Are We About to Become Children of Revolution?
"In all the general assemblies Marin always demands that the older boys like him shall have more work than the younger ones. There is always a big discussion on this; sometimes it is settled one way, sometimes another. "I can work all day from sun-up to dark," boasts Marin, "and it won't hurt me now. But when I was little, I sprained my wrist from working too hard and it will always be a bad wrist. And our younger ones now are working beyond their strength; I see them with heads and backs aching in the hot sun. Then they come back and drink lots of cold Volga water and get sick with malaria. There should be two standards of work, for the older ones and the younger ones."
But the younger boys always argue against Marin, for they will not admit that he can do any more work than they can."
In Children of Revolution (1925), journalist Anna Louise Strong used her experience observing the John Reed Children's Colony, located on the Volga, to describe the dawning of the Soviet utopia. This quick and easy read details the wonders of socialism through Strong's radical and warped view of Stalin's USSR.
Strong uses the voice of Morosof, the musical shoemaker, to enlighten the reader: "'But I do not see the use of property; I think it is better not to own it. The October Revolution taught us to organize the commune. Even peasants begin now to do this; how much more can homeless children, who have no homes or property to begin with?'"
Freed from the ills of property, the children of John Reed quickly flourished -- or so goes the tale told by Strong.
To read Strong's words, it appears that capitalism is the evil that rots the world. But, wait.
"And now a great piece of luck came to the colony. Two days' journey away the Quakers from America were giving out food to children's homes. And the Quakers had heard of this group of boys which was starting to build a big farm colony of children, and promised to give them food. So Yeremeef went on the boat for a day's journey north, and then took the train for a day's journey west, till he came to the town where the Quakers gave out supplies of food. He brought back with him a whole car-load. Very wonderful food that they had not seen for years. Sugar and cocoa, and lard! There were also a hundred blankets, for starting a big colony. And soap--the first they had seen for many years! For ever since the Hungry Year they had been too poor to buy soap, and had scrubbed their dishes with sand, or ashes from the fire."
At every turn, American dollars and goods saved the colony.
Read the Children of Revolution and wonder: As we slip toward full-blown socialism, where will we turn for food and the equivalent of "good American shoes?" Who will act as our benefactor during the soon-to-come "Hunger Year."
Comments (9)
Troy Camplin, Ph.D.
My wife keeps wondering this. If this is the country people come to to escape people like Obama, Reid, and Pelosi, where will they (and we) go to escape?
Published: August 5, 2009 12:42 AM
Lemmywinks
What exactly is it that we are escaping from? Taxes? If you are already rich, then Monaco would be an easy solution. Their corporate tax is just about as steep, but there's no income tax.
"Full-blown socialism?" That would imply that our president and congressmen were willing to turn their backs on all of the corporations which propelled them into power in the first place.
"Cap and trade" consisted of a 60 billion dollar subsidy for the coal industry, and completed ignored agriculture as a CO2 course. "Cash for clunkers" is a blatantly obvious auto subsidy. The Bank Bailout?Even if the public option in health care gets passed, we we still be less socialist than any other developed country in the world. Our current government's policy is more in line with same crony capitalist policies that we've always had. It certainly isn't real capitalism, but it isn't socialism either.
This oddly reminds me of when the left became fixated on the idea that Bush was going to reinstate the draft. It made me cringe, because Bush's policies were simply bad, and making up unlikely, but scary scenarios only distracted from the real issues.
Published: August 5, 2009 9:14 AM
newson
"the lord of the flies" versus "children of revolution". no guess for which of the two views of childhood idylls has stood the test of time.
Published: August 5, 2009 10:32 AM
David Spellman
Socialism? Nah, we are headed for Corporatism (aka Fascism). America is going to be one giant slave labor camp.
Published: August 5, 2009 11:53 AM
Ohhh Henry
"This oddly reminds me of when the left became fixated on the idea that Bush was going to reinstate the draft. It made me cringe, because Bush's policies were simply bad, and making up unlikely, but scary scenarios only distracted from the real issues."
Instead he hired mercs, put the dual invasions onto America's credit card, and conscripted you, your children and your grandchildren into paying for it "down the road", so that he could claim that this is not total war, you can continue shopping and buying houses, this is still government of the people, etc.
The Obamanites are doing pretty much the same thing building up the socialist state on borrowed money, exerting as much power as possible over the markets using taxes/subsidies/regulation while leaving nominal ownership in private hands, and then claiming on this basis that it is not "full blown socialism".
I am reminded of a dog on a long choke chain being encouraged to run as fast as it can to the end of its leash ...
Published: August 5, 2009 2:02 PM
Hank
Lemmywinks:
Corporatism is the result of interventionist and socialist policies (in our case, DECADES of them). The companies that survive these policy swings due to favors and lobbying for lesislation that puts their competition out of business are the benefactors. It is symbiosis between the Marxist politicians and the corporations with the clout (political and otherwise) who can get their way.
Published: August 5, 2009 2:05 PM
Michael Orlowski(The Orlonater/ChainedOrlo)
David Spellman,
We're heading in for a mix. Our health insurance is going to be socialized, anyway.
Published: August 5, 2009 2:55 PM
Bruce Koerber
If I was pessisitic I would tend to agree but one of the reasons I do not think it will go that route is because the ego-driven interventionists are like a speck of dust in comparison to the equilibrating power of the economy. All their schemes are vain and futile.
There are cycles and the culmination of this cycle is soon, but the knowledge released in these unique times will prevent it from happening again.
Published: August 5, 2009 4:00 PM
Vanmind
"All their schemes are vain and futile."
Tell that to the 20th Century.
Published: August 5, 2009 10:05 PM