The political left often sells its ideas on the premise that they are new and exciting — part of the reason that younger generations are more attracted to them than their older counterparts. Strangely enough, however, most of these ideas are far older than modern proponents are willing to accept.
Take socialism, for example. Most people associate the term with Karl Marx, but the Prussian-born author wasn’t the first to propose such a society as an ideal state of being. Even so, his progressive followers in America brought it to the mainstream as a new system — a lie that politicians like Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders seem perfectly happy to perpetuate.
Socialism is as old as the idea of theft itself. “Democratic socialism” can even be used to describe the hierarchy used by Caribbean pirates in the 18th century, who distributed stolen goods evenly among crew members.
The worst part about this is that the failures of socialism are perfectly documented. The USSR was a basket case, and so were its proxy states in South America and East Asia. However, this doesn’t seem to stop modern supporters from selling it as a new idea.
~ Facts Not Memes
