This is not necessarily intended to glorify or demonize Ernesto “Che” Guevara, but to shed light on his status as a cultural icon and his quasi-religious reverence by those who go hungry and have been marginalized by society.
There is undoubtedly an alluring quality to Che Guevara. He has a romantic and cultural appeal for young people who gravitate toward his image as a rebel. For many, he is the embodiment of revolution and of social change – both idealistic and romantic.
Che’s legacy is judged on the content of his character. His memory offers an example deemed worthy of emulation. He led his followers with his personal example: a determination to struggle and sacrifice for a set of beliefs coupled with Arthurian qualities.
Guevara had a hatred for capitalistic exploitation and any reward, except for the triumph of his ideals. He had a rigid resolve for discipline, including for himself, a chronic asthmatic. He made himself oblivious to discomfort and the perils of revolutionary warfare in the pursuit of what he believed to be right.
His selflessness and determination for social justice are elements worthy of inspiration, no matter how one analyzes the communist philosophy that infulenced him.
Che traveled extensively throughout Latin America. He realized that the continent’s socio-economic inequalities were the result of capitalism, imperialism and neo-colonialism. He professed that the only solution had to be a revolution through armed struggle. He played a pivotal role in the Cuban Revolution and later sought to incite revolutions in the Congo and Bolivia. He was captured and executed by CIA-backed Bolivian forces in 1967.
Che was no murderer, nor was he a terrorist. He was a medical doctor, a prolific writer, a theorist and a revolutionary soldier who fought at the forefront of three distinct insurgencies.
Albeit, he committed many atrocious acts such as executions of traitors in his columns and his involvement at La Cabaña, where he led summary trials and firing squads of suspected war criminals from Cuba’s previous regime.
His condemnation was based on his involvement with the Cuban Revolution, the establishment of labor camps and the subsequent growth of socialist dogma on the Caribbean island.
Nevertheless, Che is still a beacon of hope for social change. People see in him the tenacity for effecting change. No matter who you are or where you come from, you can change the world. Che committed many atrocious acts, but mostly he is remembered for his selflessness.
One thing Che accomplished was to inspire people the world over. He led by example and was an incorruptible internationalist. Because of these qualities, he continues to be a source of inspiration and a symbol of struggle against oppression and exploitation.
It’s easy to quote Che’s message, “Hatred is an element of the struggle; a relentless hatred of the enemy,” and dismiss him as a war-mongering lunatic. But his was also a message of altruism and love.
People who exalt Che do so not because they condone any of the atrocious acts mentioned earlier, but because he was a symbol of change. His life served as an inspiration for freedom.
Che gave his life for his ideals. He is a reminder that there are things worth dying for such, as equality and the pursuit of justice.
Fernando Romero is a senior journalism major and a contributing writer for the Daily Forty-Niner.
