Socialism is back. We see it with the election of Zohran Mamdani as Mayor of New York. We also see it in polling from the <a href="https://www.cato.org/blog/81-say-they-cant-afford-pay-higher-taxes-next-year">Cato Institute</a> that suggests many young Americans view socialism favorably: “Among Americans under 30, 62 percent feel favorable toward socialism…”
Beyond the obvious economic and political dangers of socialism, one component receives relatively little attention: the culture of work.
People who live and work in socialist societies often report being far less satisfied and motivated than those who work in relatively free markets. When a nation’s government controls businesses, they lose a competitive advantage. As a result, employees who derive dignity from achievement and contribution experience disappointment.
At the same time, people uninterested in hard work are more likely to be coddled and protected. This often perpetuates an environment of mediocrity.
Talk to any driven person who has ever worked in a socialist country, or in an industry controlled by government regulation, and you’ll hear this sentiment. Hard work is not rewarded. Mediocre employees can’t be let go. Innovation is harder to sustain. Work becomes a matter of showing up, biding your time, and accepting that upward mobility is not possible.
I work with a young man who took great risks to escape a socialist country, and I have other colleagues who have lived in socialist countries. Their experiences convey a muted sense of hope that most people have about their employment.
Anecdotes aren’t proof, but they often show you what certain systems tend to produce. A vivid lesson about the dangers of socialism on the culture of work comes from a surprising source: people who have worked in “socialist-like” industries that exist within free markets.
When traveling for business, I’ve spoken to many flight attendants about their work experiences. The vast majority work in heavily unionized environments, and many have told me there is little incentive to do their job well other than their intrinsic desire to make people happy. Their careers are determined by seniority, and chronically underperforming colleagues are tolerated, rarely addressed, and almost never dismissed.
The fantastic flight attendants I met can’t be recruited by competitors — or even move to airlines that pay more or treat employees better — because they’d have to start over at the back of the seniority line. So the next time you experience great service on a flight, show some respect knowing they are often doing what they do out of love for others, not because they are rewarded.
The purpose of work should be to give people the freedom to provide for their families, use the gifts that God has given them, and experience the dignity of serving others well. When leaders organize work with these purposes, they give individuals incentive to tap into their best potential.
However, when organizations tolerate poor performance and remove the extrinsic rewards of achievement, they do a terrible disservice to the dignity of customers and employees alike. It’s important to understand that even underperforming employees lose dignity in socialist societies and organizations as they are prevented from experiencing the tough love necessary to become the best versions of themselves.
This is the real tragedy of socialist workplaces: people rarely become the best versions of themselves. In other words, they settle.
Despite all of this being true, why do large numbers of Americans still say they have a positive view of socialism? I believe there are three reasons.
First, many have never really experienced the impact of socialism. To them, socialism is merely a theory that involves more sharing and kindness. For example, according to actress Amanda Seyfried, socialism means <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/actress-amanda-seyfried-calls-socialism-gorgeous-idea">“taking care of each other.”</a>
Second, many people who say they like socialism already work in socialist organizations and have settled. They are accustomed to roles where competition is muted, and pay and advancement are constrained by rules, not results.
Finally, too many Americans work in very large organizations that mimic some aspects of socialism via crony capitalism and corporate welfare. Their industries are protected by lobbyists and elected officials who thwart authentic capitalism.
When addressing the false hope of socialism, we must not attempt to split the difference. In fact, we must advocate for more competition in all industries, as well as for real consequences for people who consistently underperform. Additionally, we must push for the enforcement of antitrust laws that prevent dangerous monopolies and oligopolies.
Perhaps most important of all, America must support one of the best sources of employment, dignity, and innovation in our society: small businesses. These small companies, where most Americans work, still have great incentives to find new ways to please customers and to attract and retain great employees. But in socialist countries, there is less capital and fewer incentives for entrepreneurs to take risks and start small businesses.
If America truly wants to defend human dignity, we can’t romanticize systems that smother the very drive that makes people come alive. Socialism doesn’t just weaken economies; it weakens people. America doesn’t need more managed mediocrity. It needs the freedom that lets workers, and the work itself, succeed.
* * *
Pat Lencioni is one of the founders of The Table Group, a pioneer of the organizational health movement, and the creator of <a href="https://www.workinggenius.com/about?gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=21520445429&amp;gbraid=0AAAAAD4dDHRyei0FFfuRCa63VdPO11RDk&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwlaTGBhANEiwAoRgXBSUpr89SSKKSTeoiFk-LdSAKpBsTFlfYYrEIm9MHWtUL1HjC7imP1RoC65MQAvD_BwE"> The Working Genius</a>, which helps leaders understand workplace efficiency. He is the bestselling author of “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” as well as 12 other books, which have sold over 10 million copies and been translated into more than 30 languages.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Mamdani Takes Reins Of New York City After Historic Election Win

