cool, che has entered the business school

Is Socialist Aotearoa a new group?

Yes they are I believe. Have been around for a couple of months. Recently they have been holding workshops/forums regularly at the University of Auckland.

Sounds cool. I hope there is a discussion of his repressive/authoritarian side included in the night (as well as his achievements obviously!).

Jared

Sounds cool. I hope there is a discussion of his repressive/authoritarian side included in the night (as well as his achievements obviously!).

Jared

--- you should write up on them and put them across to the socialist aotearea group

cool, che has entered the business school

--- he was minister of economics for Cuba at one point, supposidly because someone said: do we have anyone who's an 'economist' - and he thought they said 'communist'

"I hope there is a discussion of his repressive/authoritarian side included in the night"

I'm sure there will be. I hope Che gets totally slammed for executing reactionary mass-murderers of the Batista regime, and daring to take steps to prevent the forcible overthrow of the revolution and to stamp out counter-revolutionary networks set up by the CIA and domestic reactionaries. What a terrible person he was...

Alastair Reith, Workers Party.

Yeah, he was a bit of an arsehole - the political repression in Cuba, the government-controlled economy, the fetishisation of militarism and violence - but I hope his role as an ice cream logo got a mention, the 'Cherry Guevara' ice cream bars a few years back were a highlight of his career.

Cheers

Sam Buchanan

How dare Cuba "militarise"? They should have countered the US invasion by opening a theme park. Or reviving some stupid indiginous religion.
Why didnt Che pick up on Ghandis "non violence"? Woe be upon the communist who dares to suggest that we can defend ourselves with guns. The wrath of the petty bourgeois vegatarians will rain down on any suggestion that communists have the right to defend themselves.
Che used a gun, so he was a killer!

A life of dedicated and daring anti imperialist struggle cut short by CIA execution is worth a bit more than a sneer about icecream wrapers Sam.

Don Franks

I was alluding to the ease in which capitalism has recuperated Guevara as an icon of depoliticised rebellion, Don. Capitalism is quite keen on the cult of charismatic leaders as they are easily twisted into marketable symbols of revolt which defuse real struggles. Having them linked to a political understanding as shallow as 'anti-imperialism' dosen't hurt either.

"Che used a gun, so he was a killer!"

That seems accurate - that's what guns are for: killing people/animals. By the way, I criticised Che for his fetishisation of violence, not for defending himself.

Cheers

Sam Buchanan

I remember a few years the photographer who took that famous photo was trying to get a copyright on it, to stop the image being used to produce surplus value. At first I thought "Good on him" but after some discussions with comrades I changed my mind. Stuff it. If they use Che's photo to sell ice cream, at least that puts his picture out there, and people do actually ask "who is that guy annyway?" It gives you an opening. And the principle here is one of intellectual property - or the rejection of the very idea. Capitalism uses che's photo. It also uses aspirin, water purification, and factories - all of which belong presently to capitalists. We still use them. The point is that they can belong to the working class, as Che does.
Che was a revolutionary communist. He carried a gun and he used it and good on him. The question is not "did he shoot people" the question is "who did he shoot?"