Sarah Paine

He may have degrees from places, but the institution in question during the Cultural Revolution wasn't delivering an education.

So he's a believer in communism.

Don't ever kid yourself that the Communist Party of China doesn't believe in communism.

Now they think they've modified some of the economic stuff under Deng Xiaoping, but now they're re-centralizing it right back the way it was.

I mean, Stalin was abused as a child, and then he's incredibly abusive.

Hitler was abused as a child.

Why would you expect... The man, I use the word sociopath or psychopath, they both apply to him.

Don't think he's going to have any tender mercies for anyone.

I mean, his own son is...

Oh, he abandoned various sets of kids who starved to death and died.

And one son, he put him right up in Korea where he could get killed, and he promptly did.

Oh, and Stalin, that was another great one.

The Nazis captured Stalin's son and wanted to trade him for something, and Stalin said, no, no, no.

I'm guessing, I'm not Chinese, but I think all of us need to be proud of things.

And of course, one thing to be very proud of if you're Chinese is Chinese civilization.

These enormous achievements in philosophy,

in the sciences, all kinds of arts.

It's incredible.

But many Chinese also want to feel proud of their leaders.

And so Mao is incredibly consequential.