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Is "The Three Body Problem" anti communist propaganda? (hexbear.net)

submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) by Infamousblt@hexbear.net to c/askchapo@hexbear.net

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My partner keeps trying to read it and they keep stopping and reading me passages and then looking up actual historical fact and going wtf, this book is nonsense? Does it get better?

I don't know I haven't read it. I told them I'd ask here. Does it get better? Is it anti communist propaganda or is the ridiculous anti communist screed that starts this book serious off just setup for something better?

Thanks for all the good answers I showed them the whole thread and they said a lot of what you all said is in line with their understanding. So basically the first bit is a caricature of the bad parts of early Chinese communism and then that gets better but it turns misogynist instead. Fun series. They'll continue to read because we have a lot of family and friends who LOVE the book and they want to understand why but it's helpful to have the lens on it

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[–] ReadFanon@hexbear.net 20 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Hell yeah it is.

They absolutely drag the incredible good name of comrade Norman Bethune, pioneer of battlefield medicine and doctor who first served on the frontlines of the Spanish Civil War, later to travel to Mao's China to provide desperately needed medical care and modern medicine to the Chinese people, only to end up dying in the line of work.

The book gives the crackpot scientist the nickname "Bethune" and I will never forgive the book for dragging the name of a heroic individual like that.

Mao upheld Bethune as a hero, as we all should.

[–] 420blazeit69@hexbear.net 11 points 2 years ago (1 children)

You're probably right about the intent, but I'd call that more of an obscure dig than a major smear of the actual person.

[–] ReadFanon@hexbear.net 11 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Bethune has multiple statues and memorials in China and there's claims that he is revered by Chinese people for his dedication to them.

I'm no Sinologist so take that with a grain of salt but, if does happen to be true, then I feel like for the Chinese audience that Bethune reference wouldn't be lost on the more historically-literate reader, at the least.

[–] 420blazeit69@hexbear.net 6 points 2 years ago

I imagine Bethune is thought of in China about the way Lafayette is thought of in the U.S., but yeah, I'm far from an expert myself.