To the editor,
It seems the term “socialist” has become a dirty word. It is routinely used as a slur in the political world. After observing popular media (TV, etc.) I’ve come to the conclusion that these socialists must be a sleazy crew, intent on destroying our way of life.
I decided to look back into history and find examples of these crazy socialists. You know the saying; those who forget history are condemned to repeat it. I thought it best to dust off my history books in hopes of preventing the socialists from taking over today.
I looked fairly far back in world history and the first socialist I came across was Jesus Christ. He advocated free health care, education and food for the general population. Sounds like a socialist to me. I always considered Jesus Christ a pretty cool cat, certainly not part of any sleazy crew. In fact, He travelled with perhaps the most happening crew in history.
Well, that was really far back. So I decided to check out Canadian history in hopes of finding a dirty socialist. Tommy Douglas is perhaps the best-known Canadian socialist. The father of universal health care. He went from a humble Baptist minister to being called “The Greatest Canadian Ever” with his desire to help the average person lead a better life. That hardly sounds like a bad dude to me. In fact, I agree with the people of Canada who voted Douglas “The Greatest Canadian Ever.”
That was still way back; surely our modern pop culture can give me an example of a dirty socialist. So I hopped on YouTube and came across Elvis Presley singing “In the Ghetto.” If you ever listened to the song, it’s pretty much textbook socialism. In fact, one line is pure socialist mantra: “The child needs a helping hand, or he’ll grow to be an angry young man some day.” Check it out on YouTube, Elvis rocks LasVegas with an awesome performance. Try to pay attention to the lyrics; don’t let his bushy sideburns or sequined jumpsuit distract you. Although I was only three when he died, I always had a positive impression of what The King was all about. As such, I find it hard to believe he was intent on destroying our way of life.
So, I came to this conclusion after my joyride through history … if socialists are really such a sleazy crew … all I can say is … with enemies like that, who needs friends?
Danny MacGillivray
Stellarton
