Coming Out as Communist

Let’s talk Communism. Before we get into connotation, let’s look at it according to Merriam-Webster: “A way of organizing a society in which the government owns the things that are used to make and transport products (such as land, oil, factories, ships, etc.) and there is no privately owned property.” In my opinion, that sounds like a pretty great deal. I’ve always embraced the ideals of people coming together to work together for the common good, where you work to eat, and you can actually support a family. But I know what’s running through your head as I say this:

          Connotation is a bitch. From the Capitalist perspective of American eyes, we see Cuba, Russia, China, North Korea, Chile – all of these countries that look horrid on first glance. Let’s really look into that though: do we hate Communism, or the people who run and determine their apparently despicable societies? I’d argue the latter, because when you talk to a great number of people, you’ll get the common, petty answer of, “Well, yeah, Communism looks great on paper, but not so much in practice,” and then the conversation switches topics. If Communism looks great on paper, then why can it not succeed in practice? For this I have three reasons:

     1)    Capitalists of America and other Westernized countries have not allowed for Communism to succeed. I’d like to recall Chile, 1970: Salvador Allende became the first democratically elected Socialist president of Chile. Nixon and all his other bastard brethren we’re so vehemently against the idea of a nation based on freedom and justice for all that they decided to send in the CIA to overthrow the new Chilean government. Yeah, and they succeeded. America would rather have a fascist, bloodthirsty society, where innocent people are killed for stating their point of view, rather than have to suffer from the “horrors” of Communism.

2) Some Communist countries have shitty leaders: Mao Zedong, Kim Jong-il, Joseph Stalin, Vladimir Lenin, Vladimir Putin, and Fidel Castro (but this last one is debatable). Greed from politicians – corruption – I argue that that is the basis of our hatred, that we despise these men who rise to power, claiming absolute equality, while in reality practicing the polar opposite. What the world needs is another great Socialist or Communist leader; another Che Guevara, or Salvador Allende.

3) Maybe it’s time that we change the approach. Communism may not be supposed to work on a large scale. Ironically, and all places, unofficial Communism was highly successful for Northern Native Americans, as well as the first European settlers in Jamestown. It was John Smith who himself declared, “If you don’t work, you don’t eat,” thereby eliminating the arrogance and laziness of the aristocratic assholes who decided to make the trip.

If I have a target on my back now because of what I’ve said, so be it. It’s better to tell the truth and admit my country’s downfalls than to remain idle and ignorant.