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If I were to tell you that the latest fashion on the street was a T-shirt adorned with the bust of Hitler, you would probably be offended. Yet, an equally despicable character has been granted such a distinction: Che Guevara.
"Che," an Argentinean term for "dude," came from a wealthy family. He ate from a silver spoon provided by his left-leaning family, leading a lifestyle that could hardly be described as "common."
In this light, he could be likened to John Kerry or Ted Kennedy: a person who fights for the masses, but doesn't desire to live as them.
However, to his credit, the "dude" did help those affected by leprosy and he was a pretty honest guy. He also fought against poverty and discrimination, both attributes I, as a libertarian, believe in fighting against.
The difference is that rather than creating change through the dissemination of leftist ideologies, he forced it by violent revolution, running a show-trial death camp and murdering opponents. Che declared: "Crazy with fury I will stain my rifle red while slaughtering any enemy that falls in my hands … With the deaths of my enemies I prepare my being for the sacred fight and join the triumphant proletariat with a bestial howl!"
Like I said, he was honest.
Though he "fought" for equality and justice, he killed and maimed his opponents just as Stalin, Pol Pot and Hitler did. However, rather than be banished to the annals of history as a lesson in "who the public should not follow," he is glorified by all-too-often clueless college students.
Not that everyone who supports him is an idiot, but fashion is not something a lot of people put thought into; if everyone else is wearing it, you have to also, period.
This is the irony of it all. Che was vehemently against private property and seized it at will. Yet, decades after his death, his face is one of the most heavily merchandised silhouettes, being plastered across mugs, mouse pads, posters and, of course, the quintessential shirt, a shirt that can be purchased from Hot Topic for $19.99.
The reality of his popularity within a capitalistic system of trade is a paradox: The man was evil and against most forms of economic and personal freedom, and yet, the masses yearn for more "dude" merchandise, offering up their income collected via a capitalist economy. In other words, by setting down the money, the purchaser is nullifying any point of displaying his likeness.
I hate the guy, but if you are going to sing his praises, draw it on your arm with a laundry marker or carve it into your favorite "Rage Against the Machine" jewel case, something that costs you nothing. However, even the marker probably set you back a good buck-ninety.
The first Sunday of December is Capitalism Day, a time to celebrate the freedoms that Che denied to the people of Cuba and tried to deny many other places. It is a day to rejoice in our right to purchase as we wish from whom we desire, even if it is something as hypocritical as a Che shirt.
Trevor Skelton is a senior at Gonzaga
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