Intellectual Kudzu

I bookmarked this for later refuting and elaboration…

Yes. I said refute.

[Not much later…]

Ok, so perhaps refute is too harsh of a word; the proper one eludes me at the moment due to pressed time to get this written and posted.

Written in 1958…

The warning signs are as old as communism itself. I remember reading some… chilling… theories written during my research on the 1905 failed (failed, but first) Russian Revolution which was oddly similar in placing the emphasis on capturing the ideologic youth early during their academic – and impressionable – phase.

Are they [young people] mere tools in the hands of an ideology we don’t realize is pulling the strings?

This has always been the case. The intellectual kudzu that is communism is rooted in the drive for political and social power, usually at any cost, and fueled by the inexperience, idealism, and energy of youth towards that ultimate goal of control.

A while ago, the kudzu analogy struck me as I mulled the Northern Alabama scenery and I have been wrestling with this ever since in terms of my own understanding of the plant. Is it a pure negative force which is as destructive as it is invasive and difficult to eradicate… or is it something which, with more than customary attention, could possibly be beneficial and manageable?

The main premise of this analogy-in-waiting is that, eventually, the kudzu grows too big to support the structure which once it supported or the tree that it relied upon for support – it grows until it destroys, and it offers little – if anything – beneficial in return.

It is arguable that socialism and communism provides for people; the rebuttal is – at what cost? Are individual freedoms and potential a worthy price for the state to provide basic needs?

If a system requires indoctrination – systemic indoctrination – is it a worthy system for free people? Does it take into account the human variable of the quest for power or the capacity for evil? Does it allow for individual accountability to achieve the end result of the potential of the people within that society?

Returning from my frantic notes from long ago to the article:

Since the death of George Floyd, protests and violence have become commonplace. 

No… they have been there for a long time. The only difference is that there is more of a focus due to, in my own opinion, the media which is seemingly desperate for validation and attention since the departure of the best thing for their ratings – the former President.

This is the problem I have with history: so many people tend to forget the past and are suddenly surprised with the pattern becomes apparent. Communism brought out Red Scares several times within the past century, yet no one beyond those with semi-obsessive curiosity seem to remember or are even aware of this recurring theme. We only reflect when convenient for our narrative… yet we rarely seem to consider that our kids and grandkids will more than likely be forced to contend with the same issues in 2121.

Yes, the protests have seen a resurgence… but I have a hard time buying the death of one person as the main source of unrest and unrelated to anything else which was occurring over the last few years. A significant event, perhaps… but I (and we, really) have been watching a larger pot of malaise bubble and come to a boil for many years to think that just one event is “the” catalyst.

This road is one of standing up for truth and justice. It also involves warning others of the consequences which come from giving way to an ideology completely opposed to what America has sought to protect and advance over the years.

Which “truth” and what form of “justice”? One of my more recent discussions has found me arguing the perspective of the ethics in the events surrounding the 1946 Battle of Athens, Tennessee. Truth to one is a lie to another, and justice for one cause is an injustice for its ideological antipode… the only thing which separates these is simple: who has won the right to decide.