Meaning: The quote "Since he is of no use anymore, there is no gain if he lives and no loss if he dies" is attributed to Pol Pot, the leader of the Khmer Rouge, a communist revolutionary group that ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. During this time, Pol Pot's regime implemented radical social and economic reforms that resulted in widespread suffering, including mass executions, forced labor, and famine. The quote reflects the brutal and callous mindset of the Khmer Rouge leadership, who viewed human lives as expendable and of little value.

In the context of Pol Pot's regime, this quote exemplifies the dehumanizing ideology that underpinned the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge. The regime's policies aimed to create a purely agrarian society by forcibly relocating urban residents to the countryside and abolishing private property. Those deemed as intellectuals, professionals, or individuals associated with the previous government were targeted for execution or forced labor in the notorious "killing fields." The quote encapsulates the regime's disregard for human life, reducing individuals to mere cogs in the machinery of the state, dispensable if deemed unproductive or counter-revolutionary.

The quote also underscores the totalitarian nature of the Khmer Rouge regime, where individual lives held no inherent worth and were subject to the whims of the ruling elite. Pol Pot's leadership and the pervasive ideology of the Khmer Rouge prioritized the collective goals of the state over the well-being and rights of the individual. This disregard for human life and dignity was a hallmark of the regime's brutal rule, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 1.7 to 2.5 million people due to execution, forced labor, disease, and starvation.

Furthermore, the quote reflects the nihilistic and inhumane philosophy that justified the Khmer Rouge's ruthless actions. By deeming individuals as disposable once they were perceived as "of no use anymore," the regime sought to eliminate any perceived obstacles to its vision of a classless, agrarian society. The quote encapsulates the chilling calculus of the regime, where the worth of a human life was measured solely in terms of its utility to the state, and individuals were deemed expendable if they were no longer deemed productive or compliant.

The legacy of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge's rule continues to cast a long shadow over Cambodia, with the trauma and scars of that era still deeply felt within the country. The quote serves as a stark reminder of the horrors perpetrated by the regime and the need to remember and honor the countless lives lost during that dark chapter in Cambodian history.

In conclusion, the quote "Since he is of no use anymore, there is no gain if he lives and no loss if he dies" attributed to Pol Pot encapsulates the dehumanizing and nihilistic mindset that underpinned the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge. It reflects the regime's callous disregard for human life, its prioritization of state goals over individual rights, and the brutal philosophy that justified the mass suffering and loss of life inflicted upon the Cambodian people. The quote stands as a sobering reminder of the depths of inhumanity to which totalitarian regimes can descend and the enduring need to confront and remember the atrocities of the past.