[rdtsc]

> To me, the article plays this as slightly humorous and kitschy,

It was all like that until you get to the end and find out that people (with at least on specific example) were _killed_ over making a disparaging remark about the "mango". Others were punished for not holding it "reverently" enough.

It sounds funny now it wasn't funny then though.

Idiocy started as urban but it was then pushed and taken advantage of. They built mugs and products with mangoes on it. It wasn't just a local fad.