Marxism in America

Frontpage Magazine.com ^ | February 27, 2004 | Barry Loberfeld

[kjvail]

The signature of modern leftist rhetoric is the deployment of terminology that simply cannot fail to command assent. As Orwell himself recognized, even slavery could be sold if labeled "freedom." In this vein, who could ever conscientiously oppose the pursuit of "social justice," -- i.e., a just society?...

...It is precisely this "new class" that reflects the defining contradiction of modern leftist reality: The goal of complete economic equality logically enjoins the means of complete state control, yet this means has never practically achieved that end. Yes, Smith and Jones, once "socialized," are equally poor and equally oppressed, but now above them looms an oligarchy of not-to-be-equalized equalizers. The inescapable rise of this "new class" -- privileged economically as well as politically, never quite ready to "wither away" -- forever destroys the possibility of a "classless" society. Here the lesson of socialism teaches what should have been learned from the lesson of pre-liberal despotism -- that state coercion is a means to no end but its own. Far from expanding equality from the political to the economic realm, the pursuit of "social justice" serves only to contract it within both. There will never be any kind of equality -- or real justice -- as long as a socialist elite stands behind the trigger while the rest of us kneel before the barrel.

[kjvail]

Why is America staggering towards socialism? Is there a fundamental deception in the political dialogue. I believe it is arguably true the degradation of the public school system and an Orwellian twisting of the language dovetail into a deliberate misleading of the public by BOTH political parties. For example What is the difference between the Marxist call for 'perpetual revolution' and the annual calls for 'reform' that permeanate every single election cycle in America? What is 'social justice' and can it ever be reconciled with a free society?

[IronJack]

Excellent article. The Left has had to resort to the ultimate subterfuge -- hijacking the language itself -- to advance their agenda. Why would that be true if their agenda was the boon to mankind it's typically sold as?

[theFIRMbss]

>Why is America staggering towards [?!] socialism?

If everyone "owns"
shares in "the Market" -- via
pension funds and such --

then all employees
really work for everyone
and the commune's here...

[tet68]

Why is America staggering towards socialism? Staggering? I'd say it was being driven full tilt.

The writer is on to something though, the use of the socialist lexicon is a dead give away to a person's or organization's political bent.

One only need consider the term, Hegemony.

Ever see it used to describe Communist or socialist society?

Once you understand the connection between lexicon and political/ideology, the ability to identify a politian/reporter etc into their true position becomes simple.

[swampfox98]

Is there a fundamental deception in the political dialogue/

It's called triangulation- which means lying politicians lying to the public, which is mainly 80% dumber than a rock.

[headsonpikes]

Socialism = Cannibalism + bad prose.

[skip2myloo]

The schools definitely contribute to the magnitude of these issues. I believe dumbing down the people and defining down deviancy are all part of a concerted plan to bring down America.

Rather than being controlled by a central committee, I believe these issues take on an ideology all their own and mutant into an out-of-control issue -- just like the demonization of SUVs, cigarettes and fast food.

Because, Americans today are products of decades of a deficient public education, they really don't know HOW to think.

My 12-y-o daughter came home from school this week, said she decided she was a liberal.

Talk about a serious issue. Anyway, I asked her why -- and we started discussing lots of different viewpoints regarding issues that were on her mind. I was encouraging her to think for herself, to examine issues from multiple aspects.

After a while, you could almost see the mush draining out of her little head - sort of like watching an exorcism.

The trouble with this article is that for the average American, it just requires way too much thought, too intellectual for us. It just hurts our heads to think about these things.

They heard Kerry's soundbite that 43 million Americans are without healthcare, and that's what's on their minds. They have no idea what ideology they believe, nor why. They have no idea how to even begin to examine the issue, where to go for information or what the answer ought to be.

In summary, we've just become too stupid (and I don't exclude myself) to be good, responsible citizens when it comes to the broader issues of preserving our constitution, our country, our culture and our future.

[BenLurkin]

[moodyskeptic]

Good article!

A funny thing happens when you get atuned to the veiled language of the socialists: you hear it loud and clear coming from the Democrat party.
Just listen to Edwards, Kennedy, Clinton, Kerry, Sharpton, Pilosi etc. It screams at you.

"Social justice" is the umbrella term for the new phony language. Consider the true (former) meaning of terms like:
Their Fair Share
The Working Poor
Top 2%
Dissenfranchised
Lock Box
Decade of Greed
American Empire
Hegemony
Pre-emption
Sitting President
The Rich in America
Corporate Buddies
Unilateral
UN Sanctioned
Hate Speech
Progressive
Same Sex Marraige
Entitlement
Fee
Special Interest
Expensive Tax Cut
Civil Rights Violation
Halliburton / Enron etc
Big Oil, Tobacco, Fastfood, etc
Homeless
Minority Community
Militia
Talk Radio
Acceptance
Tolerance

I could go on and on

These terms have been co-opted by the Dems , their fundamental meaning twisted, to now describe the Progressive Struggle. Look at each twrm and try to remember what you understood it to mean ten years ago. Wow. See what I mean?

The culture war must entail a re-defining of these lazy socialist buzzwords.

[vannrox]

.

"...The goal of complete economic equality...

... logically enjoins...

...the means of complete state control..."

.

[bobo1]

I am glad that the word "Marxist" was used in the title.

The Rats are beyond socialism now. Marriage is no longer a union between a man and a woman, sodomites are now "gays", adultery is an "affair", morality is taking someone elses money and spending it on the "public good".

