We have seen this before
As we head toward the nation’s 250th anniversary this July 4, some may think we are beset by problems within and without that seem too much to overcome, or, at least, political and sociological factions that degrade and detract from America’s history. In context, the same forces that have attempted to sway the country toward socialism, communism or some other “ism” besides what the Republic is have buffeted the body politic for more than a century.
Whether it be the radically violent group, Antifa (the name is a parody of its actual goals), or the new supposed new kids on the block, Democratic Socialists, or new-wave Progressives, the nation has seen this before.
Antifa, a group whose name is a contraction of “anti-fascism,” is itself a fascist organization. It looks to promote a leftist statist society that will conform to its ideas of what government should provide, be, and imitate. But how that government is to be defined is somewhat ethereal. In fact, if one were to investigate the group’s stated goals, anti-fascism and anti-racism, the fluidity of the groups that are under the umbrella of the group’s banner or diverse and diffuse.
When looked at in the prism of history, one could make the case Antifa is nothing more than reconstituted anarchism. The tactics and rhetoric harken back to the early part of the 20th Century, when riots by those looking for anarchistic goals were roiling the nation.
In like manner, the Democratic Socialist/Progressive promoters of this century are no different than the Socialists of the time of Eugene Debs and the International Workers of the World, or American Communist Party, that want left-wing ideals pushed by a government of bureaucrats. Progressivism as espoused by President Woodrow Wilson, who saw a benign bureaucratic class that would work for the benefit of all played right into the goals of those who wanted top-down state-run economies, just like communists and fascists.
The only difference is that in our era is beset by these groups, who have taken over education and the media, and have been indoctrinated into Marxism via various means. Collectivism v. Individualism is now openly discussed in academe with the rights of the individual subservient to that of the collective. This is pure socialist/communist ideology and has been taken up by many factions in society.
Third way feminism, the trans movement and other such groups have taken up the vocabulary of the collectivists in a way to alter society. And that is the point. To succeed, left wing idealogues have always looked to upend American society and its ideals This also goes back more than a century, and seems, thankfully, to be on the wane. One of the benefits of the pandemic years was the realization by many Americans that what went on during 2020-21 was rooted in power and societal change, not wellness – the Great Reset.
As we celebrate these 250 years, let us understand the American Experience of a Republican form of government, with checks and balances on not only the power of its branches, but the tyranny of the majority, is what has allowed us to endure. We have been buffeted by those who would tear down our society. We must understand that what we see today is just a new iteration of those who wish to dominate and subjugate. Full. Stop.