Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Che

By Douglas Kohn
Kohn@Fordham.edu

I am sure most people that read this are in agreement that Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, was nothing more than a murderer and a thug. What has been done for years by idiot youth across college campuses is now being brought to the big screen. Benicio Del Toro is playing Che in a movie of the same name. This is a disgrace to all the Cubans who left the island in a panic and I take it as a personal affront because of my family’s involvement.

My grandfather was a principal American investor in Cuba. Having been a Colonel in the US Air Force and the Royal Air Force, he retired from the military with many international connections. He used these to become an investor in Cuba. At the peak of his wealth, he owned cigar factories, a motorcycle factory, several tobacco farms, apartment buildings in Havana as well as homes in Havana, Pinar Del Rio and Miramar. In addition to this, he had a monopoly on all of the parking meters in Havana.

What did he and other American investors do that was so terrible? He created thousands of jobs and contributed to the welfare of Cuba by increasing the island’s wealth, which at the time was substantial.

Then Castro and Guevara decided this was no good. When they took Havana from Batista, the very first thing they did was smash my grandfather’s parking meters to steal his money. They then nationalized all of his assets and froze his accounts for no reason other than their anarchism and hatred. They then murdered many of his friends. They were the lowest form of life on Earth.

As if the widespread immortalization of Che and Castro is not enough, Hollywood has to pour salt in the wounds of many people. After he lost his fortune, my grandfather died of conditions which were surely brought on by the increased stress of becoming destitute, though I cannot prove this. What I can prove however, is that my father was thrust into poverty at the age of 18 and forced to live out of a car for a year. He later returned himself to wealth by working long hours for little money to put himself through school.

Guevara was evil and anyone with a conscience should not see a movie that portrays this monster as a hero.

2 comments:

Phil said...

Great post and an inspiring story. Your father's story truly proves the possibility of living the American Dream.

I am glad there is at least one person out there who agrees that Che was far from a hero and in fact was a monster. The support this man has gotten on college campuses in recent years disgusts me. Those who murder and destroy the lives of innocent people for political gains are beyond evil.

I would also like to point out that my criticism of Che goes far beyond his politics. I feel the exact same way about General Pinochet, who's economic positions I strongly agree with. Pinochet, like Che, murdered and destroyed the lives of the innocent for political gain. In my opinion this should never be acceptable regardless of your politics.

Sadly, however, most college students don't seem to agree. Che has risen to hero-like status on college campuses in America, when really he should be thought of in the same way as General Pinochet, an evil monster.

Alex Gibbons said...

Reading this...I feel as though Douglas misses the point, and I can only imagine a disparaged Englishman writing in the same tone following the American Revolution.

Sure, the story of your family is an example of how Capitalism can reward some, but is in no way relevant to the Cuban Revolution. In fact, by claiming that you have a personal investment in the actions because your grandfather owned some factories...well, that's just absurd in my opinion.

Basically what your saying is "My pappy was a member of what communists would call the bourgeoisie, and because the proletariat overtook the class of wealth and privilege that he was wholeheartedly apart of, I am upset! And since the killings and executions committed by Che Guevara do not agree with my political philosophy, I am upset by them, even though my own countries history is rife with heroes known for their violent and bloody tenancies."

A monster? Have you ever seen monsters before? They're huge. Hundreds of eyes, slimy tentacles. Guevara was pretty brutal, but by no means a "monster."