Ever since the inception of Marx’s principle of the proletariat vs. bourgeois, a communist country’s problems were blamed on a certain class within it. They claimed the only thing preventing a certain county from unbounded prosperity was the existence of an easily identifiable class within a society. More often then not, a class was pushing a certain country to failure, and therefore needed to be stopped. So how did the totalitarian communists deal with these classes? Hitler slaughtered Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals,Catholics, etc. Stalin killed Jews, Gypsies, capitalists, political enemies, etc. Pol Pot killed intellectuals, minorities, etc. There are countless other atrocities that aren’t recorded, too. But the unifying theme in these governments’ justifications was to separate their societies into classes based on various political criteria, and then take action to suppress one class and elevate another. Thank goodness we have the Diversity Plan here at the University to help us do precisely that.
I know that millions of people who were slaughtered with prejudice, without remorse, were killed in the name of equality. When Russian professors recant the brutality, the fear, and the despair of living through genocide, I feel anger that they must do so because we ignore the past. It emotionally pains me to see a math professor break into tears trying to warn us of what he experienced in his lifetime – and to see the same mistakes made here in Eugene. I can do nothing to allay their fears because the blueprints for the institutions which caused past atrocities were welcomed by a standing ovation last Wednesday.
I say to all of you totalitarians who call yourselves communists, socialists and progressives, with your supposedly grandiose central planning: You will do nothing but oppress the natural rights of human beings.
Do not right wrongs with wrongs.
Andy Dolberg is a columnist for the Oregon Commentator