Symbols are easier than actual people. Nobody is just one thing, and complexity doesn’t travel well. Revolutionaries are either lionized or demonized, and so it becomes easier for the critics to ignore valid points while simultaneously being easier for the supporters to ignore atrocities. Rather than an objective, complete understanding of the man, you get polarized factions that don’t see each other as people.
Symbols are easier than actual people. Nobody is just one thing, and complexity doesn’t travel well. Revolutionaries are either lionized or demonized, and so it becomes easier for the critics to ignore valid points while simultaneously being easier for the supporters to ignore atrocities. Rather than an objective, complete understanding of the man, you get polarized factions that don’t see each other as people.