“”Giving up their humanity and acting exactly like ants, there may be another explanation: they considered life in China under Mao and his communists and opted for suicide.””
I know what you are saying and on occasion point it out myself if someone is getting too carried away with it, but I guess it is also a combination of forced behavior and courage while carrying it through.
The old warrior Caine who helped killed so many of them is choosing to grant them courage as they charged to their deaths.
Eric Hoffer said there was no more aggressive proselytizer than the coerced proselyte. He wishes to atone for his weakness in accepting the coercion by coercing others. I suppose the same can be said of the Chinese’s suicidal mass charges in Korea. It might be that the fact that they have no choice makes them that much more brave. Or it could be an Asian thing, like the Japanese kamikazes during WW II.