The American Mind

Reflections on the rise of Socialism

William Hillman

(3/2020) Last week an article from the Federalist Society about Greta Thunberg popped up on my computer. It was by David Harsanyi and titled, "The Tragedy of Greta Thunberg".

The following is the first two paragraphs of his article:

"Sixteen-year-old Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg lives in the healthiest, wealthiest, safest, and most peaceful era humans have ever known. She is one of the luckiest people ever to have lived. In a just world, Thunberg would be at the United Nations thanking capitalist countries for bequeathing her this remarkable inheritance. Instead, she, like millions of other indoctrinated kids her age, act as if they live in a uniquely broken world on the precipice of disaster. This is a tragedy."

"You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words," Thunberg lectured the world. And maybe she’s right. We’ve failed her by raising a generation of pagans who’ve filled the vacuum left by the absence of faith, not with rationality, but with a cultish worship of Mother Earth and the state."

Greta is one face of this generational push to the far left and its rejection of the existing culture. In a Gallop poll from November, fifty percent of Generation Z’ers and Millennials have a positive view of Socialism. This is the generation of cancel culture, ripping down statues, rewriting history, victimhood and self-hate. They attack professors and anyone who does not share their orthodoxy. (Or some large percent of these generation groups)

I read and hear over and over again how wonderful these kids are and how they need to be empowered. There is even a movement to lower the voting age. They are kids, innocent, ignorant, inexperienced, and easily led. It was interesting timing that this article came to me as I’m in the middle of reading a history of Mao.

In China from 1966 until 1967, Mao launched the great purge in china. It was referred to as the cultural revolution. The official government name was the "Cultural Revolution Small Group", headed by Madam Mao. Mao wanted to transform the nation by destroying all vestiges of the old culture. Statues, historic buildings, books, anything reminiscent of the past was a target. He started his purge at schools and universities. Any teacher and professor who had not bowed to the cult of Mao was targeted. Students were told to condemn these teachers for poisoning their heads with bourgeoisie ideas and persecuting them with exams. To please the students and win their loyalty, Mao outlawed exams. Teachers and administrators were picked as the first victims because they spread culture, but also more importantly they were easy prey to offer up to the youthful mobs. The youth was told they were protecting Mao. The young generation who had been indoctrinated in state schools to the religion of the socialist, knew what to do and were eager for their chance. With Mao’s little red book in hand, they attacked the old order. Young people were encouraged to form political groups. One of the first groups was called the Red Guard. The Red Guards writing were filled with hatred for the old culture and anyone who could be associated with it. Statements like, "We will be brutal. We will strike you and trample you to the ground" filled their posts.

On the 18th of June 1966 at Peaking University, teachers who had not yet fallen in line, were attacked, dragged into the streets, dunce caps placed on their heads, their faces blackened and then beaten. Women were sexually assaulted. Many were killed, others committed suicide. Similar events happened all over China.

On August 1st of 1966, Mao ordered the children of state officials to form more Red Guard groups. These group vowed to be brutal in support of Mao. On August 15th the first killing took place when a Red Guard group composed of girls in a boarding school kicked and beat their head mistress to death then poured boiling water on her. When the event was reported to the authorities, no action was taken. The message to the Red Guard was clear, carry on. And they did. The young generation who had been indoctrinated in state schools to the religion of the socialist knew what to do and were eager for their chance. With Mao’s little red book in hand, they attacked the old order. Police were ordered to stand down as the purge spread across the country. Hundreds of thousands were killed in brutal fashion.

Mao instructed the youth to attack "Old Culture". They responded by tearing down statues, burning stores, ripping out old street signs and renaming the roads.

Soon the puritans turned against the soft. Anyone with long hair, shirts or high heels were attacked. Short hair and flat shoes with gray coats and slacks was the new uniform.

Socialism and its brother, communism have been recruiting and indoctrinating youth for generations. Turning them against their families, history, country and their own best interests.

The actions of the Chinese youth in the Red Guard are not unique. This story repeats in Cambodia, Russia, North Korea, and in Hitler’s Germany with the brown shirts and Hitler Youth.

When I was in my early twenties blabbering on about some idealistic utopian theory, an older wise mentor listened patiently and when I was finished he said, "Bill, your problem is you see the world as you want to see it, not as it is. You have yet to be mugged by reality."

One day the Millennials and Generation Z’ers will govern this nation. But before that they need to see the world for what it is and gain the hard experience and knowledge that only comes with time.

Youth can bring new ideas, perspectives, and energy to institutions, but youth exuberance needs to be tempered by age and wisdom. When un-tempered and misdirected, it can be a destructive force.

David Harsanyi wraps up his article with these two paragraphs and I think they are important.

"Thunberg’s dream for the future means technocratic regimes will have to displace capitalistic societies. We can see this future in the radical environmentalist plans of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal, one supported by leading Democratic Party candidates. It’s authoritarianism. There is no other way to describe a regulatory regime that dictates exactly what Americans can consume, sell, drive, eat, and work on.

One imagines that most Americans, through their actions, will continue to reject these regressive ideas. One reason they should is so that Greta Thunberg’s generation won’t have to suffer needlessly."

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