On October 23, young men with the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) embarked on a week-and-a-half road trip to oppose the spread of socialism. They call this effort a caravan. It is an initiative of TFP Student Action.
Read the Flyer: 10 Reasons to Reject Socialism
The first stop was Penn State University in State College. Some students gladly recognized the TFP volunteers from a previous visit to the campus, some weeks before, when they protested against the sin of abortion. The student newspaper even published an article about the campaign.
Socialism is Popular with Some Students at Penn State
Unfortunately, some students saw nothing wrong with socialism, while others were even in favor of the dismal ideology. One Chinese student said he was pro-Mao. Mao Zedong (1893-1976) was the Communist leader responsible for the “Great Leap Forward,” which killed tens of millions of people in the space of about 4 years. When asked about the millions of people killed under Mao, he just shrugged and said, “Communism has not progressed enough yet. Technology must advance more so that we do not need to rely on people.”
Student Action volunteer Damien Murphy talked to one curious man about the American TFP’s book Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian Society—Where We’ve Been, How We Got Here and Where We Need to Go. He explained how Catholic social doctrine directs people on how to live virtuous lives that would solve the social problems that socialism seeks yet fails to address. Mr. Murphy also mentioned how relying only on governments to provide safety nets like welfare results in a socialist mentality of dishonesty, entitlement and laziness.
Socialism: A failed system since 1845…
One man told TFP member Kenneth Murphy that socialism had generally failed, but largely because it had not been tried properly. Kenneth explained that socialists have been trying since 1845, and it’s still not working. Socialist advocates commonly use the argument of inadequate implementation as an excuse for their failure. However, different types of socialism and communism have all been tried and found wanting.
Survivors of Communist Regimes Have no Illusions about Socialism
The campaigners found people who had experienced the disaster of living under Marxist regimes. One Cuban man, for example, described the situation in his country, where there is no right to freedom. He added that it was really good to see young men against socialism. Socialism does not only exist in Cuba but also in America.
A TFP member gave an anti-socialism leaflet to a man who commented, “I escaped Cuba and know what socialism is like.”
Residents of Reading and Camp Hill, Enthusiastically Reject Socialism
The TFP caravan later campaigned in other parts of Pennsylvania by visiting Reading and Camp Hill. At busy intersections, the young men held a banner displaying the message “May God Protect America from Socialism,” while some held signs for traffic to see, like “Honk to Reject Socialism—Keep America Free” and “God Bless America!” The amount of local support was very clear from the number of enthusiastic honks.
Please keep the 18 young TFP volunteers in your prayers as they continue their campaigns against socialism.
First published on TFP.org.
Photo Credit: TFP Photo Archive