect a lot of people would view him in the same way most view the likes of Osama Bin Laden nowadays (i.e. negatively)...

[PunkRawker677]

Canikickit;

I disagree, Che in the 60s in America was not seen as a "terrorist" icon by most americans. Just a un-godly communist. Even some of the youth in those days admired him and many vigils were held when he was pronounced dead.

Che's status as a popular icon is a double edged sword. On on hand, it hurts our cause because he is becoming commericalized. On the other hand, it is helping our cause by spreading his beliefs and what he stood for. Just be careful to not fall into the wrong category.

[ComradeJunichi]

Yeah, I agree with PunkRawker677's metaphor about Che's popularity being a double edged sword.
I really admire Che, for as you have read what people stated above. I, frankly, could not be able to give my life up and fight like that. I think I would be too scared. Well maybe when I grow up I'll have some guts.
I have a 2 posters, 1 flag, and a painting that my comrade painted for me, keychain, postcards, books, and so on. Seems like I'm a fanatic. Your right I am, I like to collect everything and get really into stuff. I have a lot of shirts, and I wear them because I know who he is, and I enjoy talking with people who want to know, or making friends with other left-wingers.

"Shoot coward, your only going to kill a man" -Che
I think those were his last words...I thought that was brave, I would have fainted if I had a gun pointed at me. hehe.

[Red Revolution]

I wear a che shirt occasionaly and am amazed at the response.

Some people come up to me and say "why are you wearing a t-shirt with bin-laden on it.

Some people come up to me and say "You nazi bastard"

Some people come up to me and say "Where do you come from"

Here is a conversation I had with a person of 17 in London when I was playing football (or soccer)

Guy - Hey I bet you don't know who that bloke is on yours and my t-shit

Me - I bet YOU don't

Guy - Year its that russian guy from the seventies

I explained to him that he was grossly missinformed however he refused to take it all in after I tried to explain. He probobly didn't like bieng told he was wrong by a person younger than him. Some people wear the t-shirts to get friends - that makes me sick.

[bluerev002]

i only have a bandana of him. its hanging from my cieling next to a mexican flag which is next to an upside down US flag, my point is i dont consider myself to be "crazy" about che cuz i dont know that much. i know bits, and enough to have respect for him.

i see a lot of people wearing shirts with his face and i think doing so cuz its a "trendy trend" is just an insult to his name. but its really not important, i mean they are only human. they arent doing harm to anyone, and its their opinion, cant change that in the little 40 minutes i have at lunch break.

their just a bomb waiting to go off walking around with their pants all the way down thinking they all koo wearing a shirt of a man they know nothing about, ask em a question see what they say,

maybe he'll start something and everyone will start to like che and accually read and know about him. thats a good thing.

its only a shirt used to shield him from the cold ( its too hot here though) nothing more, nothing less. his/her opinion and i dont really care.

what would piss me off is if a clothes company (like that rino one.....cant memer or fufu) would use his face to sell instead of using it to show their appriciation. just like they did with spider man now everyone loves spiderman all of a sudden leaving those who trully liked spiderman all their lives look as though they just copied the jocks and chearleaders (i know not all jocks and chears are superficial).

and to some people (like in cuba) consider him a christ.

[Supermodel]

LOL a Russian guy from the seventies!!!

I don;t generally wear t-shirts (supermodel joke) but I do have a large collection of Che books and videos.

In my office I posted the pic of Che at the battle of Santa Clara. Most people don't ask. About half te people who come in have no idea who he is and the other half are stunned that I have the picture and ask me what kind of point I am trying to make.

Generally no body where I work is a lefty or has any interest in Che. I'm subverting them, though, slowly and surely......

[angry]

I think I started a thread of this kind sometime ago..
well, time to bring it back..
I meself don´t wear t-shirts with his face on them..
I don´t like to look at him as some merchandise, I keep him in me mind, I think he wouldn´t have like that (beeing a merchandise), a few days ago me friend dragged me into a mall (wich I don´t like) and in this window of a "jack & jones" store the amerikkan flag was hangin besides a picture of Guevara on a t-shirt and for a moment I was thinking of going in and rip the amerikkan flag down, those kind of things make me mad..childish, I don´t know..but I have read a whole lot about him and I think that the world defenetly needs a few more like him, I try to live be some of his principles..hard in a society such as we live in!

[Kilian]

Dont try to act as someone else. Be angry and live by your own principles. I saw a Che Mug in a shop and thought maybe I'll buy it, then I looked at the price which was about 7€ or so. I wanted to smash that mug on that fuckin floor of that fuckin shop. BE ANGRY!

[angry]

does that go to me, or what, didn´t get that post quite well enough,
no offence btw..

[bluerev002]

i have two books of him and i just bought a HUUUUU
UUUUGE flag of him for twelve dollars! its the same flag as the intro exept it says "asta la victoria siempre"

[Kilian]

I was speaking to you all not to try impersonate che

[Marxist1848]

I have no problem with wearing the Che shirt. If people want to wear it to look "cool" on the other hand, thats a different story. But the thing is, they know they have no clue who Che was or know very little about him. They know that they are wearing shirt to look "rebelious". I feel bad for these people, you know, with having to re-asure themselves that they are "cool" and the whole acceptance thing that they need to accomplish. But i have a big problem with anyone who can call themselves "cool" or tries to look "cool". As Kurt Cobain said - "Cool is gay" and "I'd Rather be dead than cool"

[angry]

"Cool is gay" and "I'd Rather be dead than cool"

Curt Cobain was "cool" and now he is dead, so he got what he wished for..

[canikickit]

you're gay