There Are Clear Signs That Marxist Ideology Has Taken Root in US: Author Cheryl Chumley

Cheryl Chumley in an interview with NTD's Capitol Report on May 17, 2022. NTD

In the last few years, Marxist ideology has become more prominent in U.S. mainstream culture.

Cheryl Chumley, an expert on Marxism, editor at the Washington Times, and author of the book “Lockdown: The Socialist Plan to Take Away Your Freedom;” said that because critical thinking and debate are being penalized and personal freedoms are being curtailed, those are clear signs that this ideology has taken root in our country.

She cites the fact that many states locked down places of worship but allowed crowded retail stores and alcohol outlets to stay open and anyone who challenged the “science” of these mandates was penalized.

“The ’science' had to have been a red flag to most of Americans, and yet, when you point out that so-called science that was used to justify these sometimes conflicting dictates, you were booted off social media. So, there was a stifling of critical thinking and critical discussion that also went forth,” Chumley told the host of NTD Capitol Report in a recent interview.

Big tech companies and their fact-checkers have been accused of violating the First Amendment rights of voices opposing pandemic lockdowns and mandates. Societies that embrace Marxism/socialism tend to be authoritarian and do not value the individual or personal freedoms, but stress the collective’s needs.

She said that the modern-day Democrat party is much more extreme than two decades ago. In her most recent book, “Socialists Don’t Sleep,” she compares the platforms of the communist party, socialist party, and progressives, and found that they are essentially the same as the current Democrat party.

“The modern-day Democrats are far more in line with the socialist and communist and cultural Marxist agendas than they are even the Democrats of Bill Clinton days.”

This rising popularity of socialism is particularly striking among young adults.

A 2021 poll conducted by Axios|Momentive, surveying the preferences for capitalism and socialism, found that the popularity of socialism among people ages 18–34 has increased. The survey found that in this group 49 percent viewed capitalism favorably vs. 46 percent that viewed it negatively as compared to two years ago when 58 percent viewed it positively vs. 38 percent negatively.

Among the college-going aged 18–24, even more had an unfavorable view of capitalism; with 42 percent having a positive view and 54 percent having a negative view.

The state of Florida has recently made it mandatory for schools to teach the history of communism. Chumley said she favors teaching students the history and consequences of Marxist ideology so they can recognize what is happening presently in the United States.

“Well, I definitely favor teaching the evils of Marxism and what it does to individual freedoms and ultimately what it does to nations who abide by its principles,” Chumley said. “Because I think right now what we have going on in America is a seepage of socialism into both the political system and the culture that goes on unknown, unaware, because the politicians who are pushing those socialist type of policies don’t call it socialism.”

She thinks if students are taught what socialism really is and how the more deeply a society adheres to Marxist ideology, the more harm it does, then they can contrast that to the American system, which ensures that individual talents are nurtured and “God-given liberties” be safeguarded.