Critique of Wikipedia's Framing of Mao Zedong's Legacy
By
appreciatorBus
A baker's-dozen of insight crammed into one ring.
Summary
This article critiques Wikipedia's framing of Mao Zedong's legacy, arguing that the platform's entry on Mao begins with extensive praise—describing him as one of the most important and influential figures of the 20th century, a political intellect, theorist, military strategist, poet, and visionary—before briefly mentioning his mass killings in a defensive, couched manner. The author contends this represents ideological capture and whitewashing of a historical figure responsible for millions of deaths.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledMao has been regarded as one of the most important and influential individuals in the 20th century
The current article starts out its legacy section by describing Mao as 'one of the most important and influential individuals in the 20th century' who 'has also been described as a political intellect, theorist, military strategist, poet, and visionary'
Once it describes the killings, it couches them in a defensive framing.
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