Why So Many Americans Romanticize Socialism — And Why They’re Wrong

Communism

Democratic Socialism

Employers

Gen Z

Labor Unions

Millennials

New York City

Socialism

Zohran Mamdani

Editor’s note: This week, we’re reprinting some of our best stories from the past year. This is the fourth installment in a five-part series from Xi Van Fleet and Sasha Gong — both activists, scholars, and survivors of Mao’s communist uprising. In this piece, the authors explain how Democrats’ cringeworthy embrace of foul language is actually a tried-and-true strategy of revolutionary movements — one that Maoists used to frightening effect.
After the 2024 election, Democrats convinced themselves that their problem was not their embrace of divisive radical ideology or failed policies, but poor communication with the people — particularly working-class voters.
Their conclusion was simple: Donald Trump had won over working-class and minority men through vulgarity. If Trump could toss out blunt, unpolished lines, then they believed they could surpass him — and regain an electoral edge — by lacing their speeches with profanity.
Their experiment over the past few months has been awkward at best. Many Democrats now spit out curse words with visible discomfort, as if swearing were a foreign tongue.
With the exception of lawmakers like Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett — a lawyer who seamlessly flits between courtroom diction and a less polished vernacular — most Democrats can’t pull this off. Audiences have noticed the fakery and have been quick to mock the lawmakers and their newfound “edge.”
But something more sinister is afoot with Democrats’ sudden embrace of profanity.
In Mao’s China, where both of us grew up, the first casualty of the Cultural Revolution was not lives, but language. For millennia, Chinese tradition prized harmony, and criticism was expressed through subtlety, suggestion, and indirection.
Then, Mao launched the Cultural Revolution with a short essay in the People’s Daily in which he branded his opponents “poisonous.”
“They have puffed up the arrogance of the bourgeoisie and deflated the morale of the proletariat,” Mao wrote. “How poisonous!” He demanded their purge, hinting even at their physical destruction. Red Guards, intoxicated with revolutionary zeal, followed his lead. And to prove their proletarian authenticity, they laced every sentence with the Chinese equivalent of the F-word, reducing a once-elevated language to a blunt weapon of class struggle.
Crudeness soon became a prerequisite for joining the Red Guards, while proper speech was denounced as bourgeois and unworthy of the revolution. Almost overnight, vulgarity filled big-character posters, leaflets, even newspapers and magazines.
The belief was simple: the cruder the words, the closer one stood to the “chosen people” of the revolution — workers, peasants, and soldiers.
Obscenity fused seamlessly with violence. Students became mobs, hurling profanities as they smashed classrooms, beat teachers, and paraded “class enemies” through the streets. Language collapsed into humiliation, torture, and public killing. For 10 years, Mao’s China lived under obscenity and terror. A generation had its soul poisoned; a civilization’s fabric was shredded.
The revolutionary tradition carries on in China today. More than once, the current Communist Party Chairman Xi Jinping has warned that China’s enemies will be reduced to fen shen sui gu — literally, “a body ground into powder and bones smashed to pieces.” If you wonder why Xi speaks with such brutal bluntness and violent vocabulary, the roots lie with Mao.
The Chinese Communists believed that vulgar language could rally the masses into revolutionary action. In practice, it mobilized the worst elements of society. The tragedy was that it never reflected the authentic voice of the working class. Real working people in China, though they might not speak the “King’s Chinese,” cherished the hope that their children would. They understood that education and refinement elevate one’s status. Coarse language, by contrast, chained people to the bottom. As George Bernard Shaw showed in “Pygmalion” —later adapted into the hit musical “My Fair Lady” — speech is the passport to opportunity.
Like Mao, Democrats operate on the same false assumption about their base. Instead of lifting the working class, they trap voters in a linguistic and cultural ghetto, telling themselves that this is what the people want and deserve — all while pretending to champion them.
By forcing obscenities into their speeches, Democratic leaders sound neither authentic nor loyal. They sound desperate.
They have also badly misread Trump. Pseudo-intellectuals assumed the president’s appeal lay in coarseness. In reality, it lay in candor. Trump does not speak from consultant-written scripts. He speaks with raw, sometimes jarring honesty that working people recognize. He stands with the average Joe because, culturally, he is one of them — not by wealth or pedigree, but by instinct.
He talks about jobs, factories, borders, and national pride. He despises management jargon and academic euphemism. His voters love him not for his rough edges, but for his faithfulness to what they live and feel. Democrats may try to imitate populists, but until they truly understand them, they cannot be believed.
Language can heal, elevate, and liberate. Or it can poison, debase, and destroy. In their anti-Trump frenzy, Democrats have humiliated themselves, degraded voters, and poisoned the young. They must stop — or be stopped.
READ MORE:
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/license-to-kill-what-turns-normal-people-to-political-violence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Maoists, Part I: License To Kill: What Turns Normal People To Political Violence?</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-wheel-of-misfortune-victims-victimhood-and-victimization?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Xi+Van+Fleet+and+Sasha+Gong&amp;category=Opinion&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=The+Wheel+Of+Misfortune%3A+Victims%2C+Victimhood%2C+And+Victimization" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Maoists, Part II: The Wheel Of Misfortune: Victims, Victimhood, And Victimization</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/from-red-guard-to-blue-hair-why-leftists-destroy-womanhood?author=Xi+Van+Fleet+and+Sasha+Gong&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=From+Red+Guard+To+Blue+Hair%3A+Why+Leftists+Destroy+Womanhood" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Maoists, Part III: From Red Guard To Blue Hair: Why Leftists Destroy Womanhood</a>
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/erasing-history-the-real-cultural-marxism?author=Xi+Van+Fleet+and+Sasha+Gong&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Erasing+History%3A+The+Real+Cultural+Marxism">American Maoists, Part V: Erasing History: The Real Cultural Marxism</a></h4>
Xi Van Fleet is a survivor of Mao’s Cultural Revolution, an activist, and the author of “Mao’s America: A Survivor’s Warning.”
Sasha Gong is a writer, scholar, journalist, and filmmaker. A dissident in Mao’s China, she holds a PhD from Harvard University and was previously Director of the China Branch at Voice of America.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Untitled design (97)

Best Of 2025: Like Communists, Democrats Want To Trap Voters In A Linguistic Ghetto

