How to teach small children communism?

[☭World Views]

What would be the steps to teaching kids communism at a young age? (let's say around 5 years old?)

Would showing kids the uncensored poverty in 3rd world countries that stem from imperialism be a start? Or the wars of oppression and democide?

Any particular movies, cartoons, etc?

Or is that too young of an age?

[Pirate turtle the 11th]

Lead by example. Dont indoctrinate, we are not a church.

[Pogue]

I'd say the best thing you can do for a kid is let your influence rub off on them. I know I became anti-fascist and left wing through hearing my parents talk. I can remember individual moments which influenced me. They didn't sit me down and indoctrinate me.

[gorillafuck]

What would be the steps to teaching kids communism at a young age? (let's say around 5 years old?)

Would showing kids the uncensored poverty in 3rd world countries that stem from imperialism be a start? Or the wars of oppression and democide?

Any particular movies, cartoons, etc?

Or is that too young of an age?
Showing 5 year olds images of uncensored poverty and war would be a bit......questionable.......

[marxistcritic]

Pop the bubble! Show them everything absolutely uncensored. The only reason that small children are so damn ignorant is because thier parents isolate them.

[Pirate turtle the 11th]

Now son today we're going to look at pictures of people with there faces hanging of there chins like beards.

[Radical]

Education. Teach them the hardships of this fucked up world.

But dont ever tell them, "If you dont believe, you'll goto hell"

[Gustav HK]

You could make some stories about the evil, evil capitalists and the very, very good proletarians. :p

If your child someway sees a big luxerious house and is envious, then you can say that communism will make those houses collective.

[FreeFocus]

Teach them to share. Teach them to think freely.

As far as movies or cartoons go, they might not understand them yet, I'd say like around 8 or 9 they probably would.

[Pirate turtle the 11th]

If your child someway sees a big luxerious house and is envious, then you can say that communism will make those houses collective.


No.

[Ned Flanders]

You should never indoctrinate a child or force your views on them. It can provide the exact opposite results to what you intended, they might be appalled by your indoctrination and resent you when they get older. I agree with Pogue and Joe. The best way is to be a good role model. Encourage them to think critically, but explain to them patiently your view on things.

[scarletghoul]

You don't "teach small children communism". The best way to educate them is to consistently present a leftist view on things when they come up and correct any reactionary views they have

[Misanthrope]

Teaching from an authoritarian level will not turn out well. Let him discover politics himself.

[jake williams]

Children raised with healthy, intelligent, morally decent (ie., ok, leftist), but anti-authoritarian parents who let their children figure the world out for themselves - these children virtually always turn out okay. As far as we can tell people's moral instincts are unusually healthy if they're allowed to develop.

[griffjam]

http://infoshop.org/faq/secJ6.html

[SubcomandanteJames]

"Timmy, did you bring enough for the entire class?"
:D

[Manifesto]

I don't think that besides telling them to be communist (which would be brainwashing) they would really be able to grasp it.

[LOLseph Stalin]

I don't think that besides telling them to be communist (which would be brainwashing) they would really be able to grasp it.

I don't think children should be brainwashed myself, but you could still teach them to share from a young age and such which is of course one of the basic principles of communism. Besides, every little kid is usually taught to share anyway.

[☭World Views]

Would it be better to filter out all of the reactionary and imperialist BS they teach in schools, (history classes are very pro-USA) or is it better to teach them later?

[punisa]

Concentrate on teaching your kid to be a good human. He/she will eventually discover that communism is the only option there is.

Teach them that materialism is wrong and that work is good. You'll do so by not spoiling them. Children have all sorts of natural born "tactics" to persuade their parents to give them what they want. Don't buy him that crappy candy wrapped up in vivid colors. Don't buy him a car when he turns 16.

Teach him about equality between men, races and ethnicity.
Today's propaganda turn people to egocentrics (makes them better customers), steer him away from that.

