In their “David vs. Goliath” worldview, heroism is characterized by evanescense or futility (Rosa Luxemburg, Anarchist Catalonia, Leon Trotsky, Rojava, CHAZ in Seattle, Bernie Sanders, the Communist Party of the Philippines), whereas victory and longevity are in themselves proof that principles were betrayed and sadism is the rule (Joseph Stalin, Kim Il-sung, Deng Xiaoping, Nicolás Maduro, Xi Jinping).

That line's always such a banger. I'm in no way trying to criticize China as pursuing socialism in "the wrong way." It's more from a place of concern for their long term success,. The Soviet Union was doing great until it wasn't. We often talk about the difference between Khrushchev and Deng being that Deng's reforms were successful and the USSR collapsed, but that doesn't mean it will be a success forever.