Chinese Communist Party

Democrats

Profanity

In 1988, after escaping socialism in Romania, I celebrated my first Christmas in America. It was a profound experience marked by joy, gratitude, and reflection. It was the first time I was able to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ without fear of being arrested by a totalitarian socialist regime. I enjoyed the freedom to attend church and the joy of discovering new cultural traditions. It marked a significant milestone in my journey toward freedom and renewal.
But before that journey was even an idea, I attended my first Socialist Party Christmas as a child. As we arrived, my father said very sternly, “We are at the Socialism Party headquarters, where Santa’s party will take place. Remember, only say yes or no, nothing more.”
The large reception room was decorated in red, and on each wall there was a large portrait of our “Beloved Leader” Nicolae Ceaușescu, flanked by Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin. On the left side of the room, a small Christmas tree stood, decorated with pictures of soldiers who had died, a picture of Ceaușescu, and topped with a big, red socialist star with a yellow hammer and sickle.
There were no angels, no silver Bethlehem stars, no nativity scenes.
Santa was a Socialist Party leader, and all the gifts had a Communist theme. The boys received Communist soldier toys or books about Ceaușescu. The girls received red-scarfed socialist dolls. The following year, Santa was replaced with Dictator Ceaușescu’s name, and no gifts were given.
<div id="attachment_1017011" style="width: 790px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1017011" class="size-large wp-image-1017011" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-3438665-780x576.jpg" alt="circa 1985: Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu (1918 - 1989) and his wife Elena with a large group of children in national costume. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)" width="780" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-3438665-780x576.jpg 780w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-3438665-300x221.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-3438665-768x567.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-3438665.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" />circa 1985: Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu (1918 &#8211; 1989) and his wife Elena with a large group of children in national costume. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)</div>
Now, years later, I’ve watched as the influence of socialist ideologies and policies has infiltrated and changed how Christmas is celebrated in America.
Since 1971, court cases, like <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/403/602/">Lemon v. Kurtzman</a> and <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/492/573/">Allegheny County v. ACLU</a>, have scrutinized the use of religious elements in public Christmas displays, often resulting in the restriction of nativity scenes on government property to avoid the perception that the government favors one religion over another.
The fear of appearing “too religious” or “exclusive” has transformed Christmas celebrations, shifting them toward a more secular, inclusive holiday focused on community and festive cheer rather than its core religious meaning. This secularization has diluted the profound significance of Christ’s birth.
As governments and institutions increasingly strip Christ from Christmas, our religious freedoms are slowly eroding – and could soon vanish entirely if we don&#8217;t stand against it.
Make no mistake. This is exactly what happened in Romania.
Ceaușescu&#8217;s rise to power in Romania was due to his charm, enthusiasm, anti-capitalist rhetoric, and how he portrayed himself as a man of the people. These qualities all resonated emotionally with citizens and framed socialism as a path to equality and justice.
As soon as Ceaușescu took power in Romania, his regime systematically attacked religious freedom by promoting atheism, controlling religious institutions, and demolishing churches. This created an environment of repression that stifled religious expression and contributed to the decline of organized religion in Romania during his rule.
Ceaușescu used <a href="https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71402.htm">Decree 177/1948</a> for further repression that significantly curtailed religious freedom in Romania. He established a framework for state control over religious organizations and practices.
New religious groups faced significant difficulties in obtaining official recognition. Religious literature, including Bibles and other texts, faced heavy censorship. Many publications were banned in socialist Romania or required state approval before distribution. Nativity scenes, crosses, and other religious imagery were often removed from public spaces, and churches faced restrictions on displaying decorations that highlighted the religious significance of Christmas.
Some families in socialist Romania, risking cruel punishment, jail time, or death, created small altars or displays in their homes featuring religious icons, candles, and nativity scenes, allowing them to express their faith privately.
While initially Ceaușescu’s anti-capitalist rhetoric resonated, the reality of his regime’s failures ultimately led to widespread disillusionment.
George Barna&#8217;s research recently found that <a href="https://www.arizonachristian.edu/2021/02/03/americas-thirst-for-socialism-plummets-in-wake-of-2020-election/">support for socialism</a> is growing in America. Socialism is now deeply rooted in New York City after the election of self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani.
And Mamdani is following Ceaușescu’s playbook. He strongly criticizes capitalism as corrupt and exploitative, while socialism is a path to equality and justice. He plays on the emotions of New Yorkers who struggle to survive in one of the most expensive cities in the world.
Mamdani hopes people will see the true reality of his policies years from now. He advocates for religious freedom by emphasizing the importance of maintaining a secular government approach to it. He frames religious freedom within the broader context of social justice, racial equality, economic justice, and immigrant rights. He believes in promoting government policies grounded in ethical and secular principles rather than religious doctrines.
<div id="attachment_1017055" style="width: 778px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1017055" class="size-large wp-image-1017055" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2250069091-768x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 04: Crowds gather for a look at a Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center on December 4, 2025 in New York City. The tree, which is an icon of New York City's holiday season, was lit up on the night of December 3 in midtown Manhattan. (Photo by Liao Pan/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)" width="768" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2250069091-768x576.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2250069091-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-2250069091.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" />Liao Pan/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images</div>
The election of progressive candidates who openly identify with socialist principles in America has changed the political landscape, challenging traditional party norms and policies.
Socialism stands in direct opposition to God, replacing Him with an all-powerful government that demands total allegiance. It erodes our God-given religious freedoms and brands faithful Christians as obstacles to its agenda.
My own life bears witness to this truth. I fled a socialist regime in 1988, escaping the brutal oppression that crushed religious rights and silenced believers. Those same poisonous lies of socialism, now spreading rapidly in America, are gaining ground, especially among those who despise our nation&#8217;s founding principles and Judeo-Christian heritage.
We cannot remain silent. Those of us who have endured the horrors of socialism will never stop sounding the alarm. It is time to rise up and fiercely defend our freedoms before they are lost forever.
* * *
<a href="https://www.virginiaprodanbooks.com/">Virginia Prodan</a> is an international human rights attorney, best-selling author of the memoir “<a href="https://virginiaprodanbooks.com/get-the-book-2/">Saving My Assassin</a>,” and host of the “<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/courageous-leadership-with-virginia-prodan/id1590554517">Courageous Leadership with Virginia Prodan</a>” podcast. She serves as an ambassador on the President’s Council for National Religious Broadcasters, a member of the Advisory Board of the American Christian Leaders for Israel, and an Allied Attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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Christmas in Rockefeller Center – Season 2025

