Consequences of Cultural Marxism
In Erwin Lutzer’s timely 2020 book, We Will Not Be Silenced, he lists five cultural channels which Cultural Marxists use to capture and enslave a nation—social, political, educational, religious, and family.
A Swedish friend explained the Marxist strategy to me a little differently as he described how the very leftist Social Democrats took over Sweden in the 1932 elections and were able transform the country for 44 years until the 1976 election. They are still the dominant party in Sweden, although greater center-right strength has now made Sweden one of the most free enterprise friendly economies in Europe. Swedish media, however, continues to be one of the most oppressively politically correct.
The Swedish Left strategy was first to infiltrate and then dominate the education system and media to change Swedish thinking and attitudes. With the help of the Great Depression, they won the 1932 elections. Having now the government, education, and media, the Left wielded tremendous power to transform the culture and stay in office for generations. The Swedish Church, which was a State Lutheran Church until 2000, had already been infiltrated by liberalism, and the combination of relentless government, education, and media propaganda continued to drive down Christian influence in Sweden. A 2009 Gallup Poll found only 17 percent of the Swedish population considered religion an important part of their lives, and barely more than two percent attend church regularly. All this weakened but has not destroyed the influence of family and family values in Sweden. The Marxist pattern is to control education and the media to gain political power and to erode religious, family, and non-government moral influences to maintain and gain more and more government power over the whole culture.
All Marxism is strongly inimical to Biblically faithful Christianity and traditional Judaism. Lutzer and most other observers of Marxism mention two social issues that Marxists most often use to stir political trouble. Rather than economics, they are race and progressive sexual trends. They often work to exploit or manufacture racial issues and fan racial suspicion and hatred. They use progressive sexual trends to stir up controversy and undermine Christian influence. For example, the leaders of Black Lives Matter, who are Marxist trained, want to dismantle the two-parent family system as racist. Marxists also populate some of the most militant feminist organizations. These are often radically anti-family. Three marks tend to characterize all Marxism: outrageous lies, burning hatred, and ruthless violence.
Included in the socialist power mechanisms mentioned by both Lutzer and the Swedish example is healthcare. If the government is the sole alternative for your healthcare, they can control you.
Another factor that pervades stories of tyranny in government is the right of citizens to bear arms. Losing this right has resulted in much wider losses of freedom, brutal injustices, and even genocide. Freedom of speech is also an early casualty of Cultural Marxist power and political correctness. Without freedom of speech, religion, and the right to bear arms in defending our lives, family, and property, we are helpless victims just waiting for the next injury or humiliation.
But there is still another grave threat to American freedom and national security now looming over us. In order to fully control a Cultural Marxist society, it is also necessary to command the loyalty of a nation’s military and police forces. Our Armed Forces and state and local law enforcement officers have their ultimate loyalty to the U.S. Constitution and its principles—not to any Cultural Marxist ideology or agenda, and not to military officers or politicians who are clearly demanding acts or policies that are clearly in violation of the Constitution.
Our Armed Forces and police forces have traditionally steered away from partisan politics with a view to serving the nation and the American people through its elected and appointed leaders, who are themselves bound by the Constitution. It is well known, however, that individually, military and police have always tended toward conservative values. The duties and work of the military and police attract those who are protective, traditional, patriotic, and adventurous.
On February 6, President Biden’s newly appointed Defense Secretary and retired Army General Lloyd Austin signed a memo directing commanding officers and supervisors in the Armed Forces and Defense Department to “stand down” within the next 60 days to address extremism within the nation’s armed forces. The discussions are to focus on” the importance of our oath of office, a description of impermissible behaviors, and procedures for reporting suspected, or actual, extremist behaviors.”
"We will not tolerate actions that go against the fundamental principles of the oath we share, including actions associated with extremist or dissident ideologies…Service members, DoD civilian employees, and all those who support our mission, deserve an environment free of discrimination, hate, and harassment…the stand down is the first step in what I believe must be a concerted effort to better educate ourselves and our people about the scope of this problem and to develop sustainable ways to eliminate the corrosive effects that extremist ideology and conduct have on the workforce”
President Biden also delivered a short speech on February 10, which suggested a purge of white supremacists or white nationalists from the military. Biden frequently mentions the purported prevalence of systemic racism and white supremacy, a debatable charge which has become Democrat Party doctrine.
According to the New York Times, about 43 percent of armed forces members come from minority backgrounds, but that percentage is smaller among officers, and only two of the 41 highest ranking generals are black.
Even many liberal publications are saying that Biden and Austin intend to purge those in the military they claim might be white nationalists or white supremacists. Many conservatives smell a witch hunt for military personnel who may have supported Donald Trump for President or have traditional moral views on the sexes.
On February 8, Breitbart News Senior Editor, Joel Pollack, noted that “Austin said some astonishing things during his confirmation hearing, talking about enemies within the military, and now we’re going to pause military operations over the next 60 days to make sure there are no extremists and by this they mean extremists on the right within the military.”
Pollack continued, “The military is the most diverse institution in America, so I don’t know where they think they’re going to find a bunch of white supremacists in the military. I think it’s kind of Democratic prejudice against the armed forces and law enforcement in general.”
“I’m very concerned about Lloyd Austin…to come in and say your first act is going to be this political purge of the military—I understand getting rid of people like Major Nidal Hasan, Islamic extremists, and if you’ve got information on white supremacists in the military—get them out—but we’re going to pause our military readiness of our entire force to ferret out people who might have had some reservation about the November 3 election? I think this is crazy.”
Pollack is referring to Army psychiatrist, Major Nidal Hasan, who on November 5, 2009, at Fort Hood, Texas, fatally shot 14 people, including an unborn child, and wounded 30 more, the deadliest mass shooting on an American military base in history. He commenced his shooting spree against unarmed American soldiers by shouting “Allahu Akbar,” meaning “Allah is greater,” the standard war cry of Islamic jihadists. His medical military colleagues had noted his Islamic extremism for over two years but were afraid to report it for fear of being “crucified” for being politically incorrect. Numerous email exchanges with a radical Muslim spiritual leader and posts on his computer also indicated clear Islamist ideology. In the opening statement of his trial he apologized to his fellow jihadists for not taking more lives. He frequently referred to himself as “a soldier of Allah.” Yet the Obama Administration insisted on calling this jihadist massacre “workplace violence” rather than terrorism. The Army report on the Fort Hood shooting can no longer be assessed on the internet. It would be interesting just to know who signed a document that called jihadist massacre “workplace violence.” Nidal Hasan remains imprisoned at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Nobody outside of a madhouse can believe that the Biden-Austin directive, probably inspired by Barack Obama, will be directed at left wing or Islamic extremists. There is also special danger in the terms “white supremacist” and “white nationalist, because like the terms “racist” “xenophobe” and “Islamophobe,” they are subjectively defined, seldom substantiated, and have become standard shallow accusations against anyone who dares disagree with the Cultural Marxist ideology now espoused by Democrat Party leadership and some spineless Republicans.
The Biden-Austin directives look suspiciously like a witch hunt for anyone with conservative political or religious values, especially those who may have voted for Trump. However, almost anyone of European ancestry or serious Christian convictions could be made uncomfortable or feel their opportunity for promotion significantly reduced. This project is more likely to cause suspicion, division, and unrest than unity. It is very likely to become a hindrance to morale, any sense of belonging and loyalty, and ultimately corrosive to military preparedness and readiness. Its blatant racial and religious discriminatory overtones will probably have a selective negative impact on enlistment and retention. The higher the skills, the more detrimental will be the effect. The damage could be irreversible. This is an awful mistake that the Russians and Chinese will love.