There are various estimates of how long it will take to rebuild American life—its economy, its culture, its society—following the ongoing attempts to tear it down and throw it back to 1913, or the Gilded Age, or whatever era is thought by some to be better (meaning: better for them). The rebuilding estimates range from a few years to a generation or more.
Those of us who believe that America is not perfect—what nation is?—but that America has generally been on the right track toward a better future, based on its core principles, shouldn’t wait.
We shouldn’t wait and don’t have to. For example, if books are banned and removed from public libraries and schools, we start our own non-public libraries and start giving away books that contain a broad view. And speaking of schools, if universities are being told by the government what to teach and what not to teach, we start our own schools, not dependent on federal funding, not to promote any particular ideology except the philosophy of openness. And so on.
Where will the resource for these initiatives come from? It might come from ordinary citizens. But it is an open secret that there are Americans with progressive leanings and vast fortunes. Let them help with the rebuilding, not later when it will be that much harder, but now when a rebuilding effort will inspire and encourage, reminding us not that there will be light at the end of a tunnel but that we are only in the tunnel if we allow ourselves to believe it.
The Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) was a sociopolitical campaign launched by Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong aimed at preserving “true” Communist ideology and purging remnants of capitalist and traditional elements from Chinese society.
Key features included:
Mass mobilization of urban youth (“Red Guards”) to attack political enemies
Widespread persecution of intellectuals and officials deemed “counter-revolutionary”
Destruction of historical artifacts, temples, and cultural sites
Public humiliation and violence against “class enemies”
Forced relocation of urban intellectuals to rural areas for “re-education”
Significant economic disruption and educational collapse
The movement resulted in millions of deaths, destroyed countless cultural artifacts, and severely damaged China’s economy and education system. It ended shortly after Mao’s death in 1976, with Deng Xiaoping later implementing reforms that moved China away from radical Maoism.
Claude
Mao’s Cultural Revolution was a brutal setback for China, one that took them decades to recover from. As the name says, it was much more than a political initiative. Every aspect of life in China—social, cultural, educational, economic—was to be upended, so that communism could prevail eternally and so that every remnant of Western and capitalist “wrong thinking” could be eliminated—along with those who carried the infection.
For a while, American analysts have understandably focused on the political, governmental and legal aspects of the current administration. But there are elements so obviously social and cultural that the centrality of those aspects is unavoidable. Among these, there have been express demands that universities tow the line on issues far beyond DEI and antisemitism—or else.
An American Cultural Revolution is underway. Will it look anything like Mao’s version, with “wrong thinkers” killed, imprisoned, re-educated or otherwise isolated, punished and corrected? Will it succeed here, in whole or in part?
Yesterday, the long-serving Librarian of Congress was summarily dismissed without warning or reason, apparently for making one of the world’s great cultural repositories too “woke”. What do you think?
There are two benefits of the polls showing increased dislike of Trump and his policies.
It is a benefit to news media, who always need something tantalizing to talk about.
It is a benefit to those who oppose Trump, inspiring and encouraging that opposition, with hope that Republicans who have to run in two years will see the signs.
But in practical terms, even as polls seem to indicate dissatisfaction, these polls mean little.
Tyranny is a power game, not a game of numbers, but of power strategically grabbed, held and exercised.
History says that authoritarians don’t need widespread support to succeed, or even majority support. Modern history’s most glaring example is Nazi Germany. In the last democratic election, before democracy was ended, the Nazi party won only 23% of the vote for the legislature. In one of the most fateful mistakes ever, “clever” leaders thought that by bringing Hitler into government, he could be controlled and his potential power diluted and diminished. That is not what happened.
Be inspired and encouraged by the polls. But know that even if two-thirds of America rejects the policies, many or most of those policies will still be pursued. This is a juggernaut on a mission, an opportunity to literally remake America. Polls will not stop that.
British Prime Minister: Mr. President, as you know, Europe is in dire shape. It may be a matter of days before Britain is defeated by Hitler. We need your help.
U.S. President: Sure. How much are you willing to pay?
PM: Mr. President?
President: We can’t just give you things without getting something back. So let’s make a deal. The treasures in Europe mostly aren’t available right now. But you still have your own British treasures. Your Crown Jewels are worth a few billion dollars. Let us have those now and we will give you all the defense you need. And when we win, I know that France and Italy also have treasures. We can negotiate for those. A lot of gold there. That Vatican has plenty.
PM: Mr. President?
President: Let me know how it’s going in the war. If you want to make a deal, you know where to find me.
Who are you and what are you doing here, the three coyotes asked.
They call me Moses, because as an infant I was set afloat and was picked out of the water by a princess, and then…it’s a long story. I wandered in a desert for a long time and I got used to it. So I’m trying out other deserts.
This is the Sonoran Desert, the three coyotes said. What are you carrying? It looks like a stick and a stone.
The stick is a magic staff. It can turn into a snake. The stone is a bunch of sayings. Do you want to hear them?
No we don’t, the three coyotes said. We don’t need a stick that turns into a snake. We’ve got plenty of snakes of our own.
Well, I guess I’ll be moving on, Moses said. I’m sure I’ll see you again.
“Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people! Now let us fight to fulfill that promise! Let us fight to free the world – to do away with national barriers – to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men’s happiness.”
Charlie Chaplin made The Great Dictator (1940) as a satire on the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler. The movie features Adenoid Hynkel, the dictator of Tomainia, and a nebbishy Jewish barber who looks exactly like Hynkel. The barber was a victim of shell-shock in World War I, and when he finally emerges from his long recuperation, he finds a horrific new world poisoned by Hynkel’s hate.