Don’t Let Socialism’s Red Star Top America’s Christmas Tree

Bible

Christmas

Europe

Karl Marx

Marxism

Religion

A tremor is moving through Armenia. It is not shaking its borders or its mountains. It is moving through the spiritual heart of the world’s first Christian nation. The Armenian Apostolic Church, the ancient institution that carried a people through genocide, exile, and the long shadow of Soviet repression, now stands in the center of an escalating national confrontation. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government has <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/armenia-order-arrest-senior-priest-over-alleged-coup-plot-triggers-scuffles-2025-06-27/">accused leading church figures</a>, including Catholicos Karekin II, of political meddling and moral misconduct. Church leaders and their supporters insist that the government is attempting to silence a sacred institution that has preserved Armenian identity through centuries of persecution. To understand the significance of this confrontation, it is important to consider how both the government and the Church explain the actions that have unfolded since early summer.
Since June, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government has said its actions against senior clerics are lawful investigations tied to alleged criminal conduct and concerns about political destabilization during a sensitive period for Armenia’s security and peace negotiations. Church leaders and critics counter that the arrests, including the recent detention of <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/armenian-archbishop-arrested-drug-related-charges-amid-crackdown-clerics-2025-12-05/">Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan</a> on revived drug-related charges, amount to political pressure on the Armenian Apostolic Church and raise serious questions about religious freedom and state overreach.
The truth of these accusations remains contested. The facts are intertwined with political tension, historical memory, and the understandable anxieties of a nation that has endured repeated national trauma. Yet this controversy is about more than the conduct of any particular leader. It is about the role faith continues to play in shaping the conscience of a modern society. It is about whether institutions that helped form the Armenian nation can still speak with moral authority in an age that increasingly demands their silence.
In much of the West, faith is often treated as a personal preference or a cultural accessory, reduced to one choice among many in an age defined by individual identity. Yet faith has never been sustained by ease. It is shaped by conflict, sacrifice, and transformation. The Armenian Church has survived empires, invasions, massacres, political manipulation, and ideological pressure that sought to erase it. It has weathered the weakness of its leaders, the failures of its institutions, and the pressures of hostile governments. Through all of this, it has remained a source of identity and hope for its people.
Americans should see something familiar in this moment. We, too, have seen spiritual disappointment in every corner of our own religious landscape. We have witnessed the failures of pastors, priests, bishops, and spiritual leaders who lost their way. Yet the endurance of faith despite human failures reminds us that no institution stands or falls on the perfection of its leaders. A church draws its strength from the conviction of its people and from a shared belief that truth is larger than any one individual.
This insight matters not only for religion but also for politics. Mature societies understand that institutions must outlast personalities. A democracy cannot survive if it relies on the strength of a single figure. A church cannot survive if it places all of its hope in the purity of one clergyman. The resilience of a nation rests in the covenant of shared responsibility, shared belief, and shared accountability.
<div id="attachment_1014245" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1014245" class="size-large wp-image-1014245" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-1487435283-864x576.jpg" alt="Tatev, Armenia. Sunrise view of 9th-century Armenian Apostolic monastery located near the Tatev village in Armenia." width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-1487435283-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-1487435283-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-1487435283-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-1487435283-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-1487435283-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-1487435283-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-1487435283-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Tatev, Armenia. 9th-century Armenian Apostolic monastery located near the Tatev village in Armenia. Anton Petrus. Getty Images.</div>
Armenia’s struggle also reveals something essential about freedom. Under Soviet rule, the Armenian Church was monitored, restricted, and infiltrated by state authorities, making open criticism dangerous or impossible. In a free Armenia, citizens can question both political leaders and church authorities. Such questioning might be loud and painful, but it is proof of democratic life. Freedom requires discernment. A society must learn how to confront wrongdoing without destroying the institutions that hold its moral memory.
None of this diminishes the seriousness of the concerns raised on both sides. If the Church has tolerated harmful practices, it must face that reality with honesty and courage. If the state is using the language of justice to exert political pressure, it must stop before it undermines the very democratic values it claims to protect. The state exists to govern. The Church exists to guide conscience. When each respects the purpose of the other, both flourish.
This moment also calls for humility among believers. It is easy to demand perfection from spiritual leaders and then abandon the Church when those leaders fail. Yet the endurance of Christianity has never depended on perfect leadership. It has grown through crises that forced communities to seek renewal, accountability, and deeper integrity. Faith is not destroyed by human weakness. It is strengthened when weakness is confronted with truth.
For that reason, the crisis in Armenia may ultimately bring spiritual renewal. A Church that survived genocide, communism, and the attempt to erase its identity will not collapse because of a political controversy. It may emerge more transparent, more accountable, and more prepared to meet the longing of a new generation that desires authenticity from every institution. And if the government learns that the Church remains an essential guardian of Armenian identity, then this moment of strain may lead to a healthier balance between state authority and spiritual influence.
Americans should pay attention to this moment. We live in a time of deep skepticism toward every institution. We have grown accustomed to believing that a single failure invalidates the entire structure. Armenia offers a humbling reminder. Imperfection is not the opposite of strength. It is the environment in which renewal can take root if people refuse to surrender to cynicism.
The world’s first Christian nation is wrestling with its soul. It is rediscovering a timeless truth. The endurance of faith is not measured by the virtue of its leaders, but by the resolve of its people to preserve what is true even when the ground beneath them is shaking. That is a message America needs to hear now more than ever.
* * *
Bishop Dr. Paul Murray is a global religious freedom advocate and nonprofit executive with more than three decades of experience working at the intersection of faith, human rights, and public life. He serves as CEO of <a href="https://www.savearmenia.us/">Save Armenia</a> and is an adjunct professor at <a href="https://www.indwes.edu/academics/seminary/">Indiana Wesleyan University</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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Artsakh-Diocese-in-Etchmiadzin-Armenia

