The Thought Revolution

the long version

"The Thought Revolution" is about a student who finds a way to escape the chaotic hell that China was at the time. It is unique among these personal accounts in that the author was neither strictly a participant, or a victim, though there are elements of both in the story. He is an astute observer, moving through the ever changing political landscape like a chess master, trying not to draw anyone's attention by being too loud or too silent. From his almost neutral viewpoint, the reader learns how an entire society devolves into collective madness. At Mao's whim, one faction is encouraged to eliminate another, until next week, where the roles are reversed; whatever Mao's paranoia fancies. S/He learns about the rhetoric of hate, the labeling of groups of people based solely on economic circumstances, the daily breaking down of taboos against physical violence, fanaticism, and how it's all for nothing but to satisfy a dictator's thirst for adulation, power, and blood.