The barber is mistaken for Hynkel. In the final scene, as Hynkel, he addresses his troops and the world about the values that matter. Chaplin worked for months writing this final speech.
I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be an emperor. That’s not my business. I don’t want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone – if possible – Jew, Gentile – black man – white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other’s happiness – not by each other’s misery. We don’t want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way.
Greed has poisoned men’s souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical. Our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost…
The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in men – cries out for universal brotherhood – for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world – millions of despairing men, women, and little children – victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people.
To those who can hear me, I say – do not despair. The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed – the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish…
Soldiers! don’t give yourselves to brutes – men who despise you – enslave you – who regiment your lives – tell you what to do – what to think and what to feel! Who drill you – diet you – treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder. Don’t give yourselves to these unnatural men – machine men with machine minds and machine hearts! You are not machines! You are not cattle! You are men! You have the love of humanity in your hearts! You don’t hate! Only the unloved hate – the unloved and the unnatural! Soldiers! Don’t fight for slavery! Fight for liberty!
In the 17th Chapter of St Luke it is written: “the Kingdom of God is within man” – not one man nor a group of men, but in all men! In you! You, the people have the power – the power to create machines. The power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure.
Then – in the name of democracy – let us use that power – let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world – a decent world that will give men a chance to work – that will give youth a future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power. But they lie! They do not fulfill that promise. They never will!
Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people! Now let us fight to fulfill that promise! Let us fight to free the world – to do away with national barriers – to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men’s happiness. Soldiers! in the name of democracy, let us all unite!
“Always try to be authentic and modest. At the same time, we should not be too judgmental or disapproving of the excessive displays of other people. It is impossible to know what may be inspiring them. The Buddha himself said that there were many hidden enlightened beings in this world and anyone we meet could be a spiritual master.” Mind Training by Ringu Tulku
For a one-volume comprehensive overview of the McCarthy era in America, see the Guide to Subversive Organizations and Publications from the House Committee on Un-American Activities, published in 1957, revised in 1961. (Available as PDF) According to the Committee:
“This Guide is basically a compilation of organizations and publications which have been declared to be Communist-front or outright Communist enterprises in official statements by Federal legislative and executive authorities, and by various State and Territorial investigating committees.”
What this means is that any person, organization or publication reported by somebody as being controlled by communists, promoting communist ideas, or sympathetic to communists is included. The level of proof is that if the suspicion appeared in some federal or state hearing or even in a letter, they were “cited” as subversive.
In many cases, the indicator that a person, organization or publication was subversive was that it supported what can be called progressive causes, which might include labor unions, racial equality, or constitutional rights. Among those cited, in this Guide and in hearings, were progressive Jews. Some were blacklisted and lost their careers. Some were imprisoned and lost their lives.
Here are a few examples from the Guide:
AMERICAN JEWISH LABOR COUNCIL
Cited as Communist.
“With an eye to religious groups, the Communists have formed religious fronts such as the American Jewish Labor Council.”
JEWISH PEOPLE’S COMMITTEE
Cited as subversive and Communist.
JEWISH PEOPLES FRATERNAL ORDER
Cited as Communist and among the “national group societies of International Workers Order.”
SCHOOL OF JEWISH STUDIES (Los Angeles, Calif.)
It is established that in January 1950 respondent [the California Labor School, Inc.] set up a branch called the School of Jewish Studies in Los Angeles. As shown in brochures of this branch ‘History and Traditions of the Jewish People’ comprised half the curriculum outside of Yiddish and Hebrew language courses. in Los Angeles.”
CHELSEA JEWISH CHILDREN’S SCHOOL (MASS.)
“A place where Marxism is combined with instruction in the racial tongue.” (Presumably “racial tongue” means Yiddish.)
JEWISH BLACKBOOK COMMITTEE OF LOS ANGELES
Cited as a Communist front located at Room 1021, 458 S. Spring Street, Los Angeles.
America has been a haven for Jews. In some instances, such as turning away Jews from Nazi Europe or condemning Jews during the era of Red Scares, not all Jews were equally safe. Jews who now believe that the official show of support for Israel and Zionism makes them immune to repression are mistaken. The “right kind of Jews” may be safe, but support of human rights, economic rights, constitutional rights, may put some Jews on the “wrong side”. As we learned in America decades ago, as we learned throughout history, when the government cracks down on “wrong thinking” Jews have no more protection than any other people. Sometimes, far less.
Trump wants to take America back to 1913, to the moment before federal income tax, to a time when America raised revenue through tariffs.
Many reasons not to go back. Here is just one.
As we see daily, trade wars are based on competition and power. Trump believes he has the power and will exercise it so we will get at least our fair share—or more. But as we are also seeing, as in the Canadian election and elsewhere, nations also seek sovereignty and the power to chart their own path, apart from what another nation demands.
The desire for sovereignty and the competing demand to give up sovereignty is the definition of war. When tariffs reigned, when interconnectedness was low, when high-handed demands were high, right after 1913 we had a war. Two decades later we had another bigger war. With a global depression in between.
Global interdependence is not perfect and requires regular adjustment. With its imperfections, it has provided modern economic vitality. With its imperfections, it has reduced tensions and promoted comity. Without it, we are back to 1913, which may have gone well for a handful of the very rich and powerful, but not as well for the millions and millions whose lives were damaged by the wars beyond trade.
Maybe the very rich and powerful don’t care, thinking they will only get richer and more powerful no matter what happens. But the people, yes the people, do care whether the next twenty or thirty years are a time of global conflict that involves more than tariffs.
Bob Schwartz 