Late Great Ché Guevara

Larry Pratt, taken from newswithviews.com exposes some of the apparently little known facts about Che Guevara. I say "little known" in reference to pop culture's adoring approval of Che Guevara. That man's face is all over America, showing itself on t-shirts, buttons, and anything else large enough to hold a likeness. Pratt writes that it "seems to be intended as a statement that it is good to be free of the crushing norms of a civilization tricked up by dead white men." He goes on to say that Che Guevara is hailed as a man looking past material possessions and on to something more or better. Carlos Santana, as Pratt points out, says that "Che is all about love and compassion." This is the idealized Late Great Che Guevara.

The real Che Guevara is something else as well as something less. Lets take these one at a time, as Pratt describes them.

1. Pratt writes that Guevara seized a sizeable mansion (one of the biggest in Cuba) and lived lavishly for as long as he was allowed to stay. But the guy probably just had a whole lot of friends and family that needed a place to stay, thus making the mansion a necessity. Right? Right?
2. Che became the Minister of the Economy and "drove Cuba into the ground." Pratt writes, "This was not a failure in socialist terms." Maybe just in life terms. But who am I to judge?
3. "Che began his tenure in power by signing his name as Stalin II." And we all know how great a man Stalin was...
4. Pratt writes that Guevara "carried out executions on a daily basis." He also borrows a passage from Humberto Fontova's Exposing the Real Che Guevara, who quoted Che as saying, "I don’t need proof to execute a man ­ I only need proof that it's necessary to execute him."
5. Che "lead" two, notably failed, attempts to overthrow foreign governments. In the Congo, the Africans stopped listening to his directions and even began avoiding the man (Pratt).
   
6. In Bolivia, after he had sent his men to fight to the death, he was caught by the Bolivian army and "threw his guns down and pled for his life."

Che's story is one of materialism, war, inadequacy, brutality, and cowardice. Makes for a good story, but only if the good guy(s) get to take him down. It stands to say that Che was not what many people believe that he was and stood for much different ideas than most hold dear. The next time you see his image remember that this glorified man was just that glorified. I don't want suggest anything childish or immature, but maybe draw a Hitler 'stache, a "Hello - I'm Stalin II sticker, or some horns and an eyepatch. It would be a closer version to the truth.