Comment by mmooss
> the methods of the Mao era are questionable both for their cruelty and also for how efficient and effective they were
Also for killing tens of millions of people, which not only is murder of each person but also those millions of people - and then their families - never benefit.
Absolutely, I am in no way saying Mao era methods were justified, warranted or even effective.
They were misguided, ineffective, and directly or indirectly killed people in the millions.
I am just pointing out that, the atrocities of the era doesn't justify seeing pre 1960s or pre1950s years of China with rose tinted glasses as a better era, it wasn't unless you were in the elite.
It would be no different than seeing the 1970s or any earlier generation in U.S. history as a better era. Only a very small in-group perhaps had it good. Everyone else be it black, women, indigenous, various immigrants, religious, neuro or sexually diverse have only seen net improvements in last 300 years.