Marxist-Leninists
If you've ever lived in Berkeley, CA, you know a little bit about Marxist-Leninism, because you've probably run into such people who are sometimes very loud about their views. Actually, this could be true for any major university town.
My mother was a Marxist-Leninist-Stalinist. I learned a lot about these views from living with and observing my mother. Her views and involvement in the CP were kept secret from me most of my life, but in my middle years, in the 1980s, my mother admitted she had joined the Party in the 1930s and was still involved in it in the mid 1980s. I had pretty much guessed all this by then.
Members of the CP who call themselves "Marxist-Leninist" believe certain things which most people know nothing about. Here is a description of some things most people don't know or get wrong about these kinds of beliefs:
Above all, Leninist beliefs are essentially Machieavellian. That is, they believe that the ends justify the means. If murdering someone might possibly bring about a socialist revolution one hour sooner, then doing so would save millions of people from capitalist exploitation, therefore it would save many children from poverty or outright starvation, and therefore it would be fully justifiable. If by torturing someone, you could ensure greater security for the CP or your socialist group, then it's justified.
Another misunderstanding to clear up:
Communists are most definitely NOT egalitarian. They are elitists. They believe that some people's lives are more worthy than others, and the people at the top of the CP are those who deserve to rule the world and will after a socialist takeover. If you are not part of their group, you don't deserve anything, not even your life if they want to take it from you.
Those are a couple of hard facts that are often hidden from outsiders to socialism. Many socialist causes are supposedly centered around "equality." But their purpose is not to promote equality, but to agitate society enough to take advantage of the societal chaos. Promoting conflict and chaos trumps any real equality every time.
Communism is based on the very controversial ideas of Karl Marx, someone who did not hesitate to use fake statistics and incorrect information at times, and on the ideas and historical activities of Lenin who, along with the Bolshevicks, did manage to overthrow a powerful and corrupt old regime that had ruled Russia for hundreds of years. Lenin's tactics worked well and so are studied by those who see themselves overthrowing their government. Old morality is gone in this type of thinking. All that matters is what works.
I grew up in the midst of such thinking. Since my father had gotten into trouble with the CP before I was born, I was excluded from CP youth training programs. That put me outside, and inferior to, the group of children I grew up around. But because I did know everyone in these various CP groups, and lived with my mother, a powerful player in the CP, I was not only viewed as inferior, but, even worse, seen as a potential security risk. My mother watched me or had me watched continually and saw me as a danger to her, the CP, and world betterment. I was a burden to the Party, and not worth anything as a person. Needless to say, this did nothing helpful to my mental, emotional and social health. My mother questioned me at night with the use of drugs and hypnosis and terrorized me with threats of various kinds of torture and death if I ever talked or wrote about any of this. She greatly feared I would go to the FBI or CIA with what little I knew. It never actually occurred to me to do so. I was a kid with no friends and a mother who hated me and saw me as an enemy of her, her friends, and her most cherished beliefs. I still wake up at the slightest sound in the middle of the night wondering if some CP person will kidnap me, torture me and then kill me. My mother has been gone now for 15 years but her people still scare me.
My mother was a Marxist-Leninist-Stalinist. I learned a lot about these views from living with and observing my mother. Her views and involvement in the CP were kept secret from me most of my life, but in my middle years, in the 1980s, my mother admitted she had joined the Party in the 1930s and was still involved in it in the mid 1980s. I had pretty much guessed all this by then.
Members of the CP who call themselves "Marxist-Leninist" believe certain things which most people know nothing about. Here is a description of some things most people don't know or get wrong about these kinds of beliefs:
Above all, Leninist beliefs are essentially Machieavellian. That is, they believe that the ends justify the means. If murdering someone might possibly bring about a socialist revolution one hour sooner, then doing so would save millions of people from capitalist exploitation, therefore it would save many children from poverty or outright starvation, and therefore it would be fully justifiable. If by torturing someone, you could ensure greater security for the CP or your socialist group, then it's justified.
Another misunderstanding to clear up:
Communists are most definitely NOT egalitarian. They are elitists. They believe that some people's lives are more worthy than others, and the people at the top of the CP are those who deserve to rule the world and will after a socialist takeover. If you are not part of their group, you don't deserve anything, not even your life if they want to take it from you.
Those are a couple of hard facts that are often hidden from outsiders to socialism. Many socialist causes are supposedly centered around "equality." But their purpose is not to promote equality, but to agitate society enough to take advantage of the societal chaos. Promoting conflict and chaos trumps any real equality every time.
Communism is based on the very controversial ideas of Karl Marx, someone who did not hesitate to use fake statistics and incorrect information at times, and on the ideas and historical activities of Lenin who, along with the Bolshevicks, did manage to overthrow a powerful and corrupt old regime that had ruled Russia for hundreds of years. Lenin's tactics worked well and so are studied by those who see themselves overthrowing their government. Old morality is gone in this type of thinking. All that matters is what works.
I grew up in the midst of such thinking. Since my father had gotten into trouble with the CP before I was born, I was excluded from CP youth training programs. That put me outside, and inferior to, the group of children I grew up around. But because I did know everyone in these various CP groups, and lived with my mother, a powerful player in the CP, I was not only viewed as inferior, but, even worse, seen as a potential security risk. My mother watched me or had me watched continually and saw me as a danger to her, the CP, and world betterment. I was a burden to the Party, and not worth anything as a person. Needless to say, this did nothing helpful to my mental, emotional and social health. My mother questioned me at night with the use of drugs and hypnosis and terrorized me with threats of various kinds of torture and death if I ever talked or wrote about any of this. She greatly feared I would go to the FBI or CIA with what little I knew. It never actually occurred to me to do so. I was a kid with no friends and a mother who hated me and saw me as an enemy of her, her friends, and her most cherished beliefs. I still wake up at the slightest sound in the middle of the night wondering if some CP person will kidnap me, torture me and then kill me. My mother has been gone now for 15 years but her people still scare me.
70-79, F
