Myth: Communism Made Me Do It (w/ Dr. Charisse Burden-Stelly)
Nov 14, 2023
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In this conversation, Dr. Charisse Burden-Stelly, a critical Black Studies scholar, dives into how anti-communism serves as a scapegoat for radicalism born from systemic oppression. She discusses the legacy of anti-communism in shaping Black identity and its intersection with capitalism. Celebrating her book "Black Scare / Red Scare," she critiques Wall Street's imperialism and examines how historical legacies affect contemporary social justice movements. Burden-Stelly challenges stereotypes, advocating for a nuanced understanding of race, labor, and political repression.
The myth that Black individuals are misled by communism undermines their agency and is a response to systemic oppression.
Anti-communism and anti-Black sentiment create narratives that delegitimize radical movements within the Black community, framing them as un-American.
Capitalist racism connects anti-Black oppression fundamentally to capitalism, highlighting exploitation as essential for wealth accumulation in America.
Deep dives
Debunking the Myth of Black Duplication to Communism
The idea that Black individuals adopt communism due to ignorance or external manipulation is thoroughly challenged. Rather than being misled by a radical ideology, the choices made by Black individuals are often in response to systemic oppression and socioeconomic conditions. Historical evidence demonstrates that many Black radicals arrive at their beliefs through a logical understanding of their circumstances, rather than being influenced by foreign powers. This myth unjustly undermines the agency of Black people in pursuit of transformative ideologies that can address their lived experiences.
Impact of Anti-Communism on Black Identity
The intersection of anti-communism and anti-Black sentiment has led to a societal narrative that delegitimizes radical movements within the Black community. Associating radical beliefs with communism falsely portrays Black activists as incapable of independent thought, suggesting instead that they are puppets of foreign ideologies. This dynamic serves to weaken the credibility of legitimate struggles for social and economic justice by conflating them with perceived threats to national security. Consequently, the pursuit of racial equality is often framed as un-American, positioning Black actors as enemies of the state.
Understanding Capitalism and Racial Hierarchy
The framework of capitalist racism posits that anti-Black oppression is intrinsically tied to the capitalist mode of production. This analysis reveals how exploitation of Black labor has been foundational for wealth accumulation in America. Conditions faced by Black workers, including extremes of underpayment and disenfranchisement, are not anomalies, but rather integral to the functioning of capitalism. As such, the structural position of Black individuals acts as a key measurement for the health of the capitalist system.
Radicalism and Its Criminalization
The criminalization of radical ideas stems from a broader systemic need to maintain social order within capitalist frameworks. Under the guise of national security, individuals advocating for communism or socialism have experienced significant repression, often not based on actions, but merely beliefs. This societal response operates through extensive legislative frameworks that label thoughts and associations as threats to democracy. Effectively, the suppression of radical ideas serves to uphold the existing power dynamics that govern capitalist society.
Historical Contexts of Red-Baiting
Historical instances of Red Scares illustrate how anti-communism has been intertwined with racism, particularly towards Black communities. Notable figures like Marcus Garvey and W.E.B. Du Bois faced severe backlash not for violent actions, but for their ideologies aligning against the prevailing capitalist and racist systems. Their experiences demonstrate the extent to which radical advocacy is often dependent on prevailing notions of loyalty and threats as defined by the state. This historical context emphasizes ongoing struggles against similar patterns of oppression faced by modern movements.
Links Between Blackness and American Identity
Black identity in America is paradoxically positioned as essential to the American narrative yet simultaneously rendered as oppositional. This duality means that while Black experiences and struggles are intrinsic to defining what it means to be American, they are also seen as antithetical to the ideals of freedom and equality espoused by the nation. The societal perception frames Black cultural contributions as inherently negative unless sanitized through a white lens. Ultimately, this creates an environment where Black existence is criminalized and devalued, even as it is foundational to America's identity.
In this episode, we cover the myth "Communism Made Me Do It." 'Communism Made Me Do It' is a tongue-in-cheek way of how the US blames radicalism for radicalism, instead of the US capitalist-led conditions that produce it. Since the Bolshevik Revolution, Communism, more than any other political ideology, is the boogeyman that allows radicalisms of different kinds, both anticapitalist and not, to be targeted by the US capitalist racist society. To help us debunk this myth we draw on the work of Wayne State University associate professor, Dr. Charisse Burden-Stelly in her first single-author book Black Scare / Red Scare: Theorizing Capitalist Racism in the United States. She is a critical Black Studies scholar of political theory, political economy, and intellectual history. We discuss the foundational elements that make the United States an anti-communist anti-Black society including widespread repression and propaganda. As a comrade of the show, we celebrate the publication of her book.
