(EMAILWIRE.COM, June 02, 2008 ) Sacramento, California - I walked into my son’s room and saw a large poster of Ernesto “Che” Guevara on the wall, so I asked him if he knew who “Che” Guevara was and why he had a poster of the late revolutionary. He answered that Che helped liberate Cuba from the mafia and that one of his high school friends gave him the poster. The poster brought back memories of being in college in the early 70’s and being involved with a student group called “Movimento Estudientil Chicano de Aztlan" (MEChA). At that time, we turned to inspirational figures like Che, Cesar Chavez, and Corky Gonzalez for inspiration. Times have changed since those days, so why was my son interested in Che? I also noticed a significant growth in Che’s popularity among all youth from all races.

So, why is Che so important to today’s youth and why is his image so popular?

As a brief background, Alberto Korda, a photographer, captured the famous image in 1960 as an angry Che spoke to the thousands who had gathered to eulogize and condemn the dozens killed by the bombing of a Belgian cargo ship filled with munitions. Little did Korda know that his photo would take a life of its own in the later half of the 20th century and become a fashion statement in 2008. More ironically, who would believe that the Marxist’s image which was quickly adopted by revolutionaries from throughout the world, including Islamic radicals, would one day be a capitalist’s greatest business opportunity? This image can now be found on t-shirts, mugs, hats, posters, and even on human skin as tattoos. Rap Artist Jay-Z wore a t-shirt sporting the late Marxist’s image and Homer Simpson displayed a tattoo. And, Madison Avenue hasn’t shied away from this image having used it for Converse, Smirnoff Vodka, and Taco Bell commercials.

Now comes two films from Steven Soderbergh, “The Argentine” and “Guerilla” both starring the great Latino film actor Benicio Del Toro. Will these films continue to promote the image of the revolutionary on new posters, t-shirts, and other promotional gizmos?

Today we find Che screen savers, mouse pads, and online stores. But, unlike modern times, no one is suing for copyright infringements. Forty years after his death, Ernesto “Che” Guevara has revolutionized Madison Avenue.

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