The Red Menace: What We Were Told to Fear Before Islam
What were we told to fear before radical Islam appeared? In the fifties and sixties the perceived threat was from communism. Take a journey back in to history and have a look at some anti-communist materials of the day. As one enemy fades another appears.
“Employees lose their respect for a company that fails to provide decent facilities for their comfort” goes the by-line for this advertisement. Yes, quite possibly, but does that really mean that they are going to turn into rampaging Bolsheviks because the paper towels at work are rough on their hands? This apparently was a real danger back in the fifties and sixties. Fortunately the introduction of soft tissues on a massive scale helped to avoid the commie takeover of the western world. Phew!
Communism was considered a huge threat to the stability of the west. Civilization as we knew it was at risk. So, of course, this menace had to be fought. What better way than to donate “Truth Dollars” to help Radio Free Europe operate. Then, those poor folks behind the Iron Curtain could hear all about the failings of the system under which they lived. The USA’s own brand of democracy was obviously destined to spread throughout the world and liberate its various peoples. Strange how that was exactly how the communists saw their own ideology spreading over the globe.
When we look back, how could we fail to realize that the four beatmen of the apocalypse were responsible for the spread of communism throughout the known world? These revolutionary Liverpudlians hypnotized people with their radically political lyrics and helped spread the subversive message of communism. Nikita Khrushchev was known to write their lyrics, such as the insidious, “We will crush you, yeah, yeah, yeah.” Perhaps the Pussycat Dolls are actually Islamic extremists. Who can say!
In the 1950s people were paranoid not only about the threat of being taken over by communists but by being labeled as such themselves. SO it was that the Cincinnati Reds baseball team felt obliged to rename themselves “The Redlegs”. So, only their lower bodies were communist then?
In 1960 many people feared that America would go the way of other communist countries, such as Poland and China. To halt the spread of the red menace even comic books were enlisted in to the fight. Where fifteen years before threat had been from Japanese imperialism and European fascism the sixties was where the communists took center stage as the bogey men of their time. Islamic Fundamentalists may well be today’s menace but you have to wonder what the people at the top will scare us with in twenty years time!
Apparently in the fifties and sixties people were so scared of the threat from communism that they forgot all about their punctuation marks. They had to be told of the evil of this ideology. So, the word was spread that in commie countries people fight in the street, women are attacked and throttled in broad daylight and there is brutality from the police. This must have scared the hell out of the average US citizen as it couldn’t have sounded like any of their own cities in any way, shape or form.
This 1956 advert from Canada exhorts the young men of that nation to get off their behinds and go train to become better athletes than their communist counterparts. The fact that sporting excellence is good propaganda for any nation failed to encourage the Canadian government to sponsor its athletes as communist countries had done.
Image Source – http://www.flickr.com/photos/bcostin/106686639/in/pool-coldwarfears
Close on the heels of the red menace must of course come red torture. The simple word “red” was enough to strike terror in the hearts of the average trashy novel reader. This could almost be called The Manchurian Paperback. Kidnap, imprisonment and brain washing – sound familiar?
At least the paranoia had some good results. This postcard from the sixties encourages people to use their vote. In this instance the sentiments may be produced by fear of communism but what better way to prolong the life of democracies by encouraging people to use their vote. Hopefully, not to vote for the communist party, of course!
We zoom up to 2005 for the last example. This is a strange one. It has very direct references to the aesthetics of soviet era propaganda adverts but is intended to warn people to watch out for suspect packages, left (no doubt) by you know who! The similarities are obviously intentional but to combine this message and look in today’s climate is rather odd! Old habits die hard, we can only suppose!
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User Comments
Hein Marais
On October 5, 2008 at 3:58 am
What will be the next thing to fear?
Glynis Smy
On October 5, 2008 at 5:03 am
I remember my parents fear of the ‘reds’, I lived in London during the IRA bombings and now our young(er) folk fear others, it goes on and on. This was really interesting, the posters are great!
Evil Pundit
On October 5, 2008 at 9:53 am
There was good reason to fear Communism, though sometimes the results looked silly. Communism killed over 100 million people last century, before it collapsed.
