Why do Rightists Associate "Communism" with "Terrorism"?

[William Howe]

I've heard a good deal of debates recently, and many right-wingers (typically Americans), always refer to groups such as the Taliban as "commie terrorists". Of course, they're bigoted idiots, but why are terrorists and communists always seen as the same by Rightists?

[Admiral Swagmeister G-Funk]

The right will label any organization 'terrorist' if it suits them. Find a significant anti-USA organization that hasn't been called 'terrorist' by one right wing nut job or another and I'll give you a cookie.

The term 'terrorism' strikes a fear chord in the average citizen.

[this is an invasion]

I don't actually know of any right wingers that think the Taliban are communists. I think this is just a stereotype made of right wingers by Lefists.

[William Howe]

The right will label any organization 'terrorist' if it suits them. Find a significant anti-USA organization that hasn't been called 'terrorist' by one right wing nut job or another and I'll give you a cookie.

The term 'terrorism' strikes a fear chord in the average citizen.

Back in college, my computer class professor (probably the most intelligent man I've ever met and an anarcho-socialist) said that the word terrorist itself is propaganda. Terrorist strikes fear in peoples' hearts, therefore use it to inspire anger. It's all a propaganda tool.

[Diello]

As someone who lives in the American South, I can't say I've ever heard anyone characterize the Taliban as communist. I do know plenty of people who think Obama is a communist Muslim terrorist, though.

[fa2991]

Because they're fucking stupid.

[Red Panther]

Plenty of people have been bullshitted by the right wing media and by capitalism itself. It's sky news in the UK and is it fox in America? They basicly say that anyone who opposes America or the West/imperialism is a "commie terrorist".

[Admiral Swagmeister G-Funk]

I don't actually know of any right wingers that think the Taliban are communists. I think this is just a stereotype made of right wingers by Lefists.
I've argued with someone who thought that the Taliban was a 'Marxist organization'.

That was a long night.

[Fulanito de Tal]

Here are some anti-communist terrorist groups.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_66

In 1976, Miami Police's Lieutenant Thomas Lyons and Detective Raul J. Diaz testified that groups including Alpha 66 had international terrorist ties and had sold $100 "bonds" in Miami to help finance their causes. The group was linked to a spate of bombings and assassinations in Miami during the 1970s, directed at Pro-Castro speakers. No Alpha 66 member was convicted of these crimes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Posada_Carriles#Cuba.27s_accusations


"Despite being denounced and calls from Venezuela for his extradition, Luis Posada Carriles, the most dangerous terrorist in the hemisphere, is still conspiring to murder with his accomplices without any intervention from the U.S. legal authorities. Miami continues to have a strong nucleus of right extremists from various Latin American countries, who consider this city and the United States as a sanctuary for their activities."
— Jean-Guy Allard, Granma Internacional [62]

http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2005/noviembre/mar29/49complot-i.html

Capitan Luis García – associated with the terrorist Miami group Commando F4 of Rodolfo Frómeta, tolerated by the FBI

More on Miami Terrorist groups
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/01/14/cuba/

[Jazzhands]

Here are some anti-communist terrorist groups.

Don't forget Combat 18, every other Nazi terrorist group out there, the White Army, Al-Qaeda, etc.

Terrorism is many times just a word used by winners to refer to losers. Winners are called "revolutionaries" and losers are "terrorists." Case in point: in the 2-sentence conservapedia article on Rosa Luxemburg, they claim she was a terrorist despite her pages and pages of refutations of the use of terror.

But what terrorism actually means is people with a political agenda who use big, showy crimes against civilians and civilian targets to intimidate the population to try to force a country to comply with their demands, no matter how nebulous their agenda may be. The Joker is definitely the best possible example I can use here.

[Invincible Summer]

Back in college, my computer class professor (probably the most intelligent man I've ever met and an anarcho-socialist) said that the word terrorist itself is propaganda. Terrorist strikes fear in peoples' hearts, therefore use it to inspire anger. It's all a propaganda tool.

Yes, indeed - "terror" is highly subjective and only really used as a means of creating a negative image of a certain group or individual. As they say, one man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter.

[StoneFrog]

We are terrorists because we strike fear and terror into the hearts of the bourgeoisie! Just by standing up to them.

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

Žižek.

[DragonQuestWes]

Because they have no clue what Communism or Socialism is.

That and they watch too much mainstream media.

[Volcanicity]

Because they have no clue what Communism or Socialism is.

That and they watch too much mainstream media.
That's why they dont know what Communism or socialism is because they watch mainstream media.

[Invincible Summer]

Žižek.


Please elaborate

[Comrade_Stalin]

I've heard a good deal of debates recently, and many right-wingers (typically Americans), always refer to groups such as the Taliban as "commie terrorists". Of course, they're bigoted idiots, but why are terrorists and communists always seen as the same by Rightists?

IThe right is only smart enought to see one enemy at a time, and so will put all "non-them" groups together as they do not have the brain power to see each group hate each other. In fact this is note the first time this has been do, it has also been do to the anarchist. Here is a Qoute from Red Commissar about the very same thing.



However I wouldn't think that because the newspaper says "Anarchists" it means they are such. Anarchism was, and still is, used as a pejorative towards subversive elements of society regardless of their actual political views. Look up any news article from those days and you'll see them going on and on about the dangers of "anarchists", it was used in much the same way we use "terrorist" today.

[Invincible Summer]

I remember in a sociology class someone mentioned how before/during the Iranian Revolution, Khomeini used Marxist-esque rhetoric and then some people got the impression that anti-imperialism = anti capitalism = communism, and I sighed.

[Red Commissar]

Because haters gonna hate.

[Magón]

Because there are people like RAF (Red Army Faction), Brigate Rosse (Red Brigades), and others that nations find to be Terrorists. Personally, I just don't pay attention to it/them. (Though I did like The Baader Meinhof Komplex. :thumbup1: )

[Die Rote Fahne]

Because rightest have no comprehension of what communism or terrorism is.

Simply put, they are uneducated (or very cynical) buffoons.

[Weezer]

It's easy to point at something and label it. Especially with a loaded word like terrorist, a favorite word among the right to discredit and insult organizations they don't like.

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

Please elaborate

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Violence-Big-Ideas-Slavoj-Zizek/dp/1846680174

[Cowboy Killer]

Right wing governments work off "What Sells" not only when it comes to the production of goods but also when it comes to sustaining their ideology as the structure for society.

So if we look at it that way we know things that help "sell" (getting people to agree with) their ideology. The most effective selling device is FEAR. Examples: Religious nuts sell their ideology (and their products sometimes) with the fear of going to hell. George Bush II used the fear of terrorist regimes to scare people into approving his NeoMcCarthyite plans. Red scare presidents used the fear of their rendition of communism (see old anti commie propaganda) to scare people into keeping the current system.

So all that being said, the two most fearful words to any right winger is Communist and Terrorist. And if you turn them around say Anti Communist and Anti Terrorist or "Commie Terrorist" you can use them as labels to sell sell your ideology and sadly it has been quite effective over the years.