As for cartoons, there are many good cartoons that promote work, friendship and unity. Unfortunately you won't find these on your TV in primetime, you'll have to dig a little bit deeper.
There are some (don't laugh :laugh:) great cartoons from the ex socialist countries, I believe some were also dubbed into English. For example there was a great Yugoslav cartoon from the 80's (english title "Magical Forrest"). In short: a traveling artist, a painter travels on foot through the woods and decides to sleep under this big oak tree. What he didn't know is that the tree was magical and it granted him a "power" to understand animal language.
He soon found out that animals were always in danger and exploited by this evil ruler called the "cactus king". Painter and the animals united and organized themselves and eventually took down the evil king an thus brought peace and equlity between everyone in the forrest.
It was my favorite cartoon as a kid, only much later I realised that its full of revolutionary socialist messages, but nietly wrapped up as a children's tale :thumbup1:

Similar messages could be found in a canadian animated series called the "Racoons", I think you can easily find these on Youtube and elsewhere.

Such cartoons can reallys effect how the young mind percieves the world around them. I think cartoons are more important then one thinks. Kids have a vivid imagination and look to these cartoons as something that's almost real.

What message your kid gets from cat chasing a mouse around or crazy japanese epileptic robots is beyond me.

All in all, choose wisely and leave real politics for later. Your kid will naturally become interested in it later on in life, till then let him be. When exactly depends on him/her, but I'd say the early 20s.

Good luck :)

[Sarah Palin]

Just let them discover their own philosophy by themselves. But it wouldn't hurt to teach them to share their toys.


Any particular movies, cartoons, etc?

The fuck? Indoctrination is never right and may turn around to haunt you. They may grow up to write for the Wall Street Journal about how their parents showed them communist cartoons and graphic images of starvation. Not that you should hide it from them either. You need to find some balance.

[shadowmare]

A cartoon I would advise is "Vinnie Pukh"
Basically a Russian Winnie the Pooh, but it has a lot of good morals, childs humor and its dubbed in English
Youtube it

[Il Medico]

What would be the steps to teaching kids communism at a young age? (let's say around 5 years old?)

Would showing kids the uncensored poverty in 3rd world countries that stem from imperialism be a start? Or the wars of oppression and democide?

Any particular movies, cartoons, etc?

Or is that too young of an age?
Tell them the truth.

[Black Sheep]

Well, i, for one never heard a thing about communism,class struggle from my parents.The first influence i got was in university.

What a waste of years.

[☭World Views]

Just let them discover their own philosophy by themselves. But it wouldn't hurt to teach them to share their toys.



The fuck? Indoctrination is never right and may turn around to haunt you. They may grow up to write for the Wall Street Journal about how their parents showed them communist cartoons and graphic images of starvation. Not that you should hide it from them either. You need to find some balance.

I understand where you are coming from. There is definitely a fine line.

But I would rather see kids watch constructive cartoons rather than imperialist super villians like Spider-man and Batman. :lol:

[Coggeh]

Try making you child a communist and your going to get a free market libertarian Its just a bad idea.Leave it up to him/her . Its not your business or your place to have any say in your childs politics tbh .

[Lyev]

I agree with what everyone's said. As Richard Dawkins talks about in the God Delusion there's no such thing as a religious child, but a child with religious parents.

I think it's wrong to spoon-feed a young child such information at a young age, even though it does seem the right way of thinking. You don't want them to be an opinionless drone.

[FreeFocus]

I understand where you are coming from. There is definitely a fine line.

But I would rather see kids watch constructive cartoons rather than imperialist super villians like Spider-man and Batman. :lol:

Hey, Spider-Man is hardly imperialist. In fact, he's pretty much a struggling college student. Watch yourself there. :mad:

Batman, on the other hand, owns Wayne Industries and is a die-hard capitalist, extracting value from the labor of workers and procuring minerals and materials from imperialist arrangements in the Third World.

:lol:

[Manifesto]

I agree with what everyone's said. As Richard Dawkins talks about in the God Delusion there's no such thing as a religious child, but a child with religious parents.

I think it's wrong to spoon-feed a young child such information at a young age, even though it does seem the right way of thinking. You don't want them to be an opinionless drone.
Yeah even my atheist brother knows this. He is not going to make his kids atheist, he is going to let them decide whether or not they believe in a god.

[Lyev]

Yeah, IMO, that's how it should be Manifesto. Below a certain age children's minds are just too impressionable and easy to mould.

