Once upon a time, not too long ago, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) was the darling of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Now, the firebrand socialist finds herself in a bit of a pickle with DSA leadership, who have determined she isn’t radical enough for their liking.

On July 10, the DSA issued a press statement that they will only support AOC’s reelection campaign if she agrees to the following conditions:

“Publicly opposes all funding to Israel, including the Iron Dome.”

“Participates regularly in the DSA Federal Socialists in Office Committee.”

“Publicly opposes all criminalization of Anti-Zionism, such as bills advancing the IHRA definition which conflates criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism.”

“Publicly supports BDS (Boycott, Divest, and Sanction) to end Israeli settler-colonialism.”

Interestingly, the DSA seems to take the most umbrage with AOC’s wishy-washy approach to the Israeli-Hamas conflict because the DSA is “committed to ensuring that all of our elected officials are unabashed in their support for Palestinian freedom.”

Question: What does Palestinian freedom have to do with promoting domestic socialism?

Answer: Nothing.

This goes to show that the DSA is not actually devoted to pushing socialist policies in America; rather, it is the haven for neo-Marxism.

Unlike traditional Marxism, which sought to primarily address economic inequalities between the so-called bourgeoise and proletariat, neo-Marxism has a much broader set of targets.

Under neo-Marxism, everything is on the table. From advocating for “Palestinian freedom” to pushing for open borders to defunding the police, the DSA has gone all in on neo-Marxism.

Apart from being against Western values in a general sense, neo-Marxism incorporates a toxic view of oppressor-victim to practically every issue.

Neo-Marxism dismisses notions of right and wrong because it lacks basic core principles and instead views all subjects from a misguided standpoint of simple power dynamics.

For instance, in the warped view of the DSA, Israel is a wealthy nation with a strong military backed by the West. On the other hand, the DSA views the Palestinians, or more accurately, Hamas, as a band of poor, ragtag Palestinians who have been victimized by big, bad Israel. Therefore, they cannot help but view the Palestinians and their Hamas brethren in a sympathetic light while condemning Israel at every turn.

Never mind who actually sparked the latest war -- Hamas. That doesn’t matter.

Of course, this is ludicrous. However, this is the type of simpleminded rhetoric that has become par for the course for the DSA these days.

To be clear, the DSA’s blind embrace of neo-Marxism extends well beyond the current Israeli-Hamas conflict; that particular issue just happens to be their priority at this moment for some strange reason.

The DSA also believes that common criminals are more or less “victims” of the “racist” criminal justice system, illegal immigrants should be welcomed with open arms as long as they come from poor nations that have been “victims” of colonialism, the police should be defunded because they are all “oppressors” by nature, among many more absurd positions.

The major problems with this kind of thinking is that it lacks context, reasoning, sound evidence, consistency, and intellectual curiosity.

Although it’s easy to make simple arguments through the lens of victim-oppressor, it is an extremely limited and unsophisticated way to view the world. It is also incredibly intellectually lazy.

In most situations, the very people the DSA label as “oppressors” are actually hard-working people who have succeeded in life because they have added value to society in some form or fashion.

Take Jeff Bezos, for instance. Bezos was selling books out of his garage a few decades ago when he realized the advent of the internet could reshape commerce. So, he built a company to provide his customers with the ability to order books, and eventually much more, over the internet.

Bezos did not demand that everyone give him some of their money for nothing in return. That would be oppressive. Instead, millions of customers choose to do business with Amazon because it provides valuable services they desire.

The same dynamic exists throughout free-market economies and free societies in which individual liberties and private property are sacrosanct.  

Ironically, it is an all-encompassing state, like those that have been erected in socialist nations around the world, that is the absolute oppressor. And, under those tyrannical governments, which the DSA wants to bring to the United States, we the people become the ultimate real-life victims.

Chris Talgo (ctalgo@heartland.org) is editorial director at The Heartland Institute.

Image: Dimitri Rodriguez