Lauren Axelrod
On October 5, 2008 at 11:04 am
Great tour of history RJ. This topic isn’t as familiar to me considering I grew up during a different time. My only exposure was in history class.
Edyta Nowak-Tehrani
On October 5, 2008 at 11:12 am
Yes, it is true that communism was and is a very dangerous ideology, as today radical Islam is. But it is also true that Americans went way overboard with the fear of it and made life hard for many innocent people. I think an article like this one is a good way to help Americans balance their approach this time around. Not every Muslim is a terorist. Congratualtions on a great article idea!
Nelson Doyle
On October 5, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Personally, I didn’t fear communism as much as I do socialism. Far worse monstrosities have come through socialist ideology than all of the above. Socialism appears all innocent on the surface, but underneath it all, it is a movement that limits, blocks or entirely eliminates the citizens’ ability to innovate, practice a religious belief that the government authorities hasn’t approved of and it becomes even more so difficult when the majority of the population have been conditioned to believe the ways and rules of the government that they serve.
Islam to me isn’t the peaceful religion that I keep hearing so much about either. The moderate Muslims may not be strapping on bombs and blowing people up in bus stations and cafes, but I still haven’t witnessed a mass condemnation for the suicide bombings that have been carried out by the extremist by the peaceful Muslim community. If a Christian or Jewish group of extremist were to have done some of the same things in recent years, then the whole world would condemn these groups and in some cases, religions. Even the peaceful Christian and Jewish leaders would have spoken out against such actions, but strangely this isn’t nor hasn’t occurred within the majority peaceful Muslim communities around the world and even more Western Nations are defending the Islamic movement either out of ignorance, envy or my best guess “Fear”.
In this century, we here in America and around the world have seen Christianity and Christians become more of the focus of attacks on our values, morals and belief in Jesus Christ, in the media (News Reports, Television Shows, Movies), Radical Anti-Christian Teaching in Schools and Colleges and within so many other venues. While, Islam is being both feared and defended by nations, peoples and governments who probably fear of a Islamic backlash or an extremist revenge attack in return for not supporting the Islamic vision or who makes fun of their religious leaders or religion, just like the media makes fun of Christianity. Of course, Christians are not the ones bombing and killing those that have teased our faith and religion.
R J, are you trying to make light of Islam as not anything to worry about, because somehow the Islamic community is misunderstood, by showing where the communists where that to be fearful of in the 50s and 60s? Islam and communism isn’t remotely the same kind of threat as it appears to me you are trying to express. Islam is a religious movement that wants world domination not only as a global government body, but as the sole religion. This isn’t just hearsay either, top ranking Islamic clerics and leaders have expressed this in the media and before the world in the past. Communism religion of all sorts are allowed, but not all are tolerated equally.
Communism could have never spread and hold together over great periods of time, because there was no glue holding the movement together, because of the loose tolerance of other religion ideology. However, Islam is first a major religion, and then it is becoming a major world political block as well. The glue of Islam is the like-minded religious followers that is comprised of over one-billion believers and with an estimated 10% being considered radical extremist of Islam and that is 100 million people who are not interested in a peaceful solution or tolerance of other religions. One-Hundred Million potential terrorists!
God Bless,
Nelson Doyle
Kevin R Carr
On October 5, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Ahh, the good ol’ simpler days of ‘duck and cover.’ Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Ebey Soman
On October 5, 2008 at 6:11 pm
I echo the sentiments expressed by Nelson Doyle in the above post.
Radical Islam is a real threat! Terrorism and such fanatical jihadist organizations have been growing rampant within Islamic communities and is a real threat to the free world.
Radical Islam cannot even be compared to Communism – it is much worse. Everything, people of different religions and ideas are being bombed and killed. Look at Pakistan, India, Indonesia, China, America, Spain, France, UK, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine and many many others.
If you look at the top 10 Terrorist organizations in the world, Radical Islamic organizations make up most of that list.
