The Practical Effects of Communism
The Cultural Revolution was defined by Communist leader Mao Zedong’s takeover of the Chinese government and all aspects of civil society. Zedong believed that the communist party’s leadership was heading in a revisionist direction and was not “ideologically pure.” To reassert his power and shape the country, Zedong looked to the nation’s youth to do his bidding.
In August 1966, Zedong shut down the nation’s schools and mobilized the youth, encouraging them to take the party’s leadership to task for their alleged “embrace of bourgeois values and lack of revolutionary spirit.”
What began that day was a bloody onslaught where anyone who was not “ideologically pure” was beaten or even killed. Some reports suggest that around 400,000 people died during the revolution.
Mao was, and still is, a popular figure. He once said that the purpose of the world is that “all literature and art fit well into the whole revolutionary machine as a component part, that they operate as powerful weapons for uniting and educating the people and for attacking and destroying the enemy.”
Wokeism
The modern day appears to be sympathetic to this revolutionary cause. While there does not have to be explicit praise of communism, there is implicit praise for its tactics and goals of conformity. For instance, Antifa operates in decentralized cells around the country intimidating people into compliance with their leftist agenda. Yet, the mainstream media does not and will not report it because it will not be a good look to report on those who are on your side.
So, what exactly is wokeism? Urban dictionary defines it as an “umbrella term for individuals who are engrossed by social justice and thinks of themselves as saviors with a moral high ground.”
But ultimately, it means to be “enlightened.”
When those on the left believe themselves to be enlightened, what is the proper course of action when there are so many others who are not? How do we treat them?
Wokeism has become politically defined as a leftist agenda involving numerous goals centered around ideological conformity: to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion; to lift up minorities at the expense of other races; to upend traditional structures of society, such as the nuclear family; and to abolish the electoral college.
At the heart of the so-called culture war, children are the target. In some instances, Critical Race Theory is being taught in elementary schools. The Buffalo School District in New York has begun teaching children “anti-racist” materials. In another example, a Maryland school district has told school staff to lie to parents about their children’s gender and, in some cases, get social services involved which may result in kids being taken away from their parents.
George Orwell once wrote that “education for the young is more important than anything that could be done for those who are already grown up.”
Those who disagree with the leftist ideology are considered “bigots,” or worse, “threats to democracy.”