[Knight of Cydonia]

i would say that, that is too young of an age..
the best you can do for kid that age is..show them how to live as a socialist or how to live as a leftist in any ways.

[Killfacer]

Don't try and indoctrinate them. I was brought up in a left wing house hold and it eventually rubbed off on me. The likely hood is, unless they think they're a bad ass rebel, that they will have similar veiws to their parents. I think alot of people on revleft have similar veiws to their parents.

[JohnnyC]

Teach them that materialism is wrong and that work is good.
Wait, what is wrong with materialism?It is the basis of Marxism and without it we would all be just a bunch of idealists fantasizing about some utopia.

[blake 3:17]

Arrgh, the radical left is way too rationalist. The hands off, don't say anything til they're 21 is a strategy for self destruction.

Wait until someone is brought up in a sexist racist oppressive exploitative society and then tell them what's wrong with it?

I think it's a serious error in the Left to withhold information, ideas, thoughts from young children. The most reactionary institutions in the world involve children at very very young ages. Religious indoctrination begins shortly after birth.

We don't have to follow the same route. I've had very thoughtful conversations with young children about issues of racism, social injustice, co-operation, party politics, religious and national clashes. They are capable of understanding it. I always premise anything I say about divisive issues as some people see the issue this way, others see it another way. That's a basic lesson in tolerance and relativism.

I think there's also a mistake on the Left to see religious life and social life as a simple diversion or mystification or opiate, and not recognize the needs that these things meet -- existentially, materially, socially.

[Oneironaut]

Show them Antz on repeat. They will eventually get the message.

[Sam_b]

This whole question really reminds me of the 80s Thatcherite teachings of 'greed is good' from a young age, and making children and young people think there is no such thing as society. Similarly, remember that whole legion of people that tried to indoctrinate children into their ideology from a young age, weren't they the Nazis?

The key is to create an open, learning and above all, questioning environment. As much as modern day society tries to make people think otherwise, children are not stupid. They should not be told what to believe, instead it should be about questioning everything always.

[blake 3:17]

The key is to create an open, learning and above all, questioning environment. As much as modern day society tries to make people think otherwise, children are not stupid. They should not be told what to believe, instead it should be about questioning everything always.

Absolutely. That does not mean that socialist questions, problems or ideas shouldn't be on the agenda.

The most concrete examples I've experienced have been around Black struggles against racism. The way it is taught in schools is that Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, and Nelson Mandela were very very good people and then the world realized they were right. The histories of the social movements, ties to left politics or the labour movement are swept under the rug. It also makes these lessons one of "We were wrong before, but we're doing right now" -- totally ignoring persistent forms of racism, imperialism and class domination and the ongoing stuggles against these.

One of the kids I work with was totally blown away when I told him about Nelson Mandela spending decades in prison. He said that would mean he was a bad guy. I explained he was a good guy that broke bad laws.

[Die Neue Zeit]

Try "The Spider and the Fly" by Wilhelm Liebknecht.

[☭World Views]

Very good suggestions.

If I replay the move Antz, Animal Farm, and The Spider and the Fly a bunch of times, could it foster discussion and questions?

[the last donut of the night]

Father: son, now that you´re five, we´re going to learn about Marxism.

Son: daddy, what´s mark-ism?

Father: First of all, it´s Marxism. Mark-ism is how counterrevolutionaries say it. Like Trotsky.

:rolleyes: You get the picture. I believe many teenagers in the US today hold reactionary views because they weren´t allowed to question due to social pressure. If we stimulated questions, we´d probably lead a lot of people to Marxism.

[☭World Views]

We were discussing in the chat room earlier; what comes first?

Anti-capitalism, RevLeftism, or both at the same time when it comes to bringing people in and creating breeding grounds?

[mykittyhasaboner]

You cant "teach" many adults about communist ideology, what makes you think you can "teach" a young child?

[☭World Views]

You cant "teach" many adults about communist ideology, what makes you think you can "teach" a young child?

In a way it would be easier imo, they wouldn't have been exposed to 12 years of public indoctrination, love of capitalism and Ameri-centric nationalism, and corporate oligarchs wouldn't have poisoned their minds through the TV yet.