At one time, knowing things, learning, respecting scientific thought, and trying to understand the world was well regarded in our society. Culture was connected to status and opportunity, and sending children to college was the goal of many workers to help them climb the social ladder. In humble homes, books were devoured, even those given away by the local savings bank or the Círculo de Lectores, or they were purchased and respected. The same applies in the United States. In the self-proclaimed land of opportunity and self-made people, no great fortune was left without a plaque for a million-dollar contribution to a museum, a concert hall, or a prestigious university. Today, the climate is not the same, especially in the United States, where resentment against elites has been fostered, personified by a type of leftist movement that has become a caricature, equating the part with the whole. A leftist movement that is sarcastically considered woke because it defends identity and social justice policies beyond race, such as gender and identities perceived as marginalized. Linked to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, today it is woke It is a pejorative term for the ideological stupefaction of many progressive parties, including European ones.

When you arrive at your hotel in the Chinese city of Shaoshan, you'll likely be offered a welcome drink. The hotels here are modern and comfortable. Mine opened a few months ago and blends Scandinavian design with architecture. feng shui, the Chinese technique of Taoist origin that seeks balance. The hotel is made of wood, clean and bright, and very reasonably priced. A hotel like this in Barcelona would cost an arm and a leg. However, here, upon arrival, in addition to the drink, they give you a second gift: a pin with Mao Zedong's face. "You can wear it tomorrow when you visit the city," the receptionist says in English.