New Year’s started with a bang: Just hours after the ball dropped in New York City, the new mayor praised the “warmth of collectivism” and mocked America’s tradition of “rugged individualism.”
Many under forty may mistakenly think that “warmth of community” was meant, but that is not what was said or meant. Socialists of all kinds call for collectivism as a political strategy (enforced conformity) and as a political end state (docile population).
Collectivism is the complete subordination of the individual man, woman and family to the amorphous collective, not for the common good, but so that there are no disruptions to the master plans of the elites.
George Orwell, author of ‘Animal Farm’ and ‘1984’, wrote: ‘It cannot be said often enough – at least it is not said often enough – that collectivism is not inherently democratic, but on the contrary gives a tyrannical minority powers never dreamed of by the Spanish inquisitors.’
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Collectivism views people as subjects or animals, not as citizens. Collectivism subordinates the individual to the herd. Collectivist elites have no respect for the individual, the family and the local community. People are merely pawns, or sheep, to be led, used, manipulated and even discarded on behalf of the elites’ master plans.
Collectivism presents itself as an ethic where “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” That’s a lie. In reality, collectivism is an immoral ethic that recognizes no rights other than the right of the elite to rule and the responsibility of a docile populace to obey. Collectivist central planning always tries to destroy individuality, individual initiative, individual rights and individual property. Party elites, entrenched in unaccountable bureaucracies, decide where the rest of us live, send our children to school and work.
We have the historical evidence of what collectivism leads to: 100 million people murdered by collectivist communist regimes. Another 13 million people were directly murdered by collectivism in its National Socialist (Nazi) guise, not to mention how many people died in the war.
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If New York, or Seattle, Sacramento or Minneapolis, is moving toward collectivism, we’ll see these telltale signs.
Political leaders will argue that ‘the end justifies the means’.
Some of your neighbors will lose their rights and property. Political leaders will label them as ‘enemies of the people’ and justify harsh taxes, lawsuits and the appropriation of their assets as ‘for the common good’.
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Over time, you will be invited to sublimate your own beliefs and identity and join the greater collective purpose in a publicly symbolic way.
How did we get to the point where any official would mock the dogged, resilient, tough, rugged individualism that made America great? What is rugged individualism?
Collectivism presents itself as an ethic where “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” That’s a lie.
Robust individualism is an ethic of personal responsibility; “I will do my best to fulfill my obligations and responsibilities, especially for myself, my family and my community.” Robust individualism is not about atomized souls or predatory winners and losers. Rather, rugged individuals seek meaning through personal initiative and pre-political relationships such as marriage, parenthood, the workplace, religious communities, and voluntary associations.
Robust individuals make choices and sometimes sacrifices for the good of their families, communities and country. We call this “self-sacrificial” giving, and it is a far cry from the crushing, involuntary sacrifices that come with collectivism. Moreover, it is the creativity of individuals that has made life better for the rest of us.
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What would we have done without the ingenuity and innovation of Benjamin Franklin, Jonas Salk, George Washington Carver, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Elon Musk and many, many others? Collectivist societies, such as the Soviet Union and communist China, need to steal the innovative discoveries made by rugged individuals in free societies. There is no creativity in collectivism.
America faces socio-economic and political challenges, but the solutions will not be found in the centralized planning imposed on the public by an activist elite. Pope John Paul II, who lived under communism in Poland, noted: “The historical experience of socialist countries has unfortunately shown that collectivism does not eliminate alienation, but rather increases it, adding to it a lack of basic needs and economic inefficiency.”
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In contrast, Americans overcome challenges through the creativity, mobility and personal initiative of our citizens. We do it at home, in the workplace, in our schools and universities, and in our local communities across a richly diverse country. We must celebrate all this vigorously this year on our 250th anniversary.
For those who want to choose collectivism, please consider emigrating to Cuba or North Korea.
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