# The Cult of Personality

[![](/lately/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/2003-06-22_mao_sm.jpg)](/lately/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/2003-06-22_mao_big.jpg)
<span class="quiet">China Bar, Swanston St.</span>

Is anyone bothered by Mao being used in this way? Should he be made out
to be a portly, iconic, inoffensive, figure of fun?

It only recently occurred to me that some people might find this sort of
thing in poor taste; since then I’ve asked around and not found one—even
people from mainland China seem to be okay with it. Why is this? Why is
the architect of the [Great Leap
Forward](http://wikipedia.com/wiki/Great_Leap_Forward) and the [Cultural
Revolution](http://wikipedia.com/wiki/Cultural_Revolution) celebrated
like this? Is no customer ever offended?

(I don’t care terribly much, I just find it odd. (Imagine Hitler in his
place!) Perhaps [Warhol](http://www.warholprints.com/portfolio/Mao.html)
is to blame.)