Quick question. When did you become radicalized? For me I think it was when I think it was the Iraq War. Remember that fun old nightmare? It all seems so modest now compared to the daily disaster we witness each day from Republican leadership and the tune deaf nature of some aging Democratic leaders in congress. But, it was when I REALIZED I was in fact a Liberal. When did I become a socialist? I don’t know, perhaps when I stopped caring about labels.
Here’s another quick question for you —
When did we become a world, a community, a society - that makes it safer, easier to promote conspiracy theories over the possibility of a living wage. When did we allow the virtues of community to silenced by the virus of privatization. When we placed a social norm like commerce and money over the human tangible realities of child poverty and suffering. Where we mock cries for investing in education, the arts, sustainable energy, the family farm, affordable healthcare, basically anything that will help the majority of citizens; yet we don’t flinch about corporate subsidies or perpetual military spending. I don’t think it makes you a dangerous extremist or a radical to what or expect more. I don’t think it’s a socialist Wishlist to place the welfare of children or place human decency over the childish desires of special interests.
For me at least as we enter another election cycle, I think we all need to remind ourselves that they already think we are socialists, communists, extremists, Marxist, etc. Labels don’t matter and honestly neither do their bad faith pivots or their entire ideology that is built on fear, inequality, and hatred. Who cares what someone who is willing to put children through military combat training in elementary school (Texas) than suffer the pain of background check to purchase a gun.
If all of this makes me a socialist, a liberal, an extremist, or to the left of Lenin, I simply don’t care. We (anyone interested in social justice, equality, etc) should hold our heads up high and take pride in the humanity and compassion that defines our beliefs.