Che Who?!?

If you go down to Manhattan, in the yuppie village area(s), you'll get a glimpse of all the street vendors/ city "stores" trying to sell their overpriced t-shirts and "NYC" paraphernalia. Why would I pay 15 dollars for a shirt that screams New York City, when all I had to do was take the railroad to get here. As a matter a fact, I take my little suburban self back over the bridge and pay half the price for the exact same t-shirt and perhaps some earrings while I'm at it.

Although being from New York, I'm not going to lie, some of those shirts have definitely caught my eye, as well as my wallet. But what I see to be a reoccurring statement is everyone, or at least enough people, wearing those oh so fashionable Che Guevara tees. I mean, I'd like to think that the average person at least knows who he is, but then again, the average person doesn't seem to know much about American History let alone, Latin American history. I mean, oops, did i burst someone's bubble out there. You did know he was Argentinian right?

Is this what the fashion statements have been reduced to, throwing counter-cultural political figures on 100% cotton shirts that are made in China?! Does this mean, that in about 10 to 15 years, we can look forward to George W. Bush's face, effortlessly Andy Warhol-ed on one of those fashionable shirts? If I were you, I'd start pre-ordering now, they may run out, and fast. Imagine our faces, when we see the next generation, our children, walking around with George W. Bush shirts and Starbucks coffee cups, but then again, I highly doubt Bush's face will become as iconic.

Why Che? Is it what he represents? His ideology? His work? Or maybe the imagery on the shirt just looks "cool". Nevertheless as a youthful generation, we typically criticize those who stand out and make their voices heard because they are going against norm, while secretly, we ourselves, want that Che Guevara shirt, that shirt that represents rebellion, change, radical thoughts and anything that is not mainstream. All those shirts, paradoxically, gives us a opportunity to state that we are rebels, and so is everybody else, for that matter.