There is a meme out there today, particularly in the young which is that is Socialism good; Capitalism bad.
For years it has been playing out mainly on the political stage but today, it is manifesting much more overtly with the rioting that has been playing out in many American cities. The term, "system racism" is being used as a pretext for demonstrations, rioting, looting, damaging property and assaulting both police and people caught up in the turmoil.
Socialists are using racial enmity to move forward their agenda. Make no mistake about it that there is an onslaught of tearing down traditional western values, not just in America, but also in Western Europe and Australia.
We have all been repulsive by the image of a police officer kneeling on the neck of a handcuffed man resulting in his death. We don't know what the officer's motivation was whether it was a racist act or just the action of a mentally disturbed individual. We also have to remember that many white individuals are killed by police, some justified, others not. Statistics from 2019 show that police in America killed 9 unarmed blacks and 19 unarmed whites.* Considering that 52% of all homicidal crime is committed by blacks and that the African-American population is 13% of the total, whites are actually killed by cops at a higher rate.
Racism comes in many forms. For instance, recently a young black aged care worker was found beating an elderly white person in a nursing home. It's a bit hard to watch but you can view the video here.
So there is individual racism, both in America and in virtually every country, but is it systemic? No.
I can recall travelling in the state of Georgia back in 1960 and seeing signs which said, "No coloureds" and "White Only Bathroom". America has come so far in the decades since those days. Blacks have equal representation in sports, media, in the professions, in government and even in the Presidency. So let's step back from all this racist diatribe. The cop in Minneapolis was a bad apple and unfortunately, we find them in many areas of life.
The riots have brought out into the open, perhaps more than ever before the anarchy proposed by socialist and communist sympathizers. This is not new but is being taken to a new level such as demands that police departments be totally defunded. We must appreciate that socialism inevitably leads to authoritarian and murderous regimes. Think of China, the ex-Soviet Union, Venezuela, Cuba and you can count the murderous death toll in the millions.
Socialism is an economic philosophy in which the government controls the means of production. This rarely works out well except for some small pockets, one of which we can find on Israeli kibbutzes. I experienced some time on a kibbutz in 1973. All the workers had basic accommodation and children were looked after all day by others. For their toil, the workers received a small stipend and every day was a repeat of the previous one.
After a while, I saw the effects of such a life. A significant number of the individuals were yearning for something more, yes for some degree of capitalism, where they could start a business or a career that could lead to a better income with a better lifestyle. It's part of human nature.
Demonizing capitalism is foolish. The creation of capital or wealth is what has given us better health and longevity, the computer revolution (which even Communists get to benefit from), a cleaner environment, more efficient modes of transportation, and generally has lifted billions of people out of poverty. Remember that in the Middle Ages poverty was the norm rather than the exception.
How the current situation in America will play out is uncertain. However, if the USA moves in the direction of socialism it would be disastrous. Because the world is so interrelated it would mean that humanity has taken a step backwards.
*Washington Post
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