Socialism is Fascism is Communism
I’ve received more feedback on my post “Fascism, Socialism & Communism” than any I’ve made. It’s my shortest post, and – in case you missed it – reads as follows:
“What’s the difference between fascism, socialism, and communism? Not much.”
Most of the feedback was negative, some bordering on irrational. Fascists hate Communists and vice-versa. Socialists hate fascists too and don’t like to be identified with their Communist twin sibling, at least in America. Many people complained about my misuse of the terms “left-wing” and “right-wing,”
The Catholic Wise Guy asserts that the terms “right-wing” and “left-wing” have become useless, even a hindrance, in the pursuit of Wisdom. Far more practical are the words of our Lord in Matthew 7:15-20 in which He discusses false prophets. He is speaking of false prophets in religion, but his words apply equally well to politics and other areas.. Verse 17 summarizes our Lord’s Wisdom.
“Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.”
History is jampacked with religions, philosophies, political and economic systems. How do we know which ones are good? best for society? Our Lord says to judge them by their fruit. Do they produce good people and good societies? Or not?
Fascism, socialism, and communism rule with an iron fist. The state is paramount, the individual a cog in the machine. The leaders argue this is for the common good and proclaim their devotion to the working class and democratic processes. The hardships of the present will pave the way for utopia just around the corner.
But a review of the 20th century harvests of our iron-fisted political systems reveals one bad crop after another, full of bitter, bad fruit. The utopian trees of fascism, socialism and communism have borne the dystopian fruit of repression, poverty, murder, famine, gulags, concentration camps, and war. These brilliant philosophies refined across the years in universities across the world have brought forth destruction and death. Death and more death.
If someone proudly proclaims himself a socialist, it’s Wise to consider him a fascist. And a communist. No need to bog down in meaningless philosophical distinctions. These authoritarian vultures are birds of the same feather and feast on the living as well as the dead.
The Wise Guy concludes by noting that the names of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, Pol Pot, and Mao Tse-tung hang high in the halls of historical infamy. Despite that, too many people, including Americans and Catholics, revere one or more of these thinkers and leaders ignoring the bad fruit they have brought forth. These evil men are especially popular with university professors and students as well as young adults living at home.
The Catholic Wise Guy searches for a way to reach those saturated in Unwisdom. They are nestled comfortably among the vipers of untruth. If they are not convinced by history, neither will they be convinced by any Wise Words, however clever and true, from the Catholic Wise Guy.
Our only recourse is the Lord – let us pray fervently for these lost sheep.