The Red Scare
"Each carries in himself the germ of death for society"
The Red Scare was not the first time in American history that those with a particular viewpoint would be viewed as dangerous and other. However it is, in my opinon, the attitude that has survived into our modern politics. As seen in propoganda on the left of this paragraph, Communism was seen as a herald of the end of the nation. As something that would inevitably lead to tyranny over the people of the United States and the destruction of all the values of the U.S. Instead of what it was: a different approach to economics. While I have always been rather unsure as to why the United States held their anti-communist viewpoint prior to the end of World War 2 (perhaps just more government involvment?), I feel like the difference in level of opposition before and after the war is clear. The friction that occured between Stalin and United States representatives during the war, was not going to be undone easily. Both sides felt slighted, and the people of the United States began to see not just Russia as the enemy, but Communists themselves.
Escalated by Soviet spies stealing information on new nuclear sciences, which led to the Soviets obtaining nuclear weapons earlier than anticipated, everyday citizens began to distrust each other's loyalty to their country. As president McCarthy came into power, all non-capitalists were now persona-non-grada. No longer were you just someone who felt a different economic approach might be better, your were now classified as "other." This led to people like J. Howard McGrath, the United States Attorney General, to make statements about Socialists/Communists such as, "...Each carries in himself the germ of death for society."
When I look at some of the more recent and extreme political stances we have looked at in class, and generally around today, quotes like McGrath's seem commonplace in today's political landscape. It is not uncommon to hear someone claim that someone's ideas are "unamerican" just because they align more closely with the right or the left. I would claim, that it is from the same "us and them" complex created by the red scare, that we see this today. I'd like you to take a moment to fill out the survey below, to collect data on this subject. (I feel obligated to mention, since this is on a real webserver, that nothing inputted will be saved.)