Ernesto Che Guevara: A Hero or a Tyrant?

 

Che Guevara was a Tyrant

Though Che’s supporters frequently disregard his failures and are prone to romanticize his character, in truth, above all, Ernesto Che Guevara was an uncouth tyrant, militant, and oppressor in the face of Latin America. He called himself a liberator of the Latin American people, but he failed to uphold the ideals of his so-called common revolution – of economic and social equality, peace, and justice. He felt more at ease killing other men in the wilderness amid gunpowder, smoke, and other unhygienic attributes of guerilla warfare than employing his medical degree in practice. Instead of taking up a medical kit as a recruit in the field, he took up arms. Che was aggressive and, on many occasions, nearly as brutal as the oppressors he was fighting against. From overseeing the Cuban Revolution’s first firing squads to ordering his men to execute opponents without a trial, Che was a reckless firebrand who was willing to exert just as much brute force as the predecessor he sought to overthrow.Although he was arguably radicalized by his experiences, his conduct in power is inexcusable. He himself headed the trials of Batista’s men in a secretive, clandestine manner, and when Castro expelled him from Cuba, he turned to raise havoc in Bolivia, where he recruited any men he could find by deceiving them of the true conditions of the country -- many of whom later deserted in his aimless gang. Moreover, Che’s letters to his mother revealed his true character -- he called the violence and bombings of villages associated with guerrilla warfare “a lot of fun” to break the monotony. Moreover, he repeatedly ordered his men to kill if in doubt, and, as seen through Che’s own speeches to the UN, urged that hatred bred effective, violent cold-blooded “killing machines.” Behind the charismatic face that plasters posters and T-shirts of youths against the Establishment lies a cruel dictator whose actions and failures mirrored that of Hitler, Stalin, and Mao. As Glenn Beck so accurately stated, Che is unworthy of the popularity he now commands as an iconic image. Even though some argue that Che attempted reform, it is undeniable that Che committed horrific atrocities in the process, seeing the ends to justify whatever the means.