While watching Fist of Fury for the first time, Mao dissolved in tears, Liu recalled, and said “Bruce Lee is a hero!” Mao watched the film twice more. Liu said he did not know of any other movie that Mao viewed three times.
While watching Fist of Fury for the first time, Mao dissolved in tears, Liu recalled, and said “Bruce Lee is a hero!” Mao watched the film twice more. Liu said he did not know of any other movie that Mao viewed three times.
That’s a very concerning, maybe even unserious thing to say after already establishing the whole “no gods, no masters” thing.
That said, I’ve done that before, like decades ago when I saw the very first Land Before Time movie in theaters, so if he should have went to the treat gulag, so should I.
EDIT: There’s a very good reason for Mao to love the moment that put him in tears mentioned in the article. Looking back, I think my shitposting here was in bad taste.
Nah dog, Heroic realism was a real agitprop tactic and as far as Mao’s concerned, Bruce Lee was a living example of positive heroism for the proletarian masses.
We should be following Mao’s stance on enjoying martial arts movies to a T
But it’s very, very easy for that agitprop to become counterrevolutionary, both for actual people and for fictional entities, especially when such proletariat heroes shift from examples of what the masses can do to being seen as superior to them instead, like the decay of Superman from a working class hero to a Nolanesque Randian Ubermensch jackoff.
The masses can have a little jojos as a treat
I am a JoJo enjoyer, but that dynasty itself (and its affluent origins) is kind of sus, says Comrade Amogus.
From each according to their stands, to each according to their life energy.
heroism SHOULD be seen as directly correlated with one’s solidarity and self-conception as a member of the proletariat
Yes, agreed! And as soon as someone ceases to do that (or in fiction, if they cease to be portrayed that way) it all goes to Great Person Theory shit. Again.
Ironically, the more people in actual history seem to consider themselves part of that history rather than exempt from it, the more those people tend to be the ones that are the most influential for wide spread social changes. So-called great men wouldn’t be great if they thought of themselves as great men… Because you need to understand you just didn’t fall from a coconut tree
if you are going to make change.
You can do as much evil as you want and think of yourself as special though, that seems very doable
Did you not read the article? The scene that Mao was reacting to was one where Lee’s character ‘kicked and smashed a wooden panel bearing the words: “Chinese and dogs not allowed”.’ It was a scene of fighting very explicitly not just for yourself or as yourself but fighting for and as the oppressed.
I went off into the weeds there when I should have first established that I was wholeheartedly sympathetic of that particular contextual moment of Mao loving that moment and wanting to see it again and again. Sorry.
I cried during Guardians Of The Galaxy, Vol 3