Even a casual browsing of AT articles, blog posts, and comments makes it clear that there is a great deal of uncertainty as to how to best describe or categorize the burgeoning leftist movement in America.  It is variably, but not satisfactorily, described as socialism, communism, Marxism, and fascism.  Leftists themselves are labeled Demonazis, Devilcrats, or Satanists.

Historically, most sociopolitical upheavings have been rooted in a populist uprising against true oppression.  The USA was formed in response to subjugation under the reign of King George III of England.  The French Republic was given birth by a revolutionary French proletariat rising up similarly against a punitive monarchy.  Castro seized power in Cuba, overthrowing the Batista dictatorship.  Mao won control of China in 1949 by winning "the hearts and minds of the peasants" over their neglect under the Nationalistic party of Chiang Kai-shek.  In 1917, peasants and the working class under Lenin and the Bolsheviks overthrew the tsarist regime in Russia.

Needless to say, not all of these uprisings has had a happy ending.  The French Revolution was followed by the Reign of Terror, five republics, and fourteen constitutions.  Cuba, Russia, and China evolved quickly into autocratic oligarchies, never attaining the utopian collectivism of communism.

The United States was able to follow a separate path, evolving to becoming the world's economic and military superpower and for decades the world model for representative democracy based in an enduring Constitution framed nearly 250 years ago.  It is the "melting pot," welcoming all seeking freedom and opportunity.  It is progressively absolving itself of the "sin of slavery," electing a black president.  Women outperform men academically, equaling them in the workforce.  Income inequality exists as an unavoidable consequence of a free society, a source of annoyance for resident Marxists.  Obesity is a major health problem of the poor.  On a global scale, we're doing pretty well.

So then why the leftist uprising?  This uprising, too, is based in oppression.  The unique and distinguishing feature of this uprising is that it is based in perceived or fabricated, rather than real, oppression.  It is based in the notion that our society is structured in white privilege and supremacy.  America is systemically racist.  The Constitution is obsolete.  Religions are oppressive, despite giving purpose to life and serving as the basis for civil law.  Nature itself is oppressive.  Race and gender are fluid social constructs, not biological givens.  The inanity of wokeness reflects the purely emotional basis of the lefts insurgency.  The oppressive straw men must be vanquished.

If vengeance for perceived subjugation is indeed the driving force behind toxic leftism, I would submit that the movement be labeled "lunism" to reflect its origins in unresolved guilt, paranoia, victimization, and unrealistic expectations.

The Machiavellian leftist puppeteers sit patiently on the sidelines, waiting to seize control and establish their own totalitarian oligarchy, call it what you may.

Image: Chris Dodds via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.