Americans do not understand that Mao is a figure similar to Hitler to those who experienced his murderous repression.

As the oppression, mass murder, purges, starvation and other horrors of Mao’s political career career happened to the “others” with their curious language and culture, we tend to overlook his place in the pantheon of vicious tyrants.

This is just like the popularity of the Che t-shirts, to those wearing the t-shirts, he is some romantic rebel guy, to those who suffered from his crimes, it is like seeing a picture of Charles Manson.