Disgrace - Che Guevara's hair auctioned - Political Forum

joep182 · 10-27-2007, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Che Guevara hair sold at auction

The hair was cut from Che Guevara's head after his death
Strands of hair said to have been taken from the corpse of Ernesto Che Guevara by a former CIA operative have sold for $119,000 (£58,000) at auction.
It sold to the only bidder, who runs a bookshop near Houston, for the reserve price, plus a buyer's premium.

The Dallas sale prompted protests from Che's widow and his supporters.

The sale is not a first for Heritage Auction Galleries, which has sold locks from the heads of Abraham Lincoln, Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe.

Bill Butler, 61, placed his bid by telephone for the 3-inch (8cm) strand of Che Guevara's hair.

In the same lot were photographs of the dead revolutionary's body and fingerprints taken after he was shot in Bolivia in 1967.

Mr Butler says he plans to display the hair at his bookshop.

Political icon

Heritage Auction Galleries had tightened security for the sale, because of fears of protests from socialists unhappy that profits were being made from the revolutionary's death.

Che Guevara was trying to foment a revolution in Bolivia when he died

Che is considered an icon by left-wing movements, but critics accuse him of brutally executing his opponents.

An Argentine who became a Cuban guerrilla leader, the 39-year-old was tracked down and killed in the Bolivian jungle by a group of CIA-backed Bolivian soldiers on 9 October 1967.

A former CIA agent, Cuban-born Gustavo Villoldo, who oversaw Che's burial, said he removed the lock of hair and took photos and fingerprints as proof that the mission was completed.

It is these items which have now been auctioned.

Auctioneer Tom Slater said that Mr Villoldo was unhappy with the iconic status Che now has.

"He doesn't like the way Che has become a political icon, so he's anxious to get the whole story out," Mr Slater told the AFP news agency.

"He feels that Che was a murderer and a bandit and it was appropriate to hunt him down."

BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Che Guevara hair sold at auction

This is disgusting. Selling off a dead man's hair is not only morally deplorable, but dont you think it's a little creepy that someone wants to buy it ?

The article itself is also a disgrace and part of a new media campaign to attack a martyr with no means of defence. It gives a platform to the anti Che CIA conspirator and traitor and gives little or no critique of him.

Roundeye · 10-27-2007, 11:23 PM

Even though Che was a POS, trouble making lunatic and the world is better off with him dead, my personal beliefs step in and say that we should respect the dead (did I just contradict myself?!).

Seriously though, auctioning off dude's hair is kinda disgusting, but whatever. People will buy anything. Some guy I work with sold a chicken mcnugget that kind of looked like Jesus Christ on Ebay for like a hundred bucks.

Kazikli Bey · 10-27-2007, 11:28 PM

You think that's disgusting, apparentely, when Napoleon died, they cut off his penis, put it in preservative and gave it to his priest. The Priest sold it and so on and so forth, now there are about four people in the world who lay claim to owning Napoleon's penis. (Personally, i don't care who has it, i just wonder who the other three belong to!!!)