America is in a class war, not a race war

“The Communist Manifesto” begins with the phrase, “The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.” According to Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the proletariat (workers) would inevitably overthrow the bourgeois (capitalists) in a colossal battle for the control of the means of production.

Needless to say, Marx and Engels cannot be considered clairvoyant, because almost 200 years after their magnum opus was penned, their predicted proletariat vs. bourgeois battle has not happened. At least not on the grand scale that Marx and Engels envisioned.

However, over the past few months, America seems to be inching dangerously close to the class struggle that Marx and Engels anticipated all those years ago. And although the mainstream liberal media is trying their best to portray the unrest in America as a struggle for racial equality — it is not.

In fact, the bedlam that has engulfed far too many American cities (and some sleepy suburbs) since the death of George Floyd is more predicated on socialist dogma than racial justice. All one has to do is listen to the “protestors” or read the agendas of antifa and Black Lives Matter.

For instance, after a night of wanton looting in downtown Chicago in early August, Ariel Atkins, a Black Lives Matter organizer, said, “I don’t care if somebody decides to loot a Gucci or a Macy’s or a Nike because that makes sure that that person eats. That makes sure that that person has clothes … That’s reparations. That is reparations. Anything they want to take, take it because these businesses have insurance. They’re going to get their money back. My people aren’t getting anything.”

Excuse me, but a violent mob marauding through the streets of Chicago, taking what they please and causing mass destruction is a classic example of class warfare, not racial justice. Under no circumstances should this despicable behavior be confused with racial justice, or even social justice, for that matter.

There are countless examples of similar situations taking place throughout America’s cities. Sadly, America’s urban centers have become rife with violence, property destruction, and huge spikes in crime, all under the guise of a racial movement. No wonder many with the means to flee these lawless places has or is contemplating doing so.

Yet, the mobs are not satisfied with looting and pillaging urban neighborhoods. After they have wrought devastation on minority-owned businesses in neighborhoods that are overwhelmingly populated by minority residents, they are now turning their attention and their wrath on America’s suburbs.

For example, once-quiet suburbs of Portland are now ground-zero for violent mobs who are peddling class warfare. It is not okay for hundreds of angry rioters to instill fear in people simply because they live in peace and harmony and have achieved some semblance of prosperity.

Portland’s district attorney seems to disagree. According to Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt, “The protesters are angry … and deeply frustrated with what they perceive to be structural inequities in our basic social fabric. And this frustration can escalate to levels that violate the law.”

Unfortunately, Schmidt refuses to hold radical lawbreakers accountable for their misdeeds. He recently announced that charges will be dropped for the vast majority of reckless rioters who have destroyed a once-beautiful city, because as he says, “what we’re doing is recognizing that the right to speak and have your voice heard is extremely important.”

What about the rights of those who have had their businesses destroyed? What about those who live in constant fear that their basic rights are at the mercy of the mob?

In class warfare, these people (the so-called silent majority) are not viewed as victims, but as oppressors. And this is the crux of the matter. The mainstream liberal media, academia, Hollywood and many cultural icons and institutions (such as the professional sports world) have declared their kinship with the violent mobs who are pushing America to the brink of an all-out class war.

If you think this could never happen in the United States, think again. The Democratic Party seems to be in cahoots with the launch of this class struggle. By refusing to denounce the appalling looting and violence in the wake of the George Floyd protests (that continue to this day), they are making it clear that they are at least sympathetic to their unrighteous cause.

And, if you still need more evidence that America is indeed on the verge of a massive class war, just take a look at the Democratic Party’s platform. It includes class warfare rhetoric and is chock-full-of socialist policies that would make Karl Marx warm and fuzzy all over.

It would be sad and ironic if Marx and Engels were right after all, and their worldwide revolution actually took root in the very place that supposedly conquered communism less than a few decades ago.

Chris Talgo (ctalgo@heartland.org) is an editor at the Heartland Institute.