EM magazine ::Vol. 0I Issue 00I ::FRIEND OF MAO

Are you a friend of Mao or have an uncle who looks like him? Well if you answered the second question EM would like you to send a pic so we can see for ourselves if the Cultural Revolution lives on in reincarnated form. And if you’re still unsure about how to answer the first question, it’s quite alright ‘cause I’m here to reassure you that Mao is indeed a good friend of ours, and that there’s probably a little of Mao in all of us. That’s right folks, you can forget about Blue Eyes and all that jazz, the real Chairman is Mao and will always be Mao.

Now before you get antsy and decide to log off fearing that you happened unto some clandestine anti-capitalist-red-in-disguise socialist movement, let me be loud and clear when I say that I’m not a Communist and Mao is not my great-grandfather (although the similarities are striking). So why ramble about Mao you ask? Well I believe that if Mao were still around and looked at our globalized culture, he would be convinced that everyone was his comrade minus the green uniforms. And from looking at the reality that surrounds us today where anyone and everyone is a commodity, it's no surprise he would conclude so.

We’re living at a time when the term “individuality” is being defined not by actual individuals, but by large conglomerate corporations seeking to capitalize on anything that promises hefty revenues; at a time when cable music stations openly defy and praise teen pop rubbish; at a time where clothes companies encourages "everybody in" its latest fashion in accordance to the season; at a time where soda beverage companies tells us to "obey your thirst;" all the while sending an encrypted ideology in its delivery. In other words we are constantly finding ourselves being pressured to fit in yet at the same time to rebel and be our own person because being an “individual” is also a trend.

This of course does not go unnoticed by the corporate titans as they are swift in employing their advertising strong arms to grab ahold of untapped viable markets. Hence resulting in the “I’m a believer-of-self” demographic, the people who claim to be at the forefront of what’s hip, the “alpha consumer” as often labeled by economists; a title which one should discard rather than proudly tote, as irony is riddled within. Yet this is just the beauty of it, the society that we inhabit today frankly could care less that we are consumerist driven, one mob in unison for kapitalism in the taking. And to think this is all coming from a group of people who haven't even touched Mao's little red book is astounding.

If Mao were only alive, I'm sure he would rest easy, waking each day overlooking the towering skyscrapers from his red carpeted pad with one hand behind his back and the other over his brow, smiling in that broad iconic expression convinced that his "great plan" finally was realized. Of course Mao wouldn't need to remind everyone of his success, let alone we have spin doctor firms who churn bundles of propaganda per day. With information being dispensed at levels of expediency as never before, often times we are inundated with decisions leaving us restless and helpless as to the mode of life we should exercise.

It's a shame that Mao had to go before he saw the world today. But then again, maybe it's for the better since it's never too healthy to have a leader of cultural awakening to exist alongside a pool of ready applicants for conformity. In the past McCarthyism thrived upon just such circumstances, and thank goodness McCarthy isn't around to see the conditions of our working democracy today. Otherwise we would all find ourselves heading toward the courtrooms in hoards condemned of practicing "un-American" ethics. And the scary thing is, this time the Senator wouldn't be completely off his rocker. Let's face it, we're residing amidst cultural revolution where the majority of its participants don't even know they're involved. It's the kind of scenario which would make any socialist father proud.