At work, I was having some casual political small-talk with a coworker I thought was a liberal, and I threw out the “maybe we should make everyone do a year or two of customer service or retail before they officially become citizens” take.
She responded with “That’s literally Maoism.” She then explained to me that the central pole holding up the umbrella of Maoist philosophies is that the government has the responsibility to create moral citizens by requiring them to directly serve their country, such as farming or millitary service.
This feels correct, but I also feel like I am missing a lot.
Pretty sure a part of Mao’s biographical history is him, as a young member of the communist party either volunteering to go out and work among the peasantry/farmers or being ordered to go out and see what was going on in the countryside away from the cities and industrial centers (can’t remember which.)
Literally a “walk a mile in somebody else’s shoes” experience to get some perspective outside of the academic sphere and from people other than “big city folks” while at the same time bringing the party’s purpose and plans to those rural areas and people.