Armenia’s Spiritual Earthquake And The Warning America Cannot Ignore

Armenia

Armenians

Christianity

Church

genocide

Investigation

Middle East

Persecution

Politics

Soviet Union

We are at a critical moment in our shared history. A moment that calls for moral clarity and an unwavering commitment to justice. 
Christians around the globe are facing a genocide. And while President Donald Trump champions religious liberty in Syria after hosting the former al-Qaeda fighter-turned-president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, and declares <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2025/11/trump-deserves-credit-for-focus-on-nigerian-christians/">Nigeria</a> a “country of particular concern” because of the slaughter of Christians, we cannot be naive.
Christian persecution is already here in America. Our nation is becoming a dangerous place for faithful believers to live.
We must stand up now for the persecuted not only as individuals but as a united front for our brothers and sisters around the world.
Policymakers, churches, and ordinary citizens have a moral responsibility to ensure our nation remains a beacon of hope and freedom for all, especially those persecuted for their faith.
I know something about persecution and the price of freedom. I grew up in Communist Romania, where the freedoms we now experience in America were stolen from its citizens. Speaking the truth meant imprisonment, torture, and even death. The government sought to control every thought, every word, every breath. That’s why I became a political refugee and found a new home in America in 1988.
A <a href="https://www.cato.org/blog/new-poll-74-worry-americans-could-lose-our-freedoms-were-not-careful">2024 Cato Institute survey</a> found that nearly 74% of Americans worry that if we’re not careful, Americans could lose their God-given freedoms and liberties. An out-of-control regime can gradually build persecution against Christians, making small, incremental changes that could go unnoticed until it is too late. I know. I lived it.
In Communist Romania, Nicolae Ceaușescu’s regime controlled religious organizations by appointing loyal leaders, restricting activities, and nationalizing properties. Atheism was promoted through education and propaganda, portraying Christianity as outdated. Religious groups faced pressure to align with state policies, with non-compliance leading to imprisonment, job loss, or death.
The legacy of this persecution continues to shape the religious landscape in Romania today.
While the extent and nature of persecution differ significantly between Communist regimes and contemporary American society, there are parallels in the experiences of marginalization, pressure to conform, and struggles for expression. The challenges faced by Christians today often manifest initially in social and cultural pressures rather than outright physical persecution. And we are beginning to see signs of it here.
That’s why I’m joining the “<a href="https://www.washingtonpolicyinstitute.org/events/persecuted-and-prevailing-addressing-christian-persecution-in-the-modern-world/">Persecuted and Prevailing”</a> panel on December 4, 2025, at the Museum of the Bible to promote the truth, amplify our voices, and push for legislative action to support Christians.
As a human rights attorney in Communist Romania, I defended Christians, experiencing firsthand America’s crucial support. Congressmen Frank Wolf and Christopher Smith met with me often to discuss my cases, raising awareness among U.S. policymakers and the public about Romania’s dire situation. Their efforts drew media attention to the plight of Romanian Christians under the thumb of Communism, creating urgency for supporting persecuted believers.
Wolf’s actions shaped U.S. foreign policy to prioritize religious freedom, and the global impact included co-sponsoring the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/114/plaws/publ281/PLAW-114publ281.pdf">International Religious Freedom Act</a> (IRFA) of 1998, which established a framework to combat religious persecution worldwide and monitor and recommend policies. The Congressman also backed resolutions condemning persecution in Iran, Sudan, North Korea, and China, reinforcing human rights as a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy.
Now it’s our turn to carry the torch forward. Citizens who have the freedom to advocate for change must pressure policymakers to strengthen global religious liberty.
We are the voice for the persecuted who suffer in silence worldwide. If we fail to speak about oppression, like what I and many others endured in communist Romania, it will most certainly take root here. This generation needs to understand the fragile nature of freedom and the courage it takes to preserve it.
Using our voice and Constitutional rights to petition our government is the only way to protect our freedom and stand for truth. If we don’t use our voice today, we risk being silenced tomorrow.
When truth is distorted, freedom fades. Pray for discernment in a world clouded by lies. Live boldly, speak the truth in love, for true freedom flows from God’s presence, which has been with America since its founding. Remember, if God’s presence fades, so will our freedom.
* * *
<a href="https://www.virginiaprodanbooks.com/">Virginia Prodan</a> is an international human rights attorney, best-selling author of the memoir “<a href="https://virginiaprodanbooks.com/get-the-book-2/">Saving My Assassin</a>,” and host of the “<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/courageous-leadership-with-virginia-prodan/id1590554517">Courageous Leadership with Virginia Prodan</a>” podcast. She serves as an ambassador on the President’s Council for National Religious Broadcasters, a member of the Advisory Board of the American Christian Leaders for Israel, and an Allied Attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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Revolution Flag and Crowd at Polling Place

I Escaped Communist Romania. I Recognize The Early Signs Of Religious Persecution.

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Far-left Democratic socialist and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will visit the White House for a high-stakes meeting with President Donald Trump on Friday.
Trump previously threatened to yank funding from the Big Apple if the 34-year-old Mamdani was elected, urging New Yorkers to back former Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo instead. On Wednesday, Trump said that Mamdani had requested a meeting. 
“Communist Mayor of New York City, Zohran ‘Kwame’ Mamdani, has asked for a meeting,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “We have agreed that this meeting will take place at the Oval Office on Friday, November 21st. Further details to follow!”
Mamdani confirmed Trump’s post, <a href="https://abc7ny.com/post/president-trump-meet-nyc-mayor-elect-zohran-mamdani-white-house-friday/18177558/">issuing</a> a statement that the meeting was routine and would focus on public safety and the economy. 
&#8220;As is customary for an incoming mayoral administration, the Mayor-elect plans to meet with the President in Washington to discuss public safety, economic security and the affordability agenda that over one million New Yorkers voted for just two weeks ago.”
Trump said on Sunday that he would be open to meeting with Mamdani, stating, “We want to see everything work out well for New York.”
Mamdani said that he would be “Trump-proofing” New York by resisting cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and claimed Trump was a “despot” during his Election Day victory speech. 
“If we embrace this brave new course, rather than fleeing from it, we can respond to oligarchy and authoritarianism with the strength it fears, not the appeasement it craves,” he said. “After all, if anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump, how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him.”
Mamdani has promised to open city-run grocery stores and raise the city’s minimum wage to $30 an hour by 2030. Trump has said that New York’s economy will crumble under Mamdani’s leadership. 
“If Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the Election for Mayor of New York City, it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home, because of the fact that, as a Communist, this once great City has ZERO chance of success, or even survival!” Trump posted on Truth Social before the election.

