Trump's Red Guards

 Surely I wasn't the only one to see the similarity?

What did Mao say in 1966? 炮打司令部?

Also known as "bombard the headquarters".  It is a famous phrase in Chinese.  Albeit very awkward sounding in English.  As such, as this translation came out before any other, we are stuck with it.  In effect, Mao was inciting the masses to overthrow his enemies using the brainwashed youth to do his bidding.  Many a brilliant Chinese leader did nothing.  Liu Shao Qi, Zhou En Lai, and even Deng Xiaoping.  Considered without question the most capable Chinese Communist Leaders of all time.  Today, by some they would be considered enablers.  Paralyzed by their fear of Mao.  And just as much as by his unpredictability.   

The time to rein Mao in had long come and gone.  Afterall, hadn't China attacked American forces in Korea not long after America had tried to negotiate a cease fire between Mao and Chiang Kai Shek?  Hadn't Mao been on friendly terms with the Americans towards the end of WW2?

I've written posts about these subjects.  They are there.  Go find them!

Despite horrific Chinese losses in Korea, Mao was as firmly entrenched in power as always.  Despite an even more horrific three year famine, nothing in China changed.  So why would we expect anything to change now? 

Trump without question incited a group of ignorant ass, overly emotional people.  As did Mao.  People easy to manipulate.  People so intellectually unable to form a thought outside their own narrow world view, they would be an insult to putty. 

There is a reason in every revolution the intellectuals and college professors get killed first.  And the willing village idiots become propaganda writers. 

As such, the similarities between Mao and Trump are closer than we wish to admit.

Like Mao, Trump wanted to rule for life,   Like Mao, Trump did not hold loyalty in high esteem.  At the time of Mao's death he was plotting to have Zhou removed from power.   Forty years of loyalty and subservience didn't mean a thing.  Zhou's own step daughter had been arrested and killed by Madame Mao.   As I've written earlier, Zhou not only was well within his rights at the end of the Long March to disavow Mao, but quite possibly had the votes to do it(you see, every society is democratic in the end) to seize power for himself.  If he had even half the killer instinct Mao had, Mao would have been but a footnote in Chinese Party history.   Perhaps a national poet laureate.  Or Chief Party Propagandist.

Mao's loyalty to Zhou was like water running over rocks.  Fleeting, brief and uncertain.

Trump's era now closes. Finally.    Are we better off for it?  As China tottered in 1966, so does America today.   People beat their chest for Mao in 1966.  They clawed and scratched.  And yes, many a Chinese make fun of North Korea today for doing.....not the same thing?  And they shake their heads in the sad knowledge that they were the same once.  Like a parent to a child. 

Buy I must admit I never thought I'd see such a scene in America.  Of course it only became news because the police let them in.

Let me stop here and quote Jefferson:

 “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants”

This is the link.  However, you must read it in full to understand the context of the quote. 

Regarding Trump, we will never see another person with so little feeling of personal loyalty, such disdain for empathy as Trump. His brother died while he was in office.  There was no outpouring of grief from Trump.  

At least America has SOME safeguards.  Twitter has banned that son of a bitch.   And that's about it. Of course that is nothing to be proud of.  Where was Twitter three years ago? Six months ago? It's easy to leave a sinking ship when it is on fire.  No courage involved there.   

And what of Trump's enablers?  Mao's were sent to prison.  The Gang of Four.  We know not what will happen to Trump's sycophants.  The worst that will probably happen is they will simply not be able to find a job.   In China, they went to prison.  In America, they simply go unemployed.   It is bad enough to think that within the space of 12 months more Americans will have died of COVID than in WW2.  To repeat a war which was fought on two fronts and had as many dead of COVID in one year than of war in 57 months.  

Context is a stubborn thing.  

But Trump suck ups can't count so the above statistic means nothing.   And we all know they rarely read books.   An American policeman has died.  Unless Trump doesn't flee to Russia before January 20, he may very well be arrested on January 21.  

And what of Trump's supporters?  Trump lost the popular vote in 2016.  He was crushed. He lost by nearly 3 million votes.  This time he lost by 7 million votes.  And instead of saying "oh well", his voters still cry like babies.   Have they no shame?  Trump doesn't,  why should we expect them to have any?

However, if Mao ran for public office in 1966, he would have won in a landslide.  I dare say he would have received 90% of the vote.   However, what if Zhou En Lai had run against him?  Mao still would have won 60% of the vote.  

Without question nearly all of Mao's Red Guards have apologized for their "irrational exuberance".  But there was a difference however.  Nearly all of Mao's followers were China's Youth.  Today in America they are middle aged folks,  afraid of their future, and unwilling to learn how to cope with what will lie ahead.  Kids grow up.  They begin to think.  By mid age they are introspective of their past behavior. That is why China has moved past the horrors of 1966.  And the Red Guards still alive are chagrined. Still it is a fact many a Red Guard was a killer of an innocent victim, and went free.  

But for America's Red Guards there will be no repentance.  They should simply know better. Still, I'm betting Biden, as Ford did with America's Vietnam draft dodgers, will simply pardon them en masse.

Finally, we must remember this is a China Blog.  I'm too ugly to be on Youtube.   Once again, the Chinese will look upon this chaos and view America as weak.  It will embolden the Heavenly Kingdom further still. Never let a good disturbance go to waste right?