Tom Woods: 'What I Told College Kids About Communism'

Source:Communist Party USA- "Trump sparks communist growth surge"

"These days communism has become chic again, particularly on college campuses (but not only there).

Not to say that people always come out and endorse it, but it's considered all right -- or at least not career-destroying -- to employ communist symbolism or to imply that communism wasn't really so bad.

This can't be smashed hard enough.

Not too long ago I spoke at the University of California at Santa Barbara on precisely this topic. In particular I sought to answer: were the crimes of communism a mere aberration? Did they result from the perversion of an otherwise noble idea?

Or were they the entirely predictable result of a perverse idea?

Here's my overview of what I told the students; it's an oldie but a goodie:"

From Tom Woods

Source:Tom Woods: 'What I Told College Students About Communism'- This just in: Libertarian Tom Woods: is not a fan of communism. LOL

"Here's an overview of what I said about communism to an audience of students at the University of California at Santa Barbara last night. Were the crimes of communism mere aberrations? Were they perversions of an otherwise noble ideal? Or were they the natural, expected outcomes of awful ideas?"

I'm not saying that there aren't any real Communists in America, which you would have to at least consider would be like the Death Valley for Communists, since Americans tend to like making their own decisions and living their own lives, sort of like Libertarians in Scandinavia or China, but to me communism is more of a social movement, instead of a political movement, with democratic socialism being the real political movement in America for the Far-Left.

Communism to me in America is more like a social movement: sort of how young adults in and post-college like to get drunk and party as much as they possibly can, until they get a good job, make a romantic commitment, have kids, whatever new responsibility that they now have in their lives that forces them to be sober. ( At least for the most part ) Communism to me with young people, is like heavy alcohol drinking and partying for young people: they get it out of their system while they're young, until they're forced to live more responsibly. Perhaps their parents finally kick them out of their homes, whatever the case might be.

To me at least, once Americans grow up ( or sober up ) and start having any real responsibilities in their lives, like a good job, a committed romance, marriage, kids, whatever it might be and have to start making real decisions not just with their real lives, but other people's real lives that come with real consequences not just for them, but for people around them that count on them for their well-being. And learn that communism isn't so cool anymore and even if young people believe Communists are cool, they're probably too young and stupid to know any better anyway.  ( Sort of like an asshole )  That having the freedom over their own lives and being able to make a good living in life and the freedom to socialize and enjoy life, are actually really good things, even if they're considered to be corny, materialistic, or even racist with so-called young Communists.

But until young people ( or so-called young Communists ) do grow up ( or sober up ) there like college frat boy and girl jackasses, who are addicted to their smartphones and laptops, wearing their American capitalist designer outfits at their favorite coffee houses, who can't seem to get off of social media, who believe that Communists and communism will save the world from liberal democracy, capitalism, and materialism. They're simply young assholes,  ( instead of young Communists ) who simply don't know any better.