As the free world, we should oppose radical Islam and encourage real Muslims to speak out aganist these terrorists. This is a war of ideologies that must be won. These terrorists are using certain phrases from the Koran and the Hadiths to continue their religious war aganist the Jews first, then the Americans, the those who speak out aganist radical Islam and then everybody else in the world.
It is time we wake up and realize the threat and start taking action about it. We need to encourage tolerance in the middle east and arabic countries, fix the education system so religious leaders do not sway the young minds to suicide bombings and make Islamic leaders be accountable to the people and to speak out aganist Terrorist attacks on a daily basis.
~God Bless
B Nelson
On October 5, 2008 at 8:47 pm
When you fear something else, you are not looking at what your own leaders are doing.
As such nations whose leaders are pointing the fingers elsewhere, have the proverbialy 3 other fingers pointing back at themselves.
bob
On October 5, 2008 at 10:18 pm
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Carolyn Cordon
On October 5, 2008 at 11:47 pm
Very interesting stuff here, thank you. Just as interesting are the comments from the good folk who know what to fear the most. I fear those who hate too much, Hate Islam, hate Communists, Socialists, Japan.
A great man oncle said ‘An eye for an eye will lead to a world that is blind.’ I fear our world is losing its sight rapidly.
I’m not a Christian, but I’m with Jesus on this one – “forgivism” is the only ‘ism’ that will save us.
Carey C Ruff
On October 6, 2008 at 12:56 am
great article, although i do have to say that it is pretty low to ridicule something that was once really feared, and was at least a vestigial threat. we were in danger from communist Russia forty years ago, and probably in more danger then we are from any of the Islamic “extremists” in the present day. the U.S. government greatly exaggerated that threat (as usual), but there was a threat nonetheless. although i was born well after there was still any threat of “radical” communist invasion, i can still emphasize with the fear that the average American felt in those days, although it may seem laughable to us now. (in much the same way, i emphasize with the fear people feel from so-called terrorists, although i do not share it.) still, all in all, a thought-provoking and, more importantly, entertaining article.
cheers,
Carey Ruff
Bruce Dearborn Walker
On October 6, 2008 at 3:11 am
It’s important to remember that at least 100 million people were murdered under Communist rule, and that many countries were taken over under the Communist ideology, and their people denied freedoms that we in the west take for granted.
I learned about Islam from reading Islamic blogs and websites. There were many voices on those sites that scared the hell out of me and made me determined to fight Islamision here in the States anywhere I can. Slavery is still practiced in many moslem states, as is legal child molestation (under Sharia, women as young as 9 may be legally married, including a kind of temporary marriage, and any non-moslem, or caffir, can legally be murdered, his wife and children turned into slaves and concubines, and our worldly goods turned into our murderer’s “property of the right hand.”
Am I Islamophobic? Why the hell aren’t you?
Unknown
On October 6, 2008 at 6:17 am
i greet u with the islamic greeting ASSALAMUALAIKUM ( may peace and mercy be upon you)
wat u know about islam? jihad doesn’t mean war. please correct ur misconceptions against islam. Jihad means to strive or struggle. Many people struggle for their parents and some for their rights etc. But islam allows it when u r correct.
No slavery is practised in islam. But there is no right of a white over black and of an american over a somalian, this is what we r taught. now i say u, writting this is not good. u should get the correct information from the sources. Dont beleive wat u hear, go to the source to find out the truth. for ur information the fastest spreading religion in u.s is islam. cuz it provides maximum security to the women. And we respect women in our religion. we believe that all peole whether they are muslim or non muslim, are children of one couple ADAM and HAWAA. And we have strong believe that we are all brothers. i am ur brotherand u r mine……..
thestickman
On October 6, 2008 at 6:31 am
I suppose that a *DEVOTE Muslim* is truly peaceful, but we’re talking about a broader, wider section of radial fundamentalist Islam. You know, like the ones that article on !yahoo yesterday, about the music concert in Kuwait that was CANCELED live & in-progress because a woman jumped up on stage hugged & gave a cheek-kiss to one of the performers? This is illegal in Kuwait under current rule, and ‘authorities’ canceled the concert immediately and sent everyone home. This woman is probably being gang-raped as we speak, to lovingly ‘educate her’, to the wrong, evil act that she did…
Okay, -not worthy of war this canceling of concert by iteself, but c’mon!! Get some group freakin’ ideals that make sense! This radical form Islam is rife with INTOLERANCE in it most base, ugly form. -A ’souless woman’ cancels a concert by a simple public expression of fannish appreciation? And will most likely suffer much because of it? How ‘peaceful’ is that?
