The Acid Reflux Nature of Marxism
Having taught the history of Karl Marx and his ideology for many years, I remain dumbfounded that any rational human would subscribe to Marxism. Like acid reflux, it routinely lurches up in our historical trajectory, wreaking havoc as it does.
For those unaware, acid reflux is a nasty malady. Imagine waking up in the middle of the night, choking on your regurgitated stomach acid! Unchecked, it can severely damage the lining of the esophagus, irritate the airways, and lead to very serious complications.
Marxism is just as horrid. It erodes the soft tissues of personal freedom and social harmony. It chokes the life out of initiative, innovation, and diversity. It subjugates, imprisons, and kills. It can only be mitigated with an enduring understanding of and resistance to its true nature.
Karl Marx’s biography is fascinating. He was born in Prussia to Heinrich Marx (the son of a prominent Rabbi) and Henriette Pressburg (from a wealthy Jewish Dutch family). Neither Heinrich nor Henriette was particularly religious; however, an edict in 1812, which prohibited Jews from occupying legal or state positions, forced Heinrich to convert his family to Lutheranism. Karl was thus raised with both Jewish and Christian affections. In 1835, he claimed Christ as his Lord and Savior, writing:
“Our heart, reason, intelligence, [and] history all summon us with loud and convincing voice to the knowledge that union with [Christ] is absolutely necessary, that without Him we would be unable to fulfill our purpose, that without Him we would be rejected by God, and that only He can redeem us.”[1]
Yet it was his time in college, as is often the case, when his faith was deconstructed. At 16, he enrolled at the University of Bonn, where he quickly got involved in “extracurricular activities,” with which his father was not pleased. Heinrich subsequently transferred Karl to the University of Berlin, where he encountered the teachings of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, who died shortly before Marx entered college. Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit was particularly influential, in which Hegel referred to religion as “…the collective reflection of the modern community on what ultimately counts for it.”
More precisely, self-consciousness was “god.”
Although Marx believed Hegel’s dialectic (a Thesis is presented, an Antithesis contradicts it, culminating in a Synthesis, which in turn becomes a new Thesis, and so on) was impractical, he joined the Young Hegelians and embraced the Hegelian secularization of God, which ultimately him to renounce his Christian faith. Marx’s subsequent anti-establishment writings caused trouble, and in 1843, he was forced to flee to Paris where he became a revolutionary. Five years later, he partnered with Fredrich Engels, another German philosopher, to write the Communist Manifesto.
Marxism was born, and since then, over 100,000,000 people have been killed in its name. Why this destructive ideology remains appealing is illogical. Yet, as previously noted, like acid reflux it regularly comes to the surface to destroy the “soft tissues” of society.
Marxism has two fundamental pillars:
- Society is binary, comprised of oppressors (bourgeoisie) and oppressed (proletariat)
- There is no such thing as “private”—not property, information, identity, or beliefs. The “state,” defined as the “people” collectively, must control everything.
From Marxism came philosophies such as Communism, Socialism, Maoism, Critical Theory (deconstructing social power structures), and most recently, the veneration of “SELF.” Today’s “oppressors” are not merely the wealthy who own businesses and property, nor those with socio-political power. They now include anyone or anything that gets in the way of “self” interests, including but not limited to:
- Parents
- The Unborn
- Heterosexuality
- Anglo-Saxons/Caucasians/Whites
- Biological Males
- Biblical Christians
- Biblical Marriage
- Jews
- Objective Biological and Physiological Science
This harkens back to Hegel’s notion of self-consciousness as “god.” SELF is the new deity that must be worshipped. Yet, the contradiction here is glaring. How can the “self” be revered when, in Marxism, the “self” is to be sacrificed for the sake of the collective? Such illogicality was wonderfully conveyed in George Orwell’s Animal Farm, where “all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.”
Dismissively, Marxists roll their eyes at the mention of Orwell, believing his assertions to be “overused” or “overly simplistic.” As a result, we have plenty of “pigs on their hindlegs” spouting the value of Marxism or Marxist affections while living a contradictory (i.e., rabidly capitalist) lifestyle. This includes the Climate Change prophets who, with their mansions, supercars, yachts, and private jets, pour more hydrocarbons into our environment than small cities, the “Democratic Socialists” who pontificate about the virtues of socialism while enjoying their elitist lifestyles, “oligarch” Musk is denigrated, while “oligarch” Soros is venerated, etc.
Things won’t change much until regular folks feel the irritation of Marxist acid reflux. Yet therein lies the problem. Increasing numbers of people are being taught to accept, even embrace, the irritation as virtuous, a path to a glorious end. Like the pigs in Orwell’s Animal Farm, the “elite” in our culture rely on the ignorance of the masses. As Orwell writes, “It was always the pigs who put forward the resolutions. The other animals understood how to vote, but could never think of any resolutions of their own” (p. 39).
Marxism lulls people into ignorance and keeps them there through propaganda and threats. Yep. Some animals are more equal than others. And the acid reflux of Marxism marches on, to the demise of millions.
[1] Karl Marx, “On the Union of the Faithful with Christ According to John XV, 1–14, Described in its Ground and Essence, in its Unconditional Necessity and in its Effects,” in The Unknown Marx: Documents Concerning Karl Marx trans. ed. Robert Payne (New York: New York University Press, 1971), 41.
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