40 years since the death of Ernesto "Che" Guevara

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http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/10/08/castro.guevara.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

Opinions? Comments? It would be safe to say that this is one of the more controversial people in 20th century history.

 

He was clearly charismatic, an idealist, and rather ruthless in his pursuit of his ideals. As far as toppling Cuba's Batista is concerned he certainly had ample justification for his revolutionary zeal. And it is fair to say that he was an icon of his time.

I remember the CIA man who led the hunt for him voicing something like regret in an interview, along the line that such a remarkable man and worthy opponent was killed in the way he was.

I have that Rage against the Mashine t-shirt with Che's profile that I can't wear anymore because I feel so distant. First because Che's wasn't my time, and second because I find, their first album aside, the band rather tedious now, and I got tired of the singer's tantrums (he's not exactly singing) about how rotten this world is. Yawn.

 

In honor of his death I will try to be nice to a hippie today.

Nah, I just can't bring myself to do it.

 

In a sense Guevara's idea that he had to start peasant revolts to revolutionise societies to drag the masses out of their backwardness to create the new man (quite Star Trek-ish actually), give them some tough love for their own good so to say – in modern language: transform their societies – resembles trotskyites of other colour. One could describe them as violent dreamers. That said, in sharp contrast to current generations of violent dreamers he at least he had the guts to go out and put his life on the line for his pipedreams.

Guevara's expedition to Africa was an utter failure. Guevara eventually ran out of luck because the locals in 1967 Bolivia understood that oppression they would have to endure would be primarily because of Guevara's activities, so they prudently sold him out.