It's always fun to ask those with little life experience and common sense who know it all a few questions on the history of modern-day slavery, better known as socialism.

For the appetizer, ask them when the concepts of an ideal state and collectivism were first "discussed."  The odds are that they will be off by a few thousand years, given that these can be sourced to Plato's Republic, written in ancient Greece in the 4th century B.C., or 2,400 years ago.  So much for socialism being based on new ideas.

Follow that up by asking when and what "the first theoretical expression of a genuinely socialist position" was, at least, according to the Communist Party of Australia, among others.  This one is measured in centuries — over 500 years.  As in the book Utopia, first published in 1516, by Saint Thomas More.

At least maybe they can tell you why the word Utopia means "no place," since that describes where socialism has been successful.  (You may have to carefully explain that to anyone who filled out a ballot for the fascist far left in the last election.)  Just for reference, if they spew the usual projections, remind them of a couple of the Universal Aspects of Fascism, from the Labor Charter of 1927, and that

[t]he Corporations shall constitute the joint organisations of the forces of production and represent collectively the interests of production. 

In view of this collective representation, the interests of production being national interests, the Corporations are juridically recognised as organs of the State.

Proving that "as an economic system, fascism is socialism with a capitalist veneer."

Then, since we're on holiday, ask them who were the first people to escape from the slavery, deprivation, and starvation of socialism.  Thanksgiving should be a big hint, but play this video for them.

Then, if you want to score some bonus points, you can see if they know of the first use of the word "socialism" in connection with its unending string of failures, misery, and deliberate mass murder on an industrial scale.  Hint: It was long before Karl stole other people's ideas as his own and a mass-murdering Marxist socialist nation opened its first Gulag or concentration camp.

Consider New Harmony, Indiana, 1827 — a good practical example of socialism's failure.  Note that this was long before good old Karl came along and claimed these ideas as his own.  (Isn't it curious how the fascist far left has a predilection for gaslighting and theft?) 

So why is this important?  Why would the left keep on trying to sell the same old snake oil century after century, millennium after millennium, after it's been proven to fail with horrific results?

Why would the left keep on changing the name of its collectivist ideologies?

First it was socialism, then communism, followed by fascism, Leninism or Maoism, and a bunch of other misleading labels.  They are doing this to dupe a new slew of suckers into voting away their freedom, going so far as to reduce the effectiveness of the school system to raise a generation that will fall for all of this once again.

But why are they doing this?

With socialism, your time, labor, and property are under the control of a governmental ruling class.  It is redistributed — used to buy votes — as they see fit. 

What do you call it when your time, labor, and property are controlled by someone else?  Just like socialism, it starts with an S — for slavery.

You must fool people into enslaving themselves by making them think they are getting something for nothing, or "saving the planet" (whatever that means).  The dirty little secret is that just like slavery, socialism must be maintained by force.

Keeping these two things in mind goes a long way in explaining the inherent motivations of the left.

It also explains the old saying that many have forgotten: with socialism, it's one man, one vote, once.  We're seeing the results of that now, with some states remaining free, while others are losing their liberty with each round of "votes."

The free states remain that way because of free and fair elections. 

The socialist enslaved states are losing liberty because votes are being bought with other people's money, cruelly taken by force.  This is going to be the new widening gulf between the free and the socialist slave states, and it's only going to get worse as the far left obsesses over taking control.

D Parker is an engineer, inventor, wordsmith, and student of history, the director of communications for a Bill of Rights organization, and a longtime contributor to conservative websites.   Find him on Substack.

Image via Stock-Free.