Ernesto Guevara de la Serna 'Che' is an icon, ideologue and a martyr. He was the modern equivalent of Simon Bolivar. The man was selfless and fought for what he believed was right: levelling the playing field between the oppressed and the oppressor, the rich and the poor, the haves and the have nots throughout Latin America. He dreamed of a Latin America free from the rampant exploitation of the region by foreign powers perpetuating the gigantic gulf between rich and poor there - the gulf having originally been created and maintained by the Spanish empire before the reins were handed over to the USA. One need only look at Macchu Picchu to see what heights the original civilisation there achieved and then look at the poor barrios of any/all Latin American capitals, cities and towns to see what has become of them. Having visited Latin America a few times I was kind of shocked to find third world shanty towns blocks away from gleaming skyscrapers belonging to international banks and corporations.
To free Latin America he was required to adopt the 'if you want to make an omelette you have to break some eggs' approach - effecting change on such a monumental level is not going to be easy after all, especially when the odds are stacked so highly against you. This necessary aspect of his approach to his struggle is what earns him the most criticism, rightly or wrongly. He was a strict disciplinarian and was ruthless and unyielding when it came to anything that got in the way of him achieving his goal: a Latin America run by the ordinary men and women of Latin America and a fairer distribution of wealth amongst said people. He made mistakes from time to time, as do we all, as have the US for instance at Guantanamo Bay.
Guerilla warfare, the approach taken by Guevara and his cohorts, is the natural and most intelligent way of fighting a conventional army when they have superiority of equipment and numbers. I cannot criticise him for that. I don't regard guerrilla warfare as terrorism unless it is specifically targetting civilians. I admire Guevara for his military exploits in this brand of warfare because let's face it: Guevara wrote the handbook!! He was a master of the craft. Guevara defeated the forces of Batista starting off with an initial band of guerrilla soldiers of 15-20 after the inital battle where the Granma landed. That's impressive.
This man put his life on the line
for the principles in which he believed in Cuba, Bolivia and the Congo. Although I myself am a capitalist and certain aspects of Che's life rightly deserve criticism I for one admire the man greatly for his military brilliance, the righteousness of many elements of his cause, his charisma and his selflessness.
Viva la revolucion!
PS I hate people wearing Che t-shirts. It's so sheep-tastic.
Last edited by CameronPoe (2006-08-04 08:41:37)
