Chinese History Hungry Ghosts Often,

¶ … Chinese History

Hungry Ghosts

Often, world leaders are complex figures of controversy. In the book Hungry Ghosts by Jasper Becker, Chairman Mao is portrayed with notoriety and infamy. This book takes place in China, during the time of leader Mao Zedong's rule. There are numerous details of Mao Zedong's private behaviors -- from the description of his body, to details about his sexual activities, and of course, his political strategy as seen from within Chinese territory. The results of man of Mao Zedong's actions lead to the deaths of millions of Chinese people. Other results of his actions are more psychologically and emotionally damaging.

The story of Mao Zedong is a familiar one. There are many leaders of countries and of industry who exhibit similar, albeit not exactly, the same personal characteristics. He reminds me of men like Howard Hughes. Howard Hughes was a powerful man with massive wealth and influence over many industries. He also was extremely obsessive compulsive and would go long periods without cutting his hair or nails, just as Mao would go without bathing or brushing his teeth.

I find it interesting how Mao Zedong said his actions were in service to China, to make China better and stronger. Often "great" leaders easily sacrifice their own people to satiate their desires for power, position, and pride. Mao Zedong was quite willing to sacrifice the blood, lives, and families of Chinese people to make his dreams for himself and for China materialize. American parents can only imagine (though, who would want to) the trauma of being forced to eat one's own children. American parents can only imagine the experience of trading away their children so as not to have to eat their own children, but their neighbor's or someone else's. This is the kind of deep seeded psychological trauma that still manifests in modern cultural behaviors, practices, or attitudes akin to the institutionalized enslavement of Africans in America, or the Holocaust, or Japanese-American encampments. These events may have happened in our history, but we are still feeling the effects unconsciously and consciously now. China is often in the news with regards to family size, family structure, parenting, eugenics, and birth control. These could be evidence of past cultural atrocities.