From Cuba to Hollywood, Che a Caricature of Himself

For many, image of Che Guevara still resonates
By Sarah Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 1, 2009 12:35 PM CST

Steven Soderbergh’s biopic Che is drawing fresh attention to revolutionary icon Ernesto “Che” Guevara—even as he’s becoming a kind of caricature of himself, Rolf Potts writes in World Hum. In Cuba, Guevara serves as “a sainted martyr of unwavering purity who also happens to promote a meticulously standardized (if not particularly nutritious) political menu”—a mash-up of Jesus Christ and Ronald McDonald.

But ironically, “Che’s legacy inspires some of the least street-level romanticism within the country he influenced the most,” Potts writes. While revolutionaries—and marketers—worldwide have latched onto his image as a symbol of rebellion, few Cubans under 40 “regarded Guevara with anything other than ambivalence.” (More Che Guevara stories.)

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