Kim Jong Il; Chairman Mao

A friend on Facebook posted the above video of North Koreans crying hysterically over the death of their leader, Kim Jong Il.  Watching the video reminded me of stories my parents told me about the death of Chariman Mao.  I  had to ask them again; they vividly remembered that day as everyone weeped uncontrollably when they found out about Mao's death.  My mom described it as if a family member had passed away.  She said one of the sayings they repeated in school was, "There's your mom's love, there's dad's love, but no love compares to Chariman Mao's love."  Talk about a dictatorship!

In light of today's technology and social media, I find it much easier to influence the masses because as a public figure (i.e. celebrity), you can choose to be deeply woven into everyone's lives even if you don't know them, through Twitter, Facebook, etc.  People develop connections with figures who they can relate to or who have changed their life in some way (I'm thinking of Steve Jobs here).  However, in the era of Chairman Mao, there was no such thing as social media, or advanced technology.  There were fear tactics, concealing the truth...but how was he able to create actual feelings?  Somehow, Chinese citizens welcomed him as a beloved family member.  Dictatorship aside, I still find what he accomplished pretty damn impressive.

[Disclaimer: I am not a Communist.]