Che Guevara? Mass murderer or liberal darling?

I agree. The Che T-shirt craze is ridiculous. He was a murderous Marxist. The students are enjoying the freedom of expression to wear Che shirts which would never be allowed in a Marxist society.

Then again, I'm reminded of a quote which unfortunately, I can't attribute to a source:

"If you are in your early 20's and not fighting against THE MAN, you have no heart and if you are in your early 30's and not working for THE MAN, you have no brains."

While I will admit kids dont know what he stands for.

I can proudly say I admire his determination, his self belief and his will to do anything to make things better for his people. Calling him a murdering thug does nothing to lessen all I have taken the time to learn of this great man. If young people in this country today had half the determination and spirit of this man our country would be a far better place.

Both, he was a mass murderer who is now admired by a lot of bone headed rich kids and academics who seem have no idea that they would be the first ones in front of one of the many firing squads he ordered.

That's not true. Our President, Tarja, used to be a big Che Guevara fan, and look where she is now- the first female president of Finland.

Che Guevara - Thats what my daughter Jen calls her poodle..........so cute!

As a person who uses Che’s visage as my avatar in the Yahoo Answers forum, I think it is my responsibility to answer this question. Many people, including myself, don’t align themselves with Che’s political philosophy or the murderous means he went about achieving his ends. I am fully aware, having read up on the man, that he was unscrupulous in dealing with his enemies, and had committed many atrocities and order many heinous acts against his fellow man during his revolutionary life. Yet, there is more to a man than just his negative side.

I, as many people who use his image, understand that he embodies a subversive spirit. His image is commonly associated with usurping the establishment and questioning the status quo. No other image comes to mind, in our recent history, that truly personifies this defying spirit as much as Che’s face in that memorable photograph that is so indelibly etched into our collective consciousness. It is this nonconformist spirit that I seek to convey in this forum, and it is one that many young people also wish to relay when they wear his T-Shirts or buy paraphernalia that bears his portrait.

Take for example the flag wavers in this country, who all hoist up the stars and stripes during 4th of July celebrations. These patriotic people, who raise the flag, know they are displaying something that has both positive and negative connotations to it. Most Americans who brandish the flag proudly, aren’t trying to express their approval of slavery, racial segregation, Japanese internment, the massacre of civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the wrongful prosecution of citizens during the McCarthy era, or any other wrongdoing that transpired under the shadow of the American flag. They wave the flag because it represents the virtues, freedoms, and egalitarian spirit that this country is supposed to embody.

The point being is that one can carry a symbol and not necessarily stand for many of the negative things associated with that symbol. Like many historical characters, who did dastardly things, Che committed atrocities in order to bring about change that he felt would ultimately better the plight of the common man. I don’t agree with his view that Marxism will bring equality. That is a utopian dream. I definitely disapprove of his Machiavellian tactics and the ease to which he would quickly resort to murder to achieve his objectives. It is his intrepid, empathetic, and questioning spirit that others and I wish to express when we wear his image, or display it in a forum like this one.

A true piece of sh*t.