Paradox - Socialist Idea kept alive by its enemies

Emma Goldman 1869 – 1940) was an anarchist known for her political 

activism, writing, and speeches.  She played a pivotal role in the development

of anarchist political philosophy in North America and Europe in the first half

of the 20th century. For more info on this extraordinary woman

follow this link to Wikipedia

Except for the last two decades of the 20th century the pristine vision of Socialism-unsullied by Stalinist tyranny-was kept alive by numerous "public intellectuals". They included many artists, scientists, writers, religious idealists, and numerous academic scholars. Of course, their free speech and free thinking was protected by the democratic tradition not quite snuffed out in the countries shaped by much maligned Western Civilization. 

Was it just a strange coincidence that all this brain power was united in condemning the evils of capitalism, in general the EXPLOITATION of the many by the few? No amount of FREE MARKET mystification led them to stray from the truth that working people were systematically robbed of the fruits of their labor. And what made this abomination possible was PRIVATE OWNERSHIP OF THE MEANS OF PRODUCTION.

Since the Reagan era -and since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 90s I have studied this curious social phenomenon: Both liberal and socialist intellectuals in retreat  everywhere- almost a stunning rout. Suddenly all that collective brain power started to  preach the gospel of free market capitalism. As if the very idea of socialism had been discredited for all time!

Flaming liberals or socialists in their youth, now they were all born again true believers in the Gospel of Wealth. They had completely succumbed to the Marxist axiom: the ruling ideas are the ideas of the ruling class.

Almost overnight they stopped using even the vocabulary of socialism. They seldom mentioned the working class, oppression, exploitation, imperialism. They rarely even talked about the poor anymore in the manner of a New Deal patrician liberal. I soon discovered that the only class they obsessed on was the MIDDLE CLASS. The Neo-Democrats started chanting in recession years : "Save the middle class!"  How bold and benign of them.

Some of them kept up a veneer of radicalism by embracing the New Atheism. Rather than identify with the poor, confused and often stupefied masses, they now publicly ridiculed the religious common people- in the obnoxious manner of the ex-Trotskyist Christopher Hitchens.

What the New Atheists never did was talk socialism anymore. They were nearly intoxicated themselves with the prospect of being embraced by a now "politically correct" ruling class. God was out but Money was still worshiped. Gay marriage was now the great moral question of our time. They conveniently forgot what old socialist had to say about all forms of modern marriage being connected to bourgeois PROPERTY RIGHTS.

Not a few gifted Jewish intellectuals found a new god that had not failed in the state of Israel. Not a few socialist "vanguard" parties degenerated into deranged personality cults. The Great Leader using party funds to live on a princely estate - funded by all those dues paying proles (but fewer and fewer by the year)

Oddly enough, today the IDEA of Socialism is ironically kept alive by its most implacable and paranoid enemies. No, socialism for them is not quite dead and buried. They see the specter of Socialism in President Obama and Hillary Clinton! Here in Rhode Island the plutocrat Lincoln Chafee is at least a closet socialist.

Red Eye Radio rants all night long about BIG GOVERNMENT SOCIALISM. Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid and all state welfare is pernicious socialism. ALL taxes are loathsome - except those that directly support the military-industrial complex. Even public schools are condemned as a waste of the TAX PAYERS MONEY.

And who are these aggrieved tax payers? But of course, the ONE PERCENT. But the Neo -Democrats bemoan this God-awful tax burden as much as any Tea Party crackpots.

And yet history teaches that you cannot kill a true idea. The born again pro-capitalists do not even want to believe in Science anymore if it tells them that capitalism is killing the Good Earth. They prefer not to believe in OBJECTIVE REALITY - which,  in the final analysis, is just a mental health concept.

WHOM THE GODS INTEND TO DESTROY THEY FIRST MAKE MAD!