# Chairman Mao's Management Guide! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 20, 2008, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chairman-maos-management-guide/434306 "2008-01-20T23:13:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2008, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chairman-maos-management-guide/434306/1 "2008-01-20T23:13:54Z")
[Bwahahaha!](http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10311230) > [@](#): > > Who can help the under-performing, over-compensated chief executive fighting to survive intrusive journalists, independent shareholders and ambitious vice-presidents who could do a better job? Where is the role model for the manager who really needs a role model most—the one who by any objective measure of performance cannot, and should not, manage at all? > > An obvious candidate is Mao. > [@](#): > > The disparity between Mao’s performance and his reputation is instructive, for behind it are four key ingredients which all bad managers could profitably employ. When did _The Economist_ become a humor magazine? This is great stuff! ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chairman-maos-management-guide/434306/2 "2008-01-21T00:19:36Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] When did _The Economist_ become a humor magazine? This is great stuff! [/QUOTE] Seriously? I’ve been reading _The Economist_ for years, now. (My father has a subscription, and I get it after he’s done.) The commentary or opinion pieces often show a very British sense of wry humor. I like it. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chairman-maos-management-guide/434306/3 "2008-01-21T02:43:43Z")
The end-of-year issue always a few more interesting pieces. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chairman-maos-management-guide/434306/4 "2008-01-21T13:04:34Z")
The end of year issue had some nice off-beat articles, this one was probably the best. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chairman-maos-management-guide/434306/5 "2008-01-21T14:00:12Z")
Mao can always be funny because it was only millions of Chinese people that he killed. If they were millions of Jews and gypsies, well, some people would still find it funny, but one would have a somewhat smaller circle of friends to yuk it up with. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chairman-maos-management-guide/434306/6 "2008-01-21T14:01:52Z")
I _read_ Chairman Pow’s Management Guide. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chairman-maos-management-guide/434306/7 "2008-01-21T14:23:12Z")
My girlfriend’s cat doesn’t have a name. She never got around to giving it one, for some odd reason. If it were male, I told her I’d insist on calling the cat “Chairman Meow”. Sorry, that’s all I’ve got. ---
**Author:** ![Nancarrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c37758/32.png) [@Nancarrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nancarrow)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chairman-maos-management-guide/434306/8 "2008-01-21T14:31:44Z")
[QUOTE=Koxinga] Mao can always be funny because it was only millions of Chinese people that he killed. If they were millions of Jews and gypsies, well, some people would still find it funny, but one would have a somewhat smaller circle of friends to yuk it up with. [/QUOTE] Don’t be stupid, be a smartie. Come and join the Nazi Party! ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chairman-maos-management-guide/434306/9 "2008-01-21T14:52:07Z")
[QUOTE=Koxinga] Mao can always be funny because it was only millions of Chinese people that he killed. If they were millions of Jews and gypsies, well, some people would still find it funny, but one would have a somewhat smaller circle of friends to yuk it up with. [/QUOTE] Guess I’ll spare you my collection of Stalin jokes, then… ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chairman-maos-management-guide/434306/10 "2008-01-21T15:10:50Z")
[QUOTE=Koxinga] Mao can always be funny because it was only millions of Chinese people that he killed. If they were millions of Jews and gypsies, well, some people would still find it funny, but one would have a somewhat smaller circle of friends to yuk it up with. [/QUOTE] The irritating thing is, despite Mao’s crimes, he’s still revered by the very population he oppressed, almost like a deity. I lined up in Tiananmen Square with thousands of Chinese people to file past the old bastard’s body, and there was open weeping and placement of flowers at a statue of him in the lobby. Somehow I can’t imagine European Jews doing the same thing at a hypothetical Hitler mausoleum. That’s pretty risible right there. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chairman-maos-management-guide/434306/11 "2008-01-21T15:20:17Z")
[QUOTE=jjimm] The irritating thing is, despite Mao’s crimes, he’s still revered by the very population he oppressed, almost like a deity. I lined up in Tiananmen Square with thousands of Chinese people to file past the old bastard’s body, and there was open weeping and placement of flowers at a statue of him in the lobby. Somehow I can’t imagine European Jews doing the same thing at a hypothetical Hitler mausoleum. That’s pretty risible right there. [/QUOTE] Yep, a sad comment on human nature. How’s that go, "kill one and you are a murderer, kill millions and you are a conqueror . . . " ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chairman-maos-management-guide/434306/12 "2008-01-21T18:30:11Z")
[QUOTE=jjimm] The irritating thing is, despite Mao’s crimes, he’s still revered by the very population he oppressed, almost like a deity. I lined up in Tiananmen Square with thousands of Chinese people to file past the old bastard’s body, and there was open weeping and placement of flowers at a statue of him in the lobby. [/QUOTE] Is there such a thing as Stockholm Syndrome on a wide scale? Because that’s about the only explanation I can think of. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chairman-maos-management-guide/434306/13 "2008-01-22T06:38:43Z")
Bah. From The Book Of Sequels The One Bullet Manager Management Secrets Of The Khmer Rouge. **Koxinga** Hitler was a terrible management model. When your own execs keep trying to oust you by hostile takeover, you’re a bad CEO. I’d buy Stalin as a model manager though. Heck, just do a little rewriting of Animal Farm and it becomes a fable on management technique. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chairman-maos-management-guide/434306/14 "2008-01-22T09:04:11Z")
[QUOTE=Koxinga] Mao can always be funny because it was only millions of Chinese people that he killed. [/QUOTE] Oh lighten up, he’s funny because someone can find a way to work him into an amusing story with a punch line, what’s the big deal? :rolleyes: