According to Xi Jinping himself, the Cultural Revolution was a trial by fire of sorts, to prepare him for his eventual leadership role in the CPC hierarchy.
How is this to be believed? On one level, it seems utterly ridiculous that someone who endured beatings, insults, and ridicule at the hands of red guards, whose own older sister was driven to suicide, and whose party official parents were disgraced terribly, could emerge to support the system that caused his sufferings.
Yet on the other, it's an almost cliche story of a prince of the Chinese revolution being tested by his godfather, Chairman Mao, in order to become worthy of ascending the party ranks.
Xi has acknowledged the failure of the ideals that were pursued so passionately by young Chinese during the Cultural Revolution; yet he wears his personal experience of that period of hardship as a badge of pride, almost like saying, "I was forged in the fire of that ordeal, and that's what makes me strong today."
It's important to remember that the Cultural Revolution was not merely the handiwork of Mao: he succeeded only because he had millions upon millions of young, zealous, willing executioners. There were winners and losers; Xi counts himself a big winner, who emerged victorious because he learned how to fight.
And the real underlying subtext of his style of leadership, it seems, is this: men don't desire democracy and freedom; they want a good battle that wins them the fear and respect of their fellow men.
In the emerging post-post Cold War era, with autocrats like Xi, Putin, Erdogan, and even "illiberal democrats" now emerging in Europe, this is the greatest challenge to peace. Once more, men are inspired by those who brandish the sword and inspire dread and a desire for bloody combat (even if purely political), because they're sick and tired of a value system that preaches openness and toleration.
There's a lot of hatred and violence stored up in the hearts of men - and these new demagogic leaders are now urging it to be unleashed against the American-led liberal order that has prevailed since the Cold War.
In other words, ISIS is only the most severe and outrageous manifestation of this phenomenon.
Even Americans themselves - that is, older White men who form the heart of Donald Trump's supporters - are jumping on this bandwagon now: "I don't want to be nice; I WANT TO WIN!" To hell with Mexicans, Chinese, Asians, gays, liberals, Muslims, feminists, etc. I'm a White man and this world naturally belongs to me!
Sorry if this sounds racist...but I'm calling it out for what it is.
Men want power more than anything else - and they will even use freedom and liberty as tools to get that power (Hitler got elected, remember).
Hell, even I want China to teach Mr. Trump a lesson...his attack on Xi Jinping (saying he should get a Big Mac instead of a state dinner) was an attack on my Chinese heritage and yellow skin, and I am deeply offended by it.
If I were Muslim, I'd want to blow up Trump Tower.
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