This photo is one of the most iconic images in modern history. Who was this guy? And what does he have to do with today's political climate?
Che Guevera (1928-1967)
· Liked: Communism (thought Socialism was for sissies), cigars, chess, and poetry
· Disliked: Catholic nuns, Democracy, bathing, and being faithful to his wife
· Nicknames: “Choncho”(pig) and “The Butcher of La Cabana”
· Imprisoned in his labor camps: Poets, rebellious intellectuals, & gays
· Said: “An effective, violent, selective, and cold-blooded killing machine: this is what our soldiers must become.”
· # of people Che personally ordered to be executed: 400+
· # of middle-class Latin American college students he inspired to become guerillas: 30,000+
· # of people killed in these insurgencies: 300,000+
· # of successful revolutions besides Totalitarian Cuba: 0
· Called Che “excessively aggressive”: Best buddy Fidel Castro
· Admirers: Malcolm X, the Black Panthers, Nelson Mandela, Allen Ginsberg, Santana, Hugo Chavez, liberals, and most college students
· Response to The Motorcycle Diaries (biographical Che movie) at Sundance: Standing ovation
· Still seeing his face on the walls of college dorms: (yawn)
· Seeing his face alongside another well-known revolutionary: PRICELESS
Obama campaign offices
Judge James Burge of Elyria, Ohio
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