Why Socialism is Regressive
When I saw this meme on the fact that socialism is regressive, I knew that I had to write about it. I write about the flaws of socialism a lot, probably even more than I write about the American Revolution. But this socialism meme really sums up the truth about socialism and the true nature of socialism, which is, as it says, “What did socialists use before candles? Electricity.” The true nature of socialism is a regression to the Dark Ages.
That comes from the plot of Anthem, a short novel by Ayn Rand about what the world would look like if the socialists were allowed to rule forever. As a novel, it shows excellently that socialism is regressive. The characters in it live in utter squalor and poverty, living to serve the needs of the ruling council. Furthermore, they live without any of the accouterments of modern life; they use street sweepers rather than modern sanitation, farming by hand rather than farming with machines, and, most relevantly to this socialism meme, candles rather than electricity.
The reason that Anthem is believable as a novel is that we can all see that socialism is regressive. In any nation in which socialism has taken root, has society not regressed? Millions of Chinese and Soviet peasants starved in famines more brutal than any of those experienced by the ancients and the governments they died under were more bloodthirsty and tyrannical than any of the ancient tyrants condemned by all of history.
In Venezuela, a once prosperous society was destroyed by socialism and regressed back to living conditions reminiscent of the Great Depression (and in Venezuela’s case, candles actually are used instead of electricity because of frequent blackouts). And in America, on the socialist-controlled west coast, doctors are seeing diseases that we thought had been banished to the history books.
Socialism is regressive because it forces societies back into the Dark Ages. Citizens in nations that would otherwise be thriving are instead forced to live with the worst indignities thrust upon them.
So, why do people still support socialism if it is evident that socialism is regressive? Well, for a few reasons.
The first, I think, is that many of the modern socialists are completely ignorant of any historical facts. They imagine that communism/socialism will create a utopia. It will not do so, as shown by socialism failing every time it has been tried and leading to situations where people who once used electric lights are instead forced to use candles. But, because so many socialists on college campuses ignore or do not know about that part of history, it does not factor into their decision to support socialism.
The second reason is that many socialists also happen to be supporters of the “Green” movement. To those fools, every regression away from the industrial age is a good thing, so it does not matter to them that socialism is regressive. Well, let me rephrase. It does matter to them; the fact that socialism is regressive makes them support it all the more because they think that living on pre-industrial farming communes is the only way to save Mother Earth from the ravages of humanity. They are delusional, but luckily are just a small slice of the population.
The third and final reason that I think socialists are not put off by the fact that socialism is regressive is that they simply do not care. Far from wanting to create a better society, they just want to punish and attack the rich. So, to them, the fact that socialism is regressive is a good thing. It might make their lives worse, but it will also make the lives of the productive members of society worse. And to them, that sacrifice is worth it because they will do anything they can to inflict harm on the pro-capitalist and wealthy segment of the population.
What is the solution? Well, once you realize that socialism is regressive, you need to do a few things.
The first is to try to talk to the first group of socialists, the historically illiterate ones, and have a respectful political discussion in which you present the evidence that socialism is regressive and will not lead to a better life, but instead a worse one. Doing so may be frustrating, but will be worth it because it could shift opinions and lead to a swing away from socialism.
Next, you need to just ignore the second group. They are insane. Let them build their communes in the woods and fail once they realize that, under a socialist system, no one wants to work, perhaps they will leave the woods and return to society. Frankly, they are a pretty small segment of the population, so they are not really worth your time or effort. Plus, they are completely insane and want to destroy civilization to lower the temperature by a degree or two, so it is hard to take them seriously.
Finally, we conservatives, especially young conservatives that have the most energy to fight them, need to wage an all out culture war on the third group, the ones who like the fact that socialism is regressive because it means that it will make life worse for the formerly rich. Those people are absolutely evil, horrible people and cannot be reasoned with.
There is no middle ground with someone who wants to destroy your very existence. Fight back against them and try to defeat them whatever the cost. Do not let them swing anyone to their side and do your best to shut them down every single time they start advocating for socialism.
That might sound extreme, but it is necessary. That group wants to kill and destroy us. They are the type who read The Gulag Archipelago and lick their lips as they read about the horrors inflicted by the Soviet Government and imagine doing the same to conservatives. Fight them with all your might.
By: Gen Z Conservative