Lying is no longer a sin but an artform, i.e., Clintoon. Art is no longer creative genius, but smeering excrement on a religious symbol or plunging a crucifix in a jar of urine. All payed for by the sheeple.

All animals are equal, some are just more equal than others. Orwell just missed it by a few years. The elephants are just lagging behind, what they need to do is divorce themselves from the pigs.

Blessings, Bobo

[claudiustg]

---Look at each twrm and try to remember what you understood it to mean ten years ago. Wow. See what I mean? ---

We've gone from gays as individuals being as good as anyone else, to the gay lifestyle being as good as any other, a huge difference.

[heckler]

You've all seen the big "refrigerator magnet" business signs that people put on the door of their car or truck right?

Wouldnt it be great to print this pic. on those things and put them on your door or truck tailgate?

[farmer18th]

If everyone "owns" shares in "the Market" --

That turns the workers into capitalists--a good thing--conscience of sales, costs, long term planning.

[eskimo]

Why is America staggering towards socialism? Is there a fundamental deception in the political dialogue.

If the ruling elite seemed to be comprised of an opportunistically socialist right and an ideologically socialist left and they all came together at meetings of some foriegn policy organization which was founded by a notorious Marxist, that could be a possible explanation.

[EGPWS]

As Orwell himself recognized, even slavery could be sold if labeled "freedom." In this vein, who could ever conscientiously oppose the pursuit of "social justice,"

We are still the greatest nation in the world!

It's not like we are synonymous with The Roman Empire or the like.

After all, The Roman Empire fell.

[agitator]

Hijacking the language is just The Big Lie. They're very good at it. They've managed to redefine milquetoast RINO into "conservative" and in doing so, move the entire debate left. There aren't any republicans any more, they're all "conservatives." Anybody who is an old style conservative is now a right-wing extremist. Constitutionalists are one step away from living in an extremist "compound." It's brilliant and proves the point that the best place to hide anything is right in plain view. Conservatives and republicans have gotten rolled like drunks in the park with their own terms.

[skip2myloo]

There is a Freeper (wish I could remember who) whose tag line says: 'The Constitution defines conservatism - not the GOP.'

[Bon mots]

So where is that Master's Thesis we've heard so much about Senator????

[kjvail]

Marxism is endemic in our society these days. It's part and parcel of virtually all political and economic discussions and most have absolutely no idea. Think of all the public policy that could have been cut and pasted from the Communist Manifesto itself:

Public schools
Progressive tax structure
Seperation of church and state
Globalization

These things above are hardly even debated anymore - they are accepted as integral parts of the American system and everyone of them can be traced to Marx. This is easy to see from even a cursory study of the document:

http://www.anu.edu.au/polsci/marx/classics/manifesto.html

Many of the current debates are also attributable to Marxist ideals, someone mentioned same-sex marriage:

"The bourgeois claptrap about the family and education, about the hallowed correlation of parents and child, becomes all the more disgusting, the more, by the action of Modern Industry, all the family ties among the proletarians are torn asunder, and their children transformed into simple articles of commerce and instruments of labor...
...Bourgeois marriage is, in reality, a system of wives in common and thus, at the most, what the Communists might possibly be reproached with is that they desire to introduce, in substitution for a hypocritically concealed, an openly legalized system of free love. For the rest, it is self-evident that the abolition of the present system of production must bring with it the abolition of free love springing from that system, i.e., of prostitution both public and private."


Communists despise tradition notions of family and morality and seek to undermine these institutions.

Class warfare rhetoric has taken a strong hold on the American consciousness. It is not a coincidence that the most Marxist programs in America were born in the 1930s and the 1960s when the influance of the Communist and Socialist parties was the greatest - another fact unknown to probably 80% of the population.

The Manifesto itself seems to underlie the political agendas of both major parties:


1. Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes.

The environmental lobby is the cover for this goal - as well as the little communes of America i.e. housing associations

2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.

Done and probably written in stone without an armed revolution

3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance.

The majority of small business owners and entrepeneurs in America can no longer pass on their businesses to their heirs. Death taxes often exceed 55% forcing the inheritors to sell off the business in order to pay the taxes.

4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.

Drug war policies of asset seizure as well as elements of USA PATRIOT act can be see here.

5. Centralization of credit in the banks of the state, by means of a national bank with state capital and an exclusive monopoly.

Federal reserve, removal of the gold standard and public debt.

6. Centralization of the means of communication and transport in he hands of the state.

The airwaves are owned by the Federal government - they will give you a license to use them, if you pay them a fee and follow their rules.

7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the state; the bringing into cultivation of waste lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan.

There was an attempt to socialize 1/7 of the America economy in 1993 and Bush's recent 'medicare reform' act makes the Federal government the nations largest health insurance entity.
Government regulations make many of the decisions of businesses now. Minimum wage laws, OSHA regs, environmental regs the list is endless. It's suprising if todays American CEO can make a decision to wipe his nose for himself w/o some government overseer's approval. The environmental lobby is the Marxists weapon of choice in this area today - having already destroyed the free labor system thru the use of unions a few decades ago.


8. Equal obligation of all to work. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture.

Welfare to work system force individuals to 'earn' their check thru so-called community improvement projects - making them effectively government employees. The so-called conservative Republicans like this one since it seems on the surface to require personal responsbility. In reality it only creates more wards of the state.

9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of all the distinction between town and country by a more equable distribution of the populace over the country.

Maybe someone that knows more about the agriculture business can analyze this one.

10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children's factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production, etc.

Government preschools, primary schools, secondary schools, universities and vocational programs create a complete system of authortarian indoctrination that Orwell and Marx would be proud of.