Written by Benjamin Heacox
In a nation that historically villainizes Communists, is it possible to believe in Communism as a young, U.S. citizen?
When I asked writers to express their political views for our website, I got a wide array of answers and ideas, but none so far right or left or original that I could relate to. This isn’t the fault of our staff, after all they can only write their own views from their own perspectives. But, I feel the need to get my own political thoughts out in the open, and there’s no better spot than the Vindi to say what you really think. So here goes: I’m practically a communist.
You've probably heard of the dangerous villainous communists who hate America, democracy, and billionaires like Bill Gates. We're the bad guys with thick Russian accents in every action movie who would like nothing better than to strangle Uncle Sam with a dead bald eagle murdered with a nuclear missile. As one of these strange radicals, I wonder if it isn't time to set the record straight. If you think we're just a group of eagle-hating revolutionaries, here's a few things you should know:
1. We aren't a bunch of angry Russians!
Communist does not equal an angry Russian from the Cold War era. We are a diverse group of working people from around the world who believe in economic equality. If you've ever read our manifesto, just call us the proletariate.
2. We don't hate the USA.
It's totally possible to love this country and our fellow citizens and also believe in Communist ideals. Yeah, we're often at odds with our government, but that's because they're mostly capitalists. We don't hate capitalists either, we're just a little more evolved than they are.
3. We're all socialists at heart.
Socialism where everybody owns the land we all live on, not one or two people with all the money. In the end, we want a socialist society that doesn't have private land ownership. In order to get there, we think that the working-class people need to be in charge of governing and even out the economic playing field a bit. That's kinda what the Communist revolution is about.
4. I'll admit it, we are a bit angry.
Yes, we're upset that people around the world are exploited by capitalist greed. We're upset that many of the people who work the hardest don't get to reap the rewards directly. We're bothered by an unfair economic system, and we have a passion to change it.
5. We're big history buffs.
We love history! Or at least, we feel an obligation to understand history. We like to hunt for patterns in the past that explain why we believe in our economic principles. If you understand the history, you have a better perspective to change the future, and we really really want to change the future.
6. We've come a long way.
Karl Marx is widely considered the father of the Communist revolution. However, we've had a lot of influential leaders who have helped sculpt our modern beliefs about money and government. These days, we're a very nonviolent group of radicals, but don't mess with our Civil Rights! We may go a little panther on you.
At the end of the day, we want what every good American should want: liberty and justice for all. Our methods of getting there are quite a bit different than the Capitalist paradigm, but we aren't anything to be afraid of. Even though we are 100 percent right on all these issues, in the USA, you are even free to disagree with me.
This piece is the fifth installment of a blog series about what our writers' political views mean. Check out others here!