In recent weeks, I’ve mocked socialism, both as a general concept and as the ideology of Crazy Bernie.
Today, let’s focus on communism, which is socialism’s authoritarian cousin.
We’ll start with an unusual article from Babylon Bee, a must-read satire site. There’s nothing but a headline and an image.
Though this story is only partly satire.
Given the staggering death toll of communism (a body count somewhere between the Spanish Flu and the Black Death), it is far deadlier than the coronavirus.
Readers in the boomer demographic doubtlessly remember the Beatles. After the band broke up, John Lennon had several solo hits, including Imagine, which became an anthem for some leftists in part because it included the line, “Imagine no possessions.”
The clever folks at Babylon Bee have revised the lyrics in the interests of accuracy.
Have you ever tried to imagine living in a perfect world ruled by communism, but previously only received the information from catchy folk songs which praise the system? Well, lucky for you, it is now easier than ever to understand what a full-blown communist utopia actually looks like….”Imagine” has been rereleased with more realistic lyrics to reflect the harsh realities of communism. Lennon, long dead—though not by way of communism, since he was blessed to live in a capitalist country—would be proud of the change… While the classic folk song does do a fantastic job of laying out the basics of communism—no religion, no possessions, no food—it never invites the listener to imagine all the people in their true form, which is dead—usually by firing squad, but often by way of starvation as well.
Here are some of the updated lyrics.
Since we just traveled back to the 1970s, let stay in that decade by sharing a sketch from Monty Python. (Interestingly the YouTube ad I was presented was Bernie Sanders!! ~ Kelly)
Last but not least, here’s the utopian vision of communism (embraced by 36% of millennials) compared to the grim reality of communism.
P.S. Apologists for Marxism routinely try to dodge accountability by claiming all the real-world examples “weren’t real communism.” Which creates additional opportunities for satire.
P.P.S. Like modern leftists who talk one way and live another way, John Lennon did not put his money where his mouth was. He preached leftism while enjoying a life of luxury thanks to personal earnings of several hundred million dollars.
Daniel J. Mitchell is a public policy economist in Washington. He’s been a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute, a Senior Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, an economist for Senator Bob Packwood and the Senate Finance Committee, and a Director of Tax and Budget Policy at Citizens for a Sound Economy. His articles can be found in such publications as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Investor’s Business Daily, and Washington Times. Mitchell holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from the University of Georgia and a Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University. Original article can be viewed here.
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