Thursday, November 05, 2009
“Red Scares” and the Valid Fear of Authoritarian Government
(edited and reworked since origional posting yesterday)
School text books are full of horror stories of “Red Scare's” in American history. Along with fanciful descriptions of “McCarthyism” such instruction has become something in itself to be scared of.
Aside from my comments on this blog, I usually find it awkward to openly chastise anyone for the possibility that they may be communist in their sympathies. It's now politically correct to be terrified of a million things (i.e. Global Warming, improper food labeling, anti-tax protestors, etc.) but how could anyone possibly be afraid of or opposed to the implementation of a top-heavy centralized state that seizes personal assets and seeks to control all aspects of one's life?
The fact that, historically, communism has been responsible for deaths in the millions (actually outnumbering even those killed by the National Socialists -- the Nazis) should be enough to validate fearful statements about communism and its goals.
Of course, communism doesn't always go by the name “communism” as there have been a variety of “isms” throughout history that share communism's collectivist authoritarian characteristics. And even within communism itself there have been a variety of contending interests, often violently opposed to each other (i.e. Stalinists hated Trotskyites and Maoists hated Khrushchev's “revisionism”).
So, exactly what is wrong with calling something what it is, alluding to all the scary historical baggage that goes with it?
The truth is, the American constitution (admittedly not always adhered to as written) is by default an anti-communist document. To defend individual rights, and the freedom to buy, produce, and trade as one sees fit inevitably puts a system at odds with any system that seeks to impose state control over the lives and livelihoods of families and individuals.
Imagine that the Nazi's had won WWII and controlled all of Europe and Russia. That it developed nuclear weapons and had become the powerful polar opposition to the U.S., making clear a goal of global imposed dictatorship. Imagine that a few intellectuals or prominent personalities supported this system and hoped to see it triumph over our free and open society. It's reasonable that under such circumstances, some people would be “black-listed,” or called before senate committees to judge the validity of their having security clearances at the state department or the Army (that's what the “McCarthy hearings” did). Imagine that committees in the House of Representatives questioned influential Hollywood writers regarding their allegiances to Nazi plans to eliminate our system. Imagine a few of them (I believe the “red-scare” number of these Hollywood “artists” in the 50's was less than 20) were humiliated and choose to later live their prosperous lives as popular heroes in Europe away from the “horrors of McCarthyism.”
Under such circumstances would one be a fool to fearfully label someone a Nazi (who was a Nazi) and to do so as if it were a very negative thing (which it indeed would be)?
I think conservatives, or anyone who favors free society, should get over the awkwardness they are often made to feel when labeling those who seek to eliminate our system of government. There's nothing wrong with wanting to retain liberty and opposing those who wish to deny us the rights outlined in our country's founding documents. Of course, the closet tyrant has “rights” to. They certainly have a right to their belief and a right to speech that allows them to worship the totalitarian enterprise, but we as free people have a right to defend ourselves against those who would seek to enslave us, or at least retain the right to call such people what they are without mocking smirks tossed our way.
If someone expressed the desire to break into our homes, steal our property, and force us into slavery we'd certainly be justified in “labeling them” as threats, and doing so out of reasonable fear.
It's time to get over the fear of calling a communist a communist – as if it's “just a point of view.”
“Red Scares” and “McCarthyism” have certainly put fear into the hearts of many a textbook writer, but their families weren't marched off to some prison for “reeducation” on a perceived road to utopia.
Communism sucks. Communists suck. Opposing them and their goals is more than appropriate, and “labeling them” is letting them off easy. Having the honesty and insight to express fear or disdain for something worthy of fear and contempt should be worn as a badge of honor.