MixCollage-20-Nov-2025-08-56-AM-8270

Trump To Meet With ‘Communist’ Zohran Mamdani At The White House

Donald Trump

The Free Press has <a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/inside-the-dsas-hostile-takeover">reviewed</a> internal Democratic Socialists of America documents that show the organization&#8217;s leaders view Mamdani as a tool in their agenda to abolish prisons and borders and ultimately end what they call the “barbaric order of capitalism.”
The Free Press continued:
<blockquote>The DSA, founded in 1982, is a political body dedicated to the doctrine of democratic socialism, which is a variety of socialism that simply specifies how it would like revolution to occur: peacefully, through the subversion of democracy. Mamdani, a dues-paying DSA member since 2017, is the tip of that spear. </blockquote>
The Left constantly screws around with the definitions of terms. Socialism, typically speaking, is government control of the market-based order, nationalization of resources, getting rid of the pricing system, etc.
There are touches of socialism in a capitalist economy. This is called a mixed system. The United States obviously has a mixed system. So do Denmark and Norway. Fully socialist countries include Cuba and North Korea. China is an economically fascist system that has maintained aspects of nationalization, but then allowed certain aspects of the private market to operate so they could actually have a workable pricing system.
When people say democratic socialism, sometimes they mean Norway and sometimes they mean the DSA, which is to say, communism achieved through democratic means. 
<blockquote>The DSA held its <a href="https://convention2025.dsausa.org/">annual convention</a> in August, with the theme “Rebirth and Beyond: Reflecting on a decade of DSA’s growth and preparing for a decade of party building.” There, delegates voted to adopt a resolution titled “Principles for Party-Building,” which stated that the purpose of the DSA is “to unite workers to win the battle for democracy and bring about socialism, not to seek a governing coalition with a perceived lesser evil under the current undemocratic political system.” The resolution stated that the goals go beyond the White House. “A socialist party in the United States,” the document said, “must be a part of the global political movement of the working class.” </blockquote>
These are communists. They have nothing to do with the traditional Democratic Party, and yet they have more and more power. They have made it a full-time job to infiltrate school boards and majorities all over the country.
And they&#8217;re not being stopped.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2312-fear-and-loathing-reds-take-new-york?elementPosition=6&amp;row=2&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974957" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
There&#8217;s going to be a whole new wave of DSA-inspired candidates all across America. State Rep. Ruwa Romman is running for Georgia governor in 2026. She, of course, has talked about how Israel is a fascist government, which is table stakes for the DSA. She canvassed for Mamdani. She&#8217;s mainly driven by radical Third Worldism that is deeply connected to antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment. Her bid is a long shot in that Democratic primary, but she is running.
Graham Platner is very likely to win the Senate nomination in Maine in 2026. He, too, is a radical in the mold of Zohran Mamdani. He&#8217;s taken some hits because he had a giant Nazi tattoo on his chest, which he then denied was a Nazi tattoo, and then covered it up with an even uglier tattoo. But he is a democratic socialist.
Kat Abughazaleh is a candidate for Illinois&#8217;s ninth congressional district in 2026. She has a lot of followers on TikTok. She, like Mamdani, is very social media-savvy. She was indicted by a federal grand jury recently for allegedly blocking vehicles outside an ICE facility. Although she&#8217;s not formally DSA, her platform basically mirrors DSA.
There’s Kshama Sawant, who’s running for Washington&#8217;s ninth congressional district in 2026, and is an open Marxist. There’s Abdul El-Sayed, running for U.S. Senate in Michigan in 2026.
These candidates are very much to the Left, and the Democratic Party seems to have very little systemic immunity to them.
And all it&#8217;s going to cost you if they win is all your money and all your freedom.

Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani Holds News Conference Day After Being Elected Mayor Of New York City

The Democratic Socialist Plan To Take Over America

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MIAMI, Florida — President Donald Trump warned Americans that they face two options after Tuesday night&#8217;s election losses to Democrats: communism or common sense.
The president spoke on Wednesday at the America Business Forum, where he accused Democrats of purposefully blocking American progress. He touted the results of his administration thus far: lifting 600,000 Americans off food stamps, employing 1.9 million more American-born workers than the day he took office, more American workers than any time in the history of the United States, wages for factory workers up by $1,300, construction worker wages up to $2,200 dollars, Thanksgiving meals 25% lower than a year ago, egg prices down 85 percent, energy prices down, interest rates down, and more.
&#8220;Yet as we speak,&#8221; he warned, &#8220;the Democrats in Congress are trying to put all of this progress at risk — and drag us back to the Biden policies of soaring prices, crushing energy costs, massive spending, open borders, and rampant inflation.&#8221;
&#8220;The Radical Left Democrats are causing millions of Americans who depend on food stamps to go without benefits, they’re forcing federal workers to go without paychecks, and they are stranding thousands of travelers at the airports &#8230; All because they want to return to the failed Biden policies, and also Obama policies,&#8221; he warned the crowd, joking about former President Barack Obama&#8217;s criticisms of him.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The crowd at America Business Forum goes wild for President Donald Trump! <a href="https://t.co/pCDyhOfqDn">pic.twitter.com/pCDyhOfqDn</a>
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1986142538680664100?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
&#8220;It is time for Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrat Congress to stop playing games with people’s lives — and pass a clean funding bill &#8230; and to reopen government immediately &#8230; they don&#8217;t like it to be reopen because we are setting records.&#8221;
Trump reflected on last night&#8217;s elections, in which Democrats won the mayoral seat in New York City and the governors&#8217; seats in Virginia and New Jersey. Jay Jones, who fantasized about killing a Republican and his children, will now be the attorney general of Virginia. Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim socialist, is the next mayor of New York City.
&#8220;If you want to see what Congressional Democrats wish to do to America, just look at the results of yesterday’s election in New York — where their party installed a communist as the mayor of the largest city in the nation,&#8221; Trump warned, and in response, the audience booed aggressively.
The president joked that Miami, where he was speaking, would soon become the refuge of those fleeing New York City and Mamdani&#8217;s communist policies.
&#8220;After last night’s results, the decision facing all Americans could not be more clear—we have a choice between communism and common sense,&#8221; the president promised. Communism has not worked, the president insisted, pointing out that history shows this.
&#8220;They stand for crime, chaos, and corruption—we stand for law, order, and justice. They put America last—we put AMERICA FIRST. And as long as I am in the White House, the United States is not going communist in any way, shape, or form,&#8221; he promised.
Mamdani <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mamdanis-party-nycs-new-mayor-celebrates-win-by-channeling-americas-marxist-icon?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Mamdani%E2%80%99s+Party%3A+NYC%E2%80%99s+New+Mayor+Celebrates+Win+By+Channeling+America%E2%80%99s+Marxist+Icon">delivered remarks</a> on Tuesday evening after he was declared the winner of the New York City mayoral election, taking shots at President Trump, calling the president a &#8220;despot,&#8221; and encouraging the president to turn the volume up if he was watching Mamdani&#8217;s remarks.
“If we embrace this brave new course, rather than fleeing from it, we can respond to oligarchy and authoritarianism with the strength it fears, not the appeasement it craves,” he told his supporters. “After all, if anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him.”

