“I Tried to Conquer the Evil Yankee Imperialists and All I Got Was This Stupid T-Shirt”

That’s the message that writer Ryan Clancy would like to see on the next generation of T-shirts featuring the iconic image of Che Guevara. Clancy isn’t happy that Che has become a symbol of idealistic rebellion around the globe. “Che demanded worldwide revolution, even if it meant a stream of death and misery,” he writes in Monday’s USA Today.

“He said the utopia that could be built on the ashes of the old world would make the suffering worthwhile. That’s why he advocated a nuclear exchange during the Cuban missile crisis. In fact, if you read through Che’s speeches, with his constant refrain of glorious martyrdom, they’re remarkably similar to another well-known ‘revolutionary’ — the tall, bearded one holed up somewhere on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.”

Clancy notes that The Motorcycle Diaries movie is being remade into a major studio film starring Benicio Del Toro. But “The Motorycle Diaries” focused on Che’s early life. This article suggests the new film will focus on the last part of Guevara’s life. That would be interesting, because that part is far more controversial.

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