Sounding the Alarm Against Socialism at Gettysburg College
On Monday, July 17, a group of TFP volunteers traveled to Gettysburg College to alert students about the dangers of socialism and distribute flyers, 10 Reasons to Reject Socialism. A large banner quoting Sir Winston Churchill was also on display for students to read: “Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.”
TFP slogans echoed on the liberal campus:
- “Keep America Strong. Reject Socialism!”
- “What is Socialism? The equal sharing of misery.”
- “Socialism: Spreading your wealth to make everybody poor.”
- “Socialism: Not practical, not American, not natural!”
It didn’t take long for leftist opposition to arise. Some students and professors defended socialism, while others yelled objections from afar. One man, however, demonstrated his dislike for the campaign in a strange manner: He tried to burn a TFP flyer, but when his attempt failed, he proceeded to eat the flier, literally, which was captured on camera.
"Thank you for standing up to socialism," said a Gettsyburg College student, whose sentiment of gratitude was echoed by many others during the day.
With more than 100 million deaths due to socialism and communism, is it not time to stand up and say no to socialism? In the face of the tragic socialist debacle in Venezuela, why do Western powers still insist on flirting with socialism? Why do so-called progressive colleges still pretend that socialism is acceptable?
Facts:
- After two decades of socialist rule, 82% of Venezuelan households live in poverty (The Economist, March 9, 2017).
- Millions stand in lines for hours to get food (NPR, April 7, 2017).
- 2 million Venezuelans have fled the country (Reuters, July 16, 2017).
- 75% of Venezuelan adults lost an average of 19 pounds in 2016 (FoxNews, February 20, 2017).
Common sense -- which is less and less common -- compels us to reject a system that causes so such destruction and misery. Instead, we ought to embrace what John Horvat II calls an organic Christian society in his book Return to Order.
May God protect America from the ravages of socialism.