Santana getting his Che on.
Oh, you radical, you.
The Educated Chicano is enjoying that wonderful middle-class life he or she has been so working so hard toward. You’ve got your HD TV working, the iPhone clicking, and a nice coche with some GPS on that ass. But deep in the ECH psyche is that insecurity that he or she is moving away from the radical ethos taught in those Chicano Studies classes by those aging, but lovable Chicano hippies with their boney-tails and greying goatees.
Just sport the Che Guevara tees, homes, and you’ll be a’ight.
At BBQs, MEChA reunions, socials at conference, dinner with old college friends, or just to piss off Cuban Americans (see #19), ECHs will yank out the Che tees so they can get their racial blood going. You know, make them feel all La Causa. After all, Che and his revolutionary background is great cover to get people looking away from those expensive shoe you’ve got there on your feet. But with Che, ECHs can let the world know, yo, I’m still down with revolution and Che is down with me. It makes them almost feel like they’re still in MEChA, minus the boring lectures about neo-Aztlan and no salsa music at the after conference dance. ECHs can even get the latest Che gear at thechestore.com.
For years, ECHs have been using Che’s image as symbol of the old struggle. He is on Movement murals in East LA. He’s on flags at immigration rallies. He’s a tattoo on ECHs arms, chest, and asses. Student ECH activist use his image to fight rising tuition. ECH feministas sometimes, and this is my favorite, invoke Che in the cause against sexism (because Che treated his many lovers and his offspring with so much respect).
But few know the real Che. For example, he pressed Castro and the Soviets to nuke the U.S. during the Cuban Missile crisis (which would have blown your WWII-vet abuelo into ashes). He advocated violence to overthrow governments (including yours) and saw nothing wrong with certain human rights violations. But hey, nobody’s perfect.
All this can be overlook when ECHs want to let the world know, look, I’m still not down with that internal-colonialism you’re trying to force on me, ese. Mira, my Che tee, and get your eyes off my blackberry. I’m not playing, eh. One day, homes. One day.
thanks for the awesome blog.
love, chinita
ah shucks (blush Che red)
You dismiss Che’s actions by saying “nobody’s perfect”? You’re kidding us, right? I don’t think you’d be so quick to forgive Stalin, Trujillo, and Somoza. Che is the perfect example of how power corrupts…how people with the very noblest of intentions can degenerate into blood-thirsty goons. Ask the families of the innocents he had executed.
Uh…ok. I do believe you to be a pretty smart Yaya, but sister, you gotta check out the world of irony and the art of being a smart ass. Pretty cool places to chill out. And if you don’t get that, well, like we said, nobody’s perfect.
wow, sounds like someone likes to show up to a house party with a copy of howard zinn and the complete works of cherrie moraga under their arms and then act like their the only ones who have read all the books. we’ve all read the books yaya, we just don’t have to go around proving it 24/7.
it’s easy to be serious all the time. it’s much harder to be funny all the time. if you don’t believe me try reading la cucaracha everyday (sorry lalo) or talking to richard montoya; ever.
whoever is doing this site is some dopeass xicanos so por favor put a cap on your haterade.
Do not blame Che for he was not fighting the regular USA citizen but corporate US.
Pancho Villa and Zapata lost because corporate USA got involved did not want to lose the cheap labor . Look at the mess now courtesy of the corporate US. Castro stood up against imperial corporate US with backing of the former USSR.
England has done the same for centuries and slowing relinquishing it’s power to the rightful owners. Chavez of Venezuela is doing the same as Castro.
Iraq and Afghanistan wars are for the thirst of oil of petro USA conglomerates has nothing to do with freedom and liberty !
“Do not blame Che for he was not fighting the regular USA citizen but corporate US.”
We don’t blame him for fighting corporate US, we blame him for beating and shooting pregnant women and children. We blame him for torture and murder of innocent civilians and non-combatants in violation of the laws of war.
You are a bunch of UNEDUCATED MORONS, Fucking Che has nothing to do with Chickenos I mean Chicanos . I am a Mexican born in Mexico and educated in the USA by my parents on Mexican Culture. “Chicanos” think
Pancho Villa, El Che, La V.de Guadlupe, Zapata, Cinco de mayo and Bullshit like that is being Mexican. Did you know Educated Mexicans in Mexico think you are stupid? They consider you “gente corriente” , que no sabe nada de la cultura Mexicana,solo estupideses. Educate yourselves
about life, look into improving your generations instead of staying in a circle like ” I’m Chicano ,I must act a certain way, dress a certain way, talk a certain way, listen to oldies and James Brown, drive a Chevy , have a goatee”,etc,etc… Live life to the fullest like el Gabacho does and the Educated Mexicans in Mexico , the Euorpeans, and the Canadians. Learn by watching what they do then do it too.