One thing that we, as Marxists, must overcome, are misconceptions of the movement. They start early on, and can stay in the mind of an individual forever unless otherwise enlightened.
When I tell someone that I’m a Socialist, most of them don’t even know (or have heard of) what that is - the ages of these people range from 13-19, almost voting age, and some ARE voting age, in America. Or, if I say that I’m a Communist, people seem to think that I’m a Nazi. "Its the way I’ve always been taught," remarked somebody that I recently talked with about what they thought Communism is, "No one has ever told me different, I have always been told Communists are Nazis and evil." Many other people who I asked about the issue, couldn’t even give me an answer, they had no clue. I could go on about experiences like these for pages.
What can be done about this common illiteracy many American youth seem to have about Communism? Talk to them. All the people I talked to about this, had a different tune about Communism and were actually somewhat moved, after I had talked with them. It’s hard for some to comprehend, but nonetheless, we must persist. There is much more that can be done than just "talking to them", but, it’s a start. This idea can only reach a certain amount of people though, so we need to collectively think up of ideas to educate today’s youth on what Communism stands for.
By Sergei Prescott
April 26, 1999
Home | Back to Editorials and Commentary