Hitler was a war hero, Stalin was a bank robber, Mao was a soldier in the army that brought down the Quin Dynasty. Lenin was radicalised by the execution of his elder brother for plotting to kill the Tsar.
Not trying to suggest that these guys were admirable, but they weren’t quite in the same league as the effete intellectual ‘radicals’ Orwell was refering to, who strut and preen as self-imagined revolutionaries whilst living in a privileged bubble that makes their ‘rebel without a clue’ attitude seem so ridiculous...
Great definition. Especially true for Hollywood.
“I am not Strelnikov. (But I played him in the movies.)”
Usually the most leftist and marxist people come from priveleged homes. Thsy never had to work a day in their life, but can sit around and feel guilty and tell everyone else how to live.