The Poetic Mask of Socialism: How Ideological Romanticism Threatens American Individual Freedom
The Poetic Mask of Socialism: How Ideological Romanticism Threatens American Individual Freedom
Carl J Chan
The “birth of the proletarian revolution” is based on the theory of anti-humanity, anti-private market economy, and anti-individual freedom, and advocates violent revolution; after communism came to power, it has moved towards totalitarianism without exception. During Lenin’s exile by the Russian Tsar, there was still “academic freedom”; but after Lenin’s party came to power, the Russian Tsar was not so lucky! This is not merely a historical anecdote—it is a universal law of ideological transformation: socialism promises equality in theory, but always leads to the suppression of freedom in practice. Every communist experiment—from the Soviet Union to Maoist China, from Cuba to Venezuela—begins with dreams and poetry, and ends with prisons and silence.
The Rise of the “Muslim Socialist” in America: A Collision of Doctrines
Today, in the United States—a nation built on individual liberty, religious plurality, and market dynamism—we are witnessing a new ideological fusion: self-described “Muslim socialists” such as Zohran Mamdani , a 2025 New York City mayoral candidate and some Muslim activists.They present themselves as champions of the oppressed while refusing to confront the internal crises of the Muslim world: religious authoritarianism, theocratic violence, and the crushing of free speech under blasphemy laws.
Instead of leading internal reform or calling for Islamic liberalization, they promote socialism as an economic salvation in America, appropriating language about healthcare and housing to advance state control. Yet it is precisely socialist regimes—from the Ba’athist dictatorships in the Middle East to the socialist-Islamist experiments in Iran—that have destroyed civil society, stifled economic innovation, and filled prisons with political dissidents.
Why, then, would such ideologues seek to apply the same failed prescription to the United States?
Because, historically, socialism is not about helping the poor—it is about restructuring society by seizing control of property, speech, and identity.
Why Are Americans Becoming Delusional About Socialism?There is a psychology to this cultural shift:
1. Moral Fatigue and Cultural Guilt
Americans—especially younger generations—have been taught that capitalism is synonymous with exploitation, colonialism, and inequality. Instead of understanding capitalism as a system of voluntary exchange, many see it as a historical crime. Socialism is offered as a moral cleanser.
2. Economic Anxiety in an Age of Corporate Dominance
People no longer distinguish between free-market capitalism and corporatism. They see billion-dollar monopolies, housing crises, and wage stagnation, and assume that socialism—not market reform—is the solution.
3. Emotional Politics Over Rational Politics
Today’s new socialists do not persuade with facts or history, but with metaphors. They transform political ideology into a kind of spiritual experience—moral, emotional, almost religious. In a generation shaped by social media, the appearance of compassion matters more than the reality of consequences.
4. Identity Politics as a Gateway to Collectivism
Movements aligned with race, gender, or religion are increasingly turning to socialism as a framework for group empowerment. Individual liberty is seen as a tool of “privilege,” while state intervention is seen as justice. This is how freedom is willingly surrendered.
The danger is not that socialism is misunderstood—it is that it is romanticized. Its violence is forgotten. Its failures are rebranded as “unfinished experiments.” Its leaders re-emerge not as tyrants, but as prophets.
The rise of “Muslim socialists” in American politics and the poetic socialism of leaders like Gustavo Petro represents not isolated trends, but a global ideological movement to transform liberal democracy into state-managed society. The target is always the same: private property, free enterprise, and the sovereignty of the individual soul.
History has already answered the question that our generation is now asking again:Socialism does not fail because the wrong people implement it; it fails because it is fundamentally incompatible with human freedom.