Let's paint the town RED
When I started my current University course last year, I was fairly certain that I was a Labour supporter or somewhere in the centre of the political spectrum. I accepted that some things had to be done in order to raise money to get us out of the recession but I also had my own ideas of what I felt was fair.
However, since starting the course, I've realised a few things. A friend of mine on my course, an open Thatcherite, used to call me a Communist. This was because, compared to her, I am one. But I realised that at that exact moment I was only one of 3 people in my class who were open enough to admit they have left-wing tendencies. In the class we had 3 open lefties, many who were dead centre, some who were Thatcherites (
yes, there were 2!), many undecided and 1 Conservative Christian. We had a great mix of people and, for the most part, we all got on.
But the real world isn't the same as this. Since the 1950s; if you appear to be too left wing or self-identify with views that are stronger than Labour's, you're called a Communist. Some people are proud of the fact that they're a Communist and some would rather keep it to themselves. For a while, I thought I was a Communist. But then I realised a few things.
1. I agree with what a lot of Marxism has to say, but much of what we call 'Communism' isn't Marxism in its purest form. Our first major taste of "Communism" was actually Leninism and then, later, Stalinism. Leninism and Communism are not necessarily the same thing nor are they completely worlds apart. But many leaders who have implemented Communism (
Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Castro, Il-Sung, etc) have added their own addendum's to the original Marxist text.
While a lot of Karl Marx's initial ideas are very good and practical, many of the mutated forms of Communism haven't worked. The Soviet Union went into economic decline in the 1980s and eventually dissolved in the 1990s. North Korea is one of the worst states imaginable to the point where calling North Korea a 'Communist' country is actually beyond a joke. But some Communist states do work. For example, Cuba is doing well for itself and China is set to overtake the American economy as the world's strongest by 2030 if current trends continue. Despite these, "Communism" as we know it is not pure Marxism. They're actually quite different.
2. I don't like Capitalism, yet I'm a slave to it. I know some Communists would tell me "this is exactly the problem" but some aspects of Capitalism do work. However, much like Communism, it can be easily corrupted. In the Capitalist world, workers are exploited on a daily basis. (If you don't believe me, take a look at your Nike shoes if you're working them. How much do you reckon those men, women and children are paid so that you can feel comfortable).
Factories burn down in Bangladesh and the companies do very little in terms of compensation and some companies (
mentioning no names SHELL), will drill on the territory of African tribes who have been there since time immemoriam and get the country's military to displace them if they decide to act in protest. Capitalism, just like Communism, is so open to corruption in the higher echelons of its institutions that it's practically common practice globally. (
And if you really want to see Capitalism at its best, look up the term 'Lobbyist' and have a read of what their job is. America have some amazing examples that...)
3. If you honestly think that there is no such thing as Elitism in the UK in particular, you are seriously deluded. If you cannot see that the class divide between Upper and Lower classes is still as prevalent, if not more prevalent, than the Victorian era then you're very naive and I pity and somewhat envy you. Not realising that the British system is fraught with favoritism to the upper classes sounds wonderful as you're blissfully ignorant to the terrible reality. Allow me to elaborate. My lecturer last year (I'm not mentioning names this time) always used to tell us that, if you're a member of the upper classes, an economic downturn/recession is a fantastic time to go shopping. Because, for them, the prices either remain the same or, in some cases, get better.
If the value price of a house plummets for some reason, it's wonderful if you're a member of the upper classes because you can just buy it up while it's at a reduced price should you choose to. While the rest of us are struggling to make ends meet, the upper classes are loving it. If you can't see this or choose not to believe it, I wish I had your ignorance sometimes. (
Also, as another example, a man named Alessio Rastani said in 2011: "I go to bed every night and I dream of another recession". My point wrapped up in a nice little bow, from the horse's mouth).
Now, everything I've said there would be deemed as "lefty propaganda" or "commie talk". (
Especially if you're a UKIP, BNP or EDL supporter). However, everything I have put in there is true. Up to and including the Shell thing. But does this make me a Communist? No. Not really.
It makes me someone who cares about the world enough in order to want to go out there and try to make it a little better.
Now, I make no secret of the fact I'm not religious. I'm a Humanist and I'm open of that. I don't hate religion, I think it's good in some respects but I find myself disagreeing with many things some religious people say or teach young children. (
For example, an evangelical in America saying recently that you can catch AIDS off a towel in Kenya because "they have AIDS in Kenya". Yeah. And I can catch Ebola from a Djembe drum because "they have Ebola in Africa!)
The same works with politics. I don't hate politics in the slightest. In fact, I love it. I wouldn't be taking a degree in it if I didn't love it. But what I do hate is how things that happen in the UK has now become commonplace and to be expected. And I don't like the stigmatization that some groups get just because Government have talked about them briefly. (
Hence my deep hatred for UKIP on some things. And the less I say about Nigel Freaking Farage the better we'll all be).
In fact, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in the UK, Iain Duncan Smith, said today that people who have Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinsons will be deemed fit for work. To be satirical and cynical, he's lied so much in his life and on his CV I wouldn't be surprised if he was a Doctor at some stage.
But I don't hate politics, I just hate what it's becoming. I see in the UK people like UKIP and some Conservatives wanting the UK to leave the European Union after the next election. This saddens me. I hate how people presume that benefit fraud is one of the worst problems in this country yet, while the evidence suggests otherwise, the Government are doing nothing to ease the stigma or to change public perception of the poor and disabled. I'm not naive enough to say benefit fraud doesn't happen but I know it's not as bad as people think it is.
So does this make me a Communist? Wanting a fairer society with a reformed version of the Capitalist system we have where the class divide is as minimal as humanly possible? Does wanting real change in terms of a living wage, environmental policy and treatment of the lower and lower middle classes make me a Commie? Does wanting to stay in Europe and wanting Britain to play a significant role in it's overdue reformation make me a Red? And does wanting more input into political and religious education in primary and secondary schools make me a revolutionary?
I personally don't think so. I'm a Green Party supporter and they stand for most of what I stand for as well. (
Admittedly, I have a slightly different approach to nuclear power than many other supporters but hey). But despite this, I still believe in a fairer society for all. And though that may sound idealist (or Liberal if you're a politics student/political scientist) I'm enough of a Realist to know that it's unlikely to happen in my lifetime. But as John F Kennedy said in his inaugural address:
"
All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin".
I heard this for the first time the other day and I cheered internally.
So am I a Communist? I don't like the current Government, I want them out and I disagree with many Labour Party Policies of late.
Or am I not? I just want a fairer society for my future children and their children to live in and if I can have a hand in creating that world then tell me where to start.
You decide.
They say "Better dead than Red". I'd definitely dispute that...
