The Reds are Coming
By Ryan Jackson
In an effort to uphold capitalism and censor the organized left, Donald Trump has used his power and influence to lead a new campaign of McCarthyism in the United States of America.
Before the 2024 presidential election, President Trump was already teasing his agenda to use the power of the government (with the help of private organizations) to repress the First Amendment and suppress leftist movements across America.
He promised to use slander to influence public opinion and make leftists an enemy of the public. Additionally, He threatened to prosecute his left-wing Americans (on both federal and state levels) through proposed prison sentences.
This attitude is not new. The US government has always been hostile towards communism and socialism, and is notorious for suppressing any associated movement.
The assassination of Fred Hampton by the FBI in 1969 was a clear marker of how far the federal government is willing to go. Hampton’s socialist values, including rights to self-defense and uplifting his community, made him an enemy of the state despite his growing popularity.
This distinctive nature of the American government is what brought about the Red Scares, and the behavior of today's politicians and mainstream media indicate that there could soon be another.
The Red Scare refers to two periods of time where the US government promoted anti-communist propaganda by manufacturing hysteria and paranoia against suspected communists.
The first took place from 1917-1920, following Vladimir Lenin’s rise to power after the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. The interest in communist ideals began to increase, influencing labor strikes in America that were labeled as "un-American" by the press.
The communist influence led to the creation of The Sedition Act of 1918, which led to the 1919 anarchist bombings. The bombings led to The Palmer raids, a series of violent raids conducted by law enforcement that targeted leftists, radicals and anarchists.
The growth of Soviet influence during the Cold War caused President Harry S. Truman to sign Executive Order 9835. This helped create the federal employee loyalty program, which allowed the government to measure the loyalty federal employees had to the United States and marked the start of the second Red Scare.
The second Red Scare took place in 1945-1957 and was defined by a massive campaign that accused, intimidated and took action against the growing communist sentiment in America.
The House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) investigated suspected communists. The committee pressured Hollywood to create blacklists of suspected communist sympathizers.
U.S. Senator Joseph R. McCarthy, became the poster-child of the second Red Scare and is credited for nurturing an atmosphere of fear and suspicion across the USA.
McCarthy did not pass any legislation to target suspected communist. He accused anyone that opposed his political views, and his accusations alone were enough to cause people to be fired, denied student aid and denied housing.
J. Edgar Hoover served as the head of the FBI from 1924-1972. During the second Red Scare, he used the FBI to spy on suspected communists through wire taps, surveillance and through infiltration of left-wing groups. Hoovers information was used as evidence during the 1949 Smith Act Trial.
During the Cold War era, communism advanced in many countries -- Russia, China, North Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Nicaragua and Brazil. These advances convinced many Americans that their security and freedom were in jeopardy. McCarthy and Hoover took advantage of the mass paranoia by exaggerating that possibility.
In Dec. 2024, the Biden administration passed The Crucial Communist Teaching Act. This act enforces a high school curriculum that teaches the history and dangers of communism.
The US government's fear of communism is evident through its effort to forge a misrepresented image of the political ideology in the minds of the youth. The fear is bipartisan, and has both democrats and republicans working together to hinder leftist progression in favor of capitalism.
While they have similar aspects, communism is not equivalent to socialism. So why are they treated as such?
Communism is a political and economic ideology that has the goal of creating a socioeconomic society centered on the public ownership of means of production, distribution and exchange that gives products in society based on need. A communist society will include the absence of private property, social classes, money and a state government.
The absence of private property does not mean the government will take away your personal items. It means the government will reallocate the means of production, such as physical, non-human resources that are used to create goods and services.
Socialism is a political ideology and economic system that puts the means of production and property in the hands of working class people through the power of the state or government. The ideology should be used to dissolve class structures and create productive forces, while gradually dismantling the capitalist structure.
Socialism, as a stepping stone to communism, still works with the state and government, but communism dissolves both of those entities entirely.
They both dilute the class structure and they disrupt capitalism, which is why mainstream media conflates the two together.
Zohran Mamdani, the new socialist mayor of New York City has been labeled a communist in mainstream media. Despite being a member of the democratic socialists of America (DSA), the media does not care if Mamdani actually believes in the fundamentals of communism or not. He believes in the replacement of capitalism, and that is enough to acquire the label.
Capitalism thrives off of the exploitation of the working class. Working class people generate more revenue for a company than they are paid for their labor. They are subjected to sell their labor for an unlivable wage while business executives make billions.
If America switched to a system that favored the working class, wealth would not be so exclusive.
This is why capitalists that hold power and the media do their best to dismantle any far-left movement. No matter if it is socialism or communism, they deem both radical because they both call for the redistribution of wealth.
Red scares are meant to suppress people into conformance.
Today, Americans are coming together and pushing back against this suppression. More people are acknowledging the struggles that capitalism puts them through and are eager for an alternative.
A capitalist society does not support us as humans. Do not let intimidation deter you from being a part of the change that will make a future in America more livable. Get involved in your community and help out the best way you can.
We are all exploited, but we have the power as citizens in a democracy to make a place for ourselves in our country. Our future is progressive, diverse and in favor of the people.