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Marxism and Destruction
by Glenn Woiceshyn
[A shorter version was published in the Globe and Mail on Sep/21/91.]
Re: "A farewell to Karl and the Marx Brothers"--by Stephen Strauss--Sep/16/91--The
Globe and Mail
Dear Editor,
Stephen Strauss's article about being let down by Marxism -- which he once admired
-- made me cry. We are nearing the end of a century primarily dominated by one ideology,
Marxism. Because of this ideology, this century can best be described as a century
of blood, destruction, fear and misery, at least for the majority of the earth's
population. Canada escaped the worst of it but Marxist ideology is deeply rooted
in Canadian culture. The misunderstanding and hatred of capitalism, the withering
away of individual rights, the stranglehold of government on business, the powerful
and destructive unions, the high taxes, and the many other socialistic government
policies are still with us.
What makes me cry is that Marxism is an entirely flawed theory, a rationalistic,
Hegelian construct without much tie to reality. It had to fail on theoretical grounds
and it wasn't necessary to waste a century and destroy millions of lives to prove
it. Also, Marx himself was a despicable character who watched his children starve
while he blew away unearned money at whim, and who even asked his friend Friedrich
Engels to assume responsibility for getting Marx's maid pregnant, when in fact Marx
was the father. Marx's character is not a refutation of Marxism but should not be
discarded.
I don't intend to be inconsiderate, but if Mr. Strauss had put all of his idealistic
eggs in the Marxian basket and now feels confused at the sight of their destruction,
he has only himself to blame.
Sincerely,
Glenn Woiceshyn
© 1997 Glenn Woiceshyn. All rights reserved.
This article can be found on-line at at http://www.capitalism.org/glennw. |
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