President Trump Addresses America Business Forum In Miami

After Democrat Wins, Trump Tells Americans To Choose: COMMUNISM OR COMMON SENSE

Miami

One single poll stands out amid a virtual sea of data that all predict a landslide victory for New York City&#8217;s Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani — a self-described Democratic socialist — and suggests that perhaps he doesn&#8217;t have a complete lock on the Big Apple.
The <a href="https://atlasintel.org/poll/usa-nyc-2025-mayoral-election-11-03-2025">poll in question</a>, released on Monday by Atlas Intel, surveyed 2,404 likely voters in New York City between October 31 and November 2, and shows Mamdani with a rapidly dwindling lead of under five points — with less than 48 hours to go before polls close.
The major shift, according to the data, appears to be a rapid drop off in support for Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa (-8.6%) just since the previous poll covering October 25-30. In addition to the drop in support for Sliwa, the poll also showed a bump of 3.3% for Mamdani and a much larger bump (5.4%) for former Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY).
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
📊FINAL ATLAS POLL
2025 NYC Mayoral Election
Mamdani (D) leads with 43.9% of the vote (+3.3 since Oct. 30), while Cuomo (I) trails close behind at 39.4% (+5.4 since Oct. 30). With Sliwa (R) dropping 8.6pp, the gap between Mamdani and Cuomo decreased to 4.5pp. <a href="https://t.co/cP1FZqpoAH">pic.twitter.com/cP1FZqpoAH</a>
— AtlasIntel (@atlas_intel) <a href="https://twitter.com/atlas_intel/status/1985407320596090941?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
But the poll did not stop there. Respondents were also asked how they might vote if the race were narrowed down to just Cuomo and Mamdani — and the results showed that while Mamdani had made slight gains, Cuomo still came out on top.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
3⃣ Since Oct. 30, the gap between Mamdani and Cuomo in a hypothetical election scenario where Eric Adams is still in the race decreased by 2.8pp. Meanwhile, voting intention for Sliwa decreased by 8.1pp. <a href="https://t.co/nxwOjXeN1O">pic.twitter.com/nxwOjXeN1O</a>
— AtlasIntel (@atlas_intel) <a href="https://twitter.com/atlas_intel/status/1985407325910307224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The demographic breakdown gave a clearer picture of what might ultimately come out of New York City&#8217;s election on Tuesday. Male voters preferred Mamdani 50.6% to 33%, while women preferred Cuomo 45.1% to 37.4%. Mamdani had the edge with voters aged 18-44, while voters over 45 preferred Cuomo.
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When it came to partisanship, Democrats unsurprisingly said they&#8217;d support Mamdani 61.6% to 35% for Cuomo — and 2.5% for Sliwa. Among Republicans, 52.1% said they&#8217;d support Sliwa, 42% would support Cuomo, and 4.9% would support Mamdani. Among Independents, however, Cuomo led with 53.1% — and Sliwa (18.6%) and Mamdani (29.9%) lagged far behind.

Templates (4)

One Single Poll Bucks The Trend, Doesn’t Predict NYC Communist Revolution

Andrew Cuomo

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) issued a dire warning to New Yorkers ahead of the imminent mayoral election, saying that things were likely to get much worse if they elect self-described democratic socialist assemblyman Zohran Mamdani to fill the office.
Cruz, during the most recent episode of &#8220;Verdict,&#8221; told cohost Ben Ferguson that he could foresee several different potential outcomes that might result from Mamdani&#8217;s election — and none of them were good for the people of the Big Apple.
&#8220;Look, Comrade Mamdani is apparently the future of the Democrat Party. The Democrat Party is now explicitly, openly, unapologetically communist and unapologetically jihadist,&#8221; Cruz said. &#8220;This guy is so extreme, and yet the Democrats in New York don&#8217;t seem to care &#8230; Yet, given the choice between a solidly left-wing democrat and a full-on communist and I believe America hating jihadist. It sure looks like I hope these polls are wrong, and maybe a burst of sanity will pull us back.&#8221;
Cruz followed his opening salvo with a defense of his assessment, saying that he was drawing from Mamdani&#8217;s own previous statements to make his determinations: &#8220;When I call him a communist jihadist, I call him a communist because he&#8217;s called for, among other things, seizing the means of production, which is the very essence of the economic core of communism.&#8221;
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&#8220;People are going to die if and when Comrade Mamdani is elected, that is going to be the concept,&#8221; Cruz continued.
He went on to say that there would be some who saw benefits from Mamdani&#8217;s election — but the average citizens of New York City would not be among them.
&#8220;If comrade Mamdani is elected, I&#8217;m going to make a nomination right now, which is a year from now, I want to name him the Conservative Party of New York Man of the Year, because Comrade Mamdani is going to make more people join the conservative party in New York than anyone has in history, as they realize these people are nuts,&#8221; Cruz explained.
He then added that the only businesses likely to thrive under the weight of communist leadership were the companies that helped people move away, out of their reach.
&#8220;Not only is he going to drive New Yorkers to join the Republican Party and the Conservative Party, but he is going to result, he is going to rent more U-Hauls than the very best Willy Loman salesman that has ever been in U-Haul of people moving from New York and coming to Texas and coming to Florida, and anyone with any sense is going to get out of this,&#8221; he said.
Critics have long been warning that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/spin-cycle-how-do-you-solve-a-problem-like-mamdani" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mamdani&#8217;s plan</a> to tax the rich and tax corporations that do business in New York — even if they don&#8217;t have offices there — was likely to send everyone who could afford to move running for the hills.