name dosent give ur identity
On October 6, 2008 at 6:35 am
i read ur article and i came to know that people who r half knowledge r very dangerous than the one comitting sins.So we should always be alert with what isright or what is wrong .nobody can ask us about anything when we r provided with full of true sources.people really take the quranic verses out of context.i am very happy that i got the oppurtunity through u to share my comments. If u go through the contexts u will never think of it any further.many people r trying to maline Islam ,how hard they try ,so fast the religios is spreading.
Debashish
On October 6, 2008 at 6:47 am
it absolutely make no sense .wake up and face the world with what exactly happening under WHOOSE NAME.i very sorry to hear so about islam in a inhuman way. though i am a hinduu i respect islam and will maybe accept it as ny religion………. wat u got to say about that!!
ksoleh
On October 6, 2008 at 8:12 am
Whatever all of you are saying, you are not force to convert to Islam, as the truth can be seen clearly. Whoever are guided, God will bring him from darkness to light.-smile-
Ann
On October 6, 2008 at 9:45 am
“I learned about Islam from reading Islamic blogs and websites. There were many voices on those sites that scared the hell out of me and made me determined to fight Islamision here in the States anywhere I can. Slavery is still practiced in many moslem states, as is legal child molestation (under Sharia, women as young as 9 may be legally married, including a kind of temporary marriage, and any non-moslem, or caffir, can legally be murdered, his wife and children turned into slaves and concubines, and our worldly goods turned into our murderer’s “property of the right hand.”"
Actually, the same approach is justified in the Old Testament, including picking up an enemy’s infant and dashing its head out against a rock, and yet mainstream Christians and Jews still read and revere the Bible. (Joshua 6, Judges 21, Hosea 13, Psalms 137)
louie jerome
On October 6, 2008 at 10:42 am
You seem to have opened the proverbial hornets’ nest here RJ. I agree totally that the fear of the REDS was replaced by the fear of ISLAM. Some commentators on here can’t seem to distinguish between a religion and an ideology. This kind of fear stems from ignorance and limited access to correct information.
C. Jordan
On October 6, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Now look what you’ve started! Well done;)
thestickman
On October 6, 2008 at 1:55 pm
-It is a good article and people are reading it.
-thestickman
Wizard Brown
On October 6, 2008 at 2:00 pm
It is all about Government’s coming up with ideas to control their citizens – scared citizens are obedient citizens.
And how do Government officials keep bad PR out of the news – oh yea, simply up the terror warning to red again, that will do it as all other news for that day will be dropped.
It is time people started asking questions and carrying out their own research as opposed to simply believing what they are told.
goodselfme
On October 6, 2008 at 3:32 pm
YOu always produce something very interesting. I learn much from you. What someone , who wants to be unknown says, is their opinion too. You are thorough in your research and post with that done.
bruno124578
On October 6, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Great style of write and a good choose to theme too.
I´d like to write lke you, besides it i´m in need of help, please read my article and let a comentary with tips or]f how I can write better if possible. Thx
Paula Mitchell-Bentley
On October 6, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Amazing photos! It’s hard to believe that is our past — as well as our present and future. Fear mongering at it’s finest. Nicely done.
KTBeth
On October 6, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Those damn commies!
Great article. I liked the one about the Beatles. How could we be so blind?! Well of COURSE they were a driving force behind communism!
zara dinara
On October 7, 2008 at 2:56 am
it saddens me that some people thought that Islam is not a peaceful religion and that the Muslims are not condemning the suicide bombings that have been carried out by the extremist. it is unfortunate that people cant see that the muslims themselves hate what the extremists did. i do thing that the title of this article is inappropriate.Islam is a religion. there should be nothing to fear about Islam. The extremists has unfortunately stray away from the values that Islam hold so dearly.i.e, peace.
