Lewis Black praises socialism as ‘enforced Christianity’ in National Press Club speech

[IDemo]

Comedian Lewis Black on Monday explained why he considered himself a socialist, and mocked those who accused President Barack Obama of being one.

“I do say that I’m a socialist, and I am a socialist, and that is about as powerless a position as you can be in the United States,” he said at a National Press Club luncheon in Washington, D.C.

“And I really just wanted to start with that because the idea of calling anyone, outside of maybe Bernie Sanders, a socialist — to call Obama a socialist, you have got to be out of your godd*mn mind. There are seven socialists left in the country, and if you really want to see the leadership of the socialist party you can go to cemetery and find them.”

>>

“Part of the reason I believe in socialism is because if you are going to have a Christian philosophy, if that is going to be the basis of the country that you live in, and it is a Christian philosophy — and I know this because I’m a Jew — that you might want socialism, because what it is is enforced Christianity. You put your money where your mouth is and shut up. We are not going to wait on you to help the poor, you’re going to help the poor, like it or not.”

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/04/14/lewis-black-praises-socialism-as-enforced-christianity-in-national-press-club-speech/

[agbdf]

1. Interesting

He says:

“I do say that I’m a socialist, and I am a socialist, and that is about as powerless a position as you can be in the United States,” he said at a National Press Club luncheon in Washington, D.C.

There's a good reason for that. Socialism and far left parties are not the answer to the challenges faced by Americans. The Democratic Party is the answer!

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

2. There's a good reason indeed, but not the one you give.

The reason is half a century of demonization of 'socialists'.

The American people, when polled, almost always embrace the same sorts of policies socialists want. It's only the elected officials who steadfastly refuse to actually do the will of the people. It doesn't matter whether you want to call yourself a 'socialist' or a democrat, the 'answers to the challenges faced by Americans' are the same. We just need to actually find politicians who will embrace the same answers the American people do.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

3. Christianity wasn't meant to be enforced.

[Schema Thing]

5. neither can it be genuine if "christian" policies are voted against

because of some personal philosophy that adds "but don't do any of this as a group, in fact, refuse to do any of this as a group" to anything Jesus said about helping the downtrodden.



That philosophy is in fact a giant Fuck You to Jesus.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

6. Christianity isn't a form of government.

It isn't a series of boxes to check. Heaven doesn't review a person's voting record. To imply otherwise is to destroy the meaning of Christianity.

Yes, there is the obligation to the poor but a person feeding the poor by force of law is no more redeemed than a man with murderous intent is redeemed because he refrains out of fear of being punished.

[Schema Thing]

9. "redeemed"?

howthefuck did that get into the conversation?

Jesus just said do it. There is no indication that NOT DOING it because it doesn't fit in with your politics is acceptable in the least, if one want to claim to be obeying Jesus.


"I didn't feed your sheep because the only way to do it effectively was through societal action" is a piss poor excuse and negates any claim to Christianity one might have.

Christianity isn't a form of government, but voting or advocating against government that helps the poor IS un-Christian. It's really not complicated.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

10. "'redeemed'? howthefuck did that get into the conversation?"

It's a conversation about Christianity.

Jesus just said do it.

He also said his kingdom is not of this world.

There is no indication that NOT DOING it because it doesn't fit in with your politics is acceptable in the least, if one want to claim to be obeying Jesus.

Voting for slate of conniving politicians who espouse Policy X every few years so as to compel others who have no interest in being Christians to live by Christian precepts and then sitting on one's butt and not doing anything else is hardly a sanctity. Sanctimony perhaps but not sanctity.

[jtuck004]

11. Correct, but that's too literal an interpretation of what he said. He would have been more accurate

to say the enforced "ideals"of Christianity, because Christianity isn't a form of governing. (Unless one wants to think selling snake-oil is a form of government, but that's another post).

But he was talking to the National Press Club, so accuracy wasn't a concern. More getting it to a level they could comprehend.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

13. Well, if it's socialism or any other form of government

as soon as you put Christian "ideals" into law then you end up putting the power of the state into the mix.

I'm not saying it can't be done, i.e. abolition, but it should give us a tremendous amount of pause about what it is that is to be accomplished. We should shelter the homeless, but should we give taxpayer funding to a slum lord because he greases the right palms? Should ideals against adultery and fornication be legally punishable? How do we know when we have gone too far considering ours is a fallen race?

There's a lot of feel-goodism at play but at the end of the day it's really about whether or not families are actually being helped.

[jtuck004]

16. There are similarities, which is part of what made his remark so witty, but that doesn't mean

one is drawn from the other. Anyway, neither owns the patent on feeding hungry people, which is the point, as you said.

[Junkdrawer]

4. From time-to-time I post this image with a caption like "Deep Water"....

Someday soon, I'll post something I'm working on: Wittgenstein's PI in 5 minutes.

I believe that if you understood what's in that thin volume, you would come to see just how mostly-equal we all are. And it's that general equality that makes certain small differences stand out so.

Social Darwinism sucks. Sucks eggs. Sucks rotten eggs.

[WillyT]

7. K & R !!!

[pnwmom]

8. He's right. And this reminds me of a story I heard from a friend . . .

his brother was teasing him in front of a nun who had taught them, about how my friend belonged to a co-op, which was basically a commune. And the nun, without batting an eyelash, said that she lived in a commune, too.

[mckara]

12. He was Excellent!

[Iwillnevergiveup]

14. Here's the rest of it

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/04/14/lewis-black-praises-socialism-as-enforced-christianity-in-national-press-club-speech/

Thanks for posting this, Idemo!

[snappyturtle]

15. The second video embedded in the link is excellent! Maybe I think that

because Lewis Black always strikes a chord with me. Thanks! K&R