Socialism’s presence in modern America is a peculiar sight to behold, akin to finding a polar bear sunbathing in the Sahara. Historically, socialism has been the cumbersome elephant in the room with a penchant for creating chaos wherever it stomps. One might recall the catastrophic episode of the Soviet Union under Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin—if history were a bad horror film, this would be its blockbuster. Their ambitious stride into socialism resulted in famines, famines that decimated populations, and purges that made disappearing acts look like parlor tricks. Clearly, the lesson here was the last thing Lenin and Stalin got right was the door handle on that ideological train.
Moving westward, the vision of towering walls was another reminder of socialism’s splendor—or lack thereof. East Germany, riddled with Stasi informants who feared their neighbors more than a misdelivered pizza, is a source of haunting tales. How charming it must have been to know that even your cat couldn’t be trusted! Over in Bulgaria, socialism graciously delivered consequences like a game-show from hell, where up to forty-thousand unfortunates won a one-way ticket to nothingness. And let’s not forget the grand Soviet playbook, impressively crushing the 1956 anti-communist revolt in Hungary, as freedom-loving souls fled west like it was Black Friday and they heard there was a sale on liberty.
Meanwhile, in Living Infamy, we have China with a famine card that makes the Soviet one look like a starter deck, and Venezuela, which has turned its staggering inflation rate into a bad joke—a punchline none of its citizens are laughing at. Over 50% live in extreme poverty, and still, the current lefty underdogs seem to think they can milk the socialist cow here in the land of the free.
And so the latest act of their surreal theater plays out in places like Colorado. Enter Velot Quiros, a Democratic Socialist candidate, backed by none other than Bernie Sanders himself. Quiros aims to unseat Diana DeGette, who’s been in office longer than many have been alive. In what seems like a script straight from a political drama, Quiros is sprinting ahead with a not-so-secret recipe of higher taxes and more government control, no doubt enticing those spellbound by the slippery allure of radical change.
In the end, socialism isn’t just taking root in foreign lands, but it’s diligently casting its shadow on young, impressionable minds right here at home. Need we say more than watchful eyes should be gazing towards the lesson-laden textbooks that gather dust in history’s neglected classrooms? Parents, snap those family photos while you still can and add a history book in the frame because socialism’s key scenes are getting the snip from the national curriculum. As our youth are led to believe in the romantic tales of this aged concept, it’s no wonder they rally behind these socialist candidates, chasing dreams that history has repeatedly marked as nightmares.
In all seriousness, when future candidates plant socialist seeds in America’s fruitful soil, one can only hope the rest of the nation remembers their ancient history—and not just through the rose-tinted glasses of current political fashion. Otherwise, we may find these resolved pieces of history reaching out from the shadows again, clutching for a reprise on a stage better off without their tragic performance.
