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1. This book (“What is to be done?”) has been wildly, influential in late 19-20th century Russia. It was a Gospel of the Russian revolutionary left.
2. Chinese Communists succeeded the tradition of the Russian revolutionary left, or at the very least were strongly affected by it.
2. Chinese Communists succeeded the tradition of the Russian revolutionary left, or at the very least were strongly affected by it.
3. As a red prince, Xi Jinping has apparently been well instructed in the underlying tradition of the revolutionary left and, very plausibly, studied its seminal works.
4. In this context, him having read and studied the revolutionary left gospel makes perfect sense
4. In this context, him having read and studied the revolutionary left gospel makes perfect sense
5. Now the thing is. The central, seminal work of the Russian revolutionary left, the book highly valued by Chairman Xi *does* count as unreadable in modern Russia, having lost its appeal and popularity long, long, long ago.
6. In modern Russia, it is seen as old fashioned and irrelevant. Something out of museum
6. In modern Russia, it is seen as old fashioned and irrelevant. Something out of museum
7. I never really asked around and I cannot say this with certainty, but I strongly suspect that it is viewed exactly this way, and perhaps even more so, by the younger generations of Chinese. Including those in power
2. But the Chairman Xi is old. He is 70 something
2. But the Chairman Xi is old. He is 70 something
9. Which brings us to the main point. Every society is a multicultural society because every generation is a different culture
10. Studying or analysing a society, we vastly, vastly, vastly, vastly and several more times vastly undercount its multigenerational and therefore multicultural character
10. Studying or analysing a society, we vastly, vastly, vastly, vastly and several more times vastly undercount its multigenerational and therefore multicultural character
11. Whether in democracy or in autocracy, whether in capitalism or on commmunism, whether in China, Iran, Russia or in the United States those high above tend to be old
12. And, therefore, they adhere to a different culture, vastly different from those even a couple of decades younger and a few steps below in the hierarchy
12. And, therefore, they adhere to a different culture, vastly different from those even a couple of decades younger and a few steps below in the hierarchy
13. Whether in China or in America, whether in Russia or in Iran, top decision makers are products of long gone cultures that stopped reproducing long ago. Wherever you live, you are likely to be governed by the living fossils, and their fossil memes
14. The living fossils high above are vastly different from their own deputies, who have a different culture and believe in different memes
15. Which we ignore, because we focus too much on the living fossils
16. When the fossils die and they die soon, their memes die with them
15. Which we ignore, because we focus too much on the living fossils
16. When the fossils die and they die soon, their memes die with them
17. The old leaders are not going to change. They are shaped by the experiences and impressions of their long gone youth. They are the products of the long gone world.
18. They live by the memes which stopped replicating long, long ago
18. They live by the memes which stopped replicating long, long ago
19. The unreadable books, the obscure ideas, the old forgotten beliefs is what you are governed by. For now
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