Phil Chung
On October 7, 2008 at 7:17 am
Believe it or not Islam is a peaceful religion, its the people who call themselves Muslims but dont act it who create this bad image about muslims.
If you think about it, how many of your Muslim neighbours or friends go around bombing people & places. NONE
To be honest i think that the people who are doing all these bombings arent followers of Islam but would like to make out that Islam is bad so they do stuff like that.
So please dont think that Islam is bad, because it isn’t.
Have you read about it?
You’ve probably just seen whats on tv.
And you believe it all..
Julie mauldin
On October 7, 2008 at 10:23 am
This was a fun article in that it pointed out the various brands of past paranoia…..but it makes a good point. Are people looking for things to be afraid of? I would never have believed that the Beatles could be accused of Communism…that was really funny….
RJ Chamberlain
On October 8, 2008 at 8:56 pm
The comments on this article are exactly why I am agnostic bordering on atheist. Why bother believing anything when there are so many unanswered questions and everybody is justifying this and that. Better to be out of the religious circle I reakon. Oh by the way R J, a very informative article.
-RJ Chamberlain
patrick
On October 8, 2008 at 11:06 pm
Fear is a built in safety emotion. Without it, man is too prone to carelessness and self serving destructive ease. Of course fear can also get out of control and become paranoia or phobia, or be used by the unscrupulous to manipulate others; both of these conditions are obviously not healthy either. I believe what the bible teaches, “Fear God and keep His ways, that is wisdom.” Say what? a lot of folks will ask. Yes, The fear of the Lord is wholesome, because those who embrace it are fulfilled in His perfect Love. It means that we learn to unquestionably respect His warnings and wisdom. And as we do, all other destructive fears melt away. The end result of Godly fear is peace, all others bring torment.
“Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”
John 14:27
ffairconnetue
On October 9, 2008 at 12:02 pm
This is a great article. Keep doing what you’re doing
yo
On October 10, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Poor poor poor people of US, always afraid, always with fear, always under pressure, always eating lies. I feel sorry for you
look again
On October 14, 2008 at 1:13 pm
It seems that quite a number of comments, or rather those posting the comments, to this article are grotesquely missing the mark. Whether deliberately or ignorantly, God knows. The revealing theme in this literary piece is not anti Islam or any other particular philosophy, but that certain elements in society and government: Western, Eastern, Asian, communistic, capitalistic, Islamic, ultra conservative right wing Christian et. al, are passionately trying to get the rest of international society to fear what they fear, and see the world as they see it. Every religious and political movement throughout history have had such fear stirring radicals of this nature in their camps.
“We have nothing to fear but fear itself” – Franklin Roosevelt
Claude Millert
On November 2, 2008 at 6:03 pm
“Islamic Fundamentalists may well be today’s menace but you have to wonder what the people at the top will scare us with in twenty years time!”
Whoever tries again, to bring us to our knees.
Ask someone who has lived under Communism, or Islamic Fundamentalism.
Then perhaps you won’t sound so stupid and bewildered.
Nothing personal, but your naivete is astounding.
Dieter Hentz
On November 13, 2008 at 11:01 am
good article
nat
On March 13, 2009 at 9:56 am
i know nothing about any of this really. my teacher just gave me this web site to reaserch propoganda. but the things you guys wrote opened my eyes to all of the things happening in the world that i was sheltered from. very very interesting
me
On May 27, 2009 at 7:58 pm
This helped me a lot, thanks. i am from argentina. (:
Michael
On July 23, 2009 at 2:55 am
I have lived in Islamic countries and visited communist countries. There is no comparison.
Theocratic Islamic countries are not places where anyone wants to work and live for any length of time. I am a non-drinker, non-smoker. I am a Christian… but I never felt comfortable around Islamic sharia rules because any muslim can and will point the finger if you or what you say is in conflict with their beliefs. The same holds to true in Canada and when people finally wake up … it will be too late.
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