US-POLITICS-NEW YORK-MAMDANI

Ted Cruz Issues Grim Warning To New Yorkers If Mamdani Is Elected

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Ted Cruz

Editor&#8217;s Note: This is the second installment in the five-part series “American Maoists: Warnings From The Cultural Revolution.&#8221;
In <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/license-to-kill-what-turns-normal-people-to-political-violence">Part I</a>, Xi Van Fleet and Sasha Gong — both activists, scholars, and survivors of Mao&#8217;s communist uprising — explain how extremist movements plant the seeds for revolution by slowly acculturating ordinary citizens to political violence.
In today&#8217;s installment, the authors explore something all too familiar to anyone who&#8217;s seen the American Left in action: the endless cycle of victimization, which fuels perpetual revolution.
***
History is full of paradoxes. None is more striking than the revolutionary promise to rescue the downtrodden, only to end in destruction for all.
From the French Revolution to Mao’s Cultural Revolution, the pattern is familiar: revolutionaries first elevate “the victims,” granting them moral superiority. Those newly anointed victims are then encouraged to victimize their designated enemies. What begins in the name of liberation almost always degenerates into tyranny.
It is a story as old as revolution itself. The Jacobins invoked the poor and the persecuted, then set the guillotine to work on nobles, priests, and eventually their own comrades. Lenin vowed to free workers and peasants from Tsarist oppression, only to unleash the Red Terror that consumed millions, including many of his followers.
Mao empowered the youths to denounce their teachers, parents, and neighbors. In those frenzied years, almost everyone alternated between being a victim and being a victimizer, and frequently embodied both roles simultaneously. As Georges Danton, himself a leading figure of the French Revolution, devoured by the machine he helped build, lamented: “Revolution devours its own children.”
In China, we witnessed this cycle firsthand. The story of Bian Zhongyun, the first teacher beaten to death by her students in August 1966, illustrates it in all its cruelty.
Bian had been a faithful revolutionary. She joined the Communist Party in 1941 and later helped carry out land reform in a village where she was involved in the stoning to death of four landlords — including a woman who once cared for her child. She was later rewarded with the post of principal at Beijing’s most prestigious girls’ high school, which primarily served the children of CCP elites.
Yet her students, daughters of top Party leaders, killed her within hours in the first frenzy of the Cultural Revolution. They were fueled by Mao’s call to “rebel.” That month alone, thousands of teachers across China were killed. Millions more were publicly humiliated and beaten.
What became of the new victimizers? After serving as Mao’s instruments, the rebelling youths were discarded: the girls were sent into exile in China’s remote regions for grueling labor. The cycle turned anew. 
This wheel of misfortune follows a grim logic. Authorities pick assumed “victims” and designate enemies. The chosen victims are given power beyond the law, while enemies are stripped of any protection. Victimhood becomes not a misfortune but a privilege. People scramble to claim it — often by victimizing others. The scope of enemies then expands endlessly. Eventually, the beast devours everything.
We would be foolish to believe this tragic dynamic cannot repeat here. In recent years, America has seen smaller but chilling echoes: the #MeToo movement, Black Lives Matter, pro-Hamas and anti-ICE protests, and so on.
Who are the victims? Those once deemed “victimizers” — men, White people, and law enforcement personnel. Though our democracy tempers the scale, the revolutionary zeal is real, and has already produced a vast number of victims. 
Virginia gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger recently exhorted her supporters: “Let your rage fuel you.” Rage justifies escalation: exaggerated allegations, destruction of reputations, looting, even violence. We saw the consequences in the murder of Charlie Kirk.
The other fuel is thrill. Lenin once called revolution the “festival of the masses.” It is intoxicating to watch hierarchies topple, reputations destroyed, enemies dragged into the public square. Today, whole groups are urged to define themselves by grievances, while the list of oppressors grows without limit. Yesterday’s ally becomes today’s enemy; yesterday’s victim becomes today’s victimizer. Unfortunately, a society built on grievance politics collapses under its own contradictions.
China paid dearly: Mao’s Cultural Revolution killed tens of millions of people, including revolutionaries themselves, and brought the country to its knees. In America, Leftist ideology has condemned inner-city communities to crime, drugs, and welfare dependency that deepens poverty rather than relieves it. The paradox endures: revolutions that begin in the name of justice often end in greater injustice. Movements that elevate victims often produce mass victimization. Ideologies that promise to heal history’s wounds often end up deepening its scars.
The lesson is clear. A healthy society must recognize suffering without weaponizing it, redress injustice without creating new ones, and honor dignity rather than grievance. If we fail, the cycle will repeat — as it has so many times before. And once again, revolution will devour everyone, including those who started the revolution.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/license-to-kill-what-turns-normal-people-to-political-violence">READ MORE: American Maoists, Part I: License To Kill: What Turns Normal People To Political Violence?</a>
Xi Van Fleet is a survivor of Mao’s Cultural Revolution, activist, and author of “Mao’s America: A Survivor’s Warning.”
Sasha Gong is a writer, scholar, journalist, and filmmaker. A dissident in Mao’s China, she holds a PhD from Harvard University and was previously Director of the China Branch at Voice of America.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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The Wheel Of Misfortune: Victims, Victimhood, And Victimization

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