Changes

'''Comsymp''' (Communist sympathizer<ref>American Dialect Society (1991). [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Fifty_Years_Among_the_New_Words/3x-umCIwEYQC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=john+birch+society+comsymp&pg=PA27&printsec=frontcover Fifty Years Among the New Words: A Dictionary of Neologisms 1941-1991], p. 34. ''Google Books''. Retrieved May 16, 2023.</ref>) refers to an individual who either openly extol Communism, particular Communists, or attempts to dismiss and discredit anti-Communism. During the [[Cold War]], the term became popularized by [[movement conservative]]s such as the [[John Birch Society]] as a polemic against leftists, although the concept long predates the word itself. Ever since the outbreak of Communism in the world, sympathizers of various stripes have conspired to undermine opposition.

"'''Comsymp'''" (Communist sympathizer<ref>American Dialect Society (1991). [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Fifty_Years_Among_the_New_Words/3x-umCIwEYQC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=john+birch+society+comsymp&pg=PA27&printsec=frontcover Fifty Years Among the New Words: A Dictionary of Neologisms 1941-1991], p. 34. ''Google Books''. Retrieved May 16, 2023.</ref>) is a [[neologism]] from around the 1940s<ref name=moynihanappendix>March 3, 1997. [https://sgp.fas.org/library/moynihan/appa7.html Report of the Commission on Protecting and Reducing Government Secrecy – Appendix A – 7. The Cold War]. ''Federation of American Scientists''. Retrieved May 16, 2023.</ref> referring to an individual who either openly extols [[Communism]], individual Communists, or attempts to dismiss and discredit [[anti-Communism]]. During the [[Cold War]], the term became popularized by [[movement conservative]]s such as the [[John Birch Society]] as a [[polemic]] against [[leftist]]s, although the concept long predates the word itself. Ever since the outbreak of Communism in the world, sympathizers of various stripes have conspired to undermine opposition through both direct, repressive means as well as [[propaganda]] campaigns.

The [[Nazis]] during the 1920s were a notable Comsymping movement, and [[Adolf Hitler]] himself remarked, "I have learned a great deal from [[Marxism]], as I do not hesitate to admit."<ref>Watson, George (November 22, 1998). [https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/hitler-and-the-socialist-dream-1186455.html Hitler and the socialist dream]. ''The Independent''. Retrieved May 16, 2023.</ref>

The [[Nazis]] during the 1920s were a notable Comsymping movement, and [[Adolf Hitler]] himself remarked, "I have learned a great deal from [[Marxism]], as I do not hesitate to admit."<ref>Watson, George (November 22, 1998). [https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/hitler-and-the-socialist-dream-1186455.html Hitler and the socialist dream]. ''The Independent''. Retrieved May 16, 2023.</ref>

==History==

==History==

Usage of the word "Comsymp" likely gained traction in the earliest phases of the Cold War. According to the bipartisan [[Moynihan Commission on Government Secrecy]]:<ref>March 3, 1997. [https://sgp.fas.org/library/moynihan/appa7.html Report of the Commission on Protecting and Reducing Government Secrecy – Appendix A – 7. The Cold War]. ''Federation of American Scientists''. Retrieved May 16, 2023.</ref>

Usage of the word "Comsymp" likely gained traction in the earliest phases of the Cold War. According to the bipartisan [[Moynihan Commission on Government Secrecy]], chaired by Moderate Democratic U.S. senator [[Daniel P. Moynihan]] of [[New York]]:<ref name=moynihanappendix/>

{{cquote|By the late 1940s there was a great agitation in the land about Communists and "comsymps." As early as January 1947 the U.S. Chamber of Commerce warned of infiltration in a publication ''Communists Within the Government: The Facts and the Program'' (not all the facts within which were wrong). Next came Congressional investigations, notably those associated with Senator Joseph R. McCarthy. Careers were damaged, of this there is no doubt. But compared to the earlier outrages, the society, notably the Government, responded with comparative restraint. Again, there were casualties, but compared to the provocation. . .?|||Report of the Commission on Protecting and Reducing Government Secrecy, Appendix A, pt. 7}}

{{cquote|By the late 1940s there was a great agitation in the land about Communists and "comsymps." As early as January 1947 the U.S. Chamber of Commerce warned of infiltration in a publication ''Communists Within the Government: The Facts and the Program'' (not all the facts within which were wrong). Next came Congressional investigations, notably those associated with Senator Joseph R. McCarthy. Careers were damaged, of this there is no doubt. But compared to the earlier outrages, the society, notably the Government, responded with comparative restraint. Again, there were casualties, but compared to the provocation. . .?|||Report of the Commission on Protecting and Reducing Government Secrecy, Appendix A, pt. 7}}

===John Birch Society feuds===

===John Birch Society feuds===

According to the JBS, [[Chinese Communists]] amassed in [[Mexico]] preparing to invade the [[United States]]. The organization sent thousands of letters to [[Moderate Republican]] U.S. senator [[Thomas Kuchel]] of [[California]], and subsequently branded Kuchel a "Comsymp" when he replied in a form asserting no evidence of such Communist activities.<ref>Bogus, Carl T. (November 2011). [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Buckley/HvGHFnwPljAC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=john+birch+society+comsymp&pg=PT207&printsec=frontcover Buckley: William F. Buckley Jr. and the Rise of American Conservatism]. ''Google Books''. Retrieved May 16, 2023.</ref> Sen. Kuchel in turn publicly denounced the John Birch Society on the floor of the U.S. Senate, angrily quoting the Society's criticism of President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]].

According to the JBS, [[Chinese Communists]] amassed in [[Mexico]] preparing to invade the [[United States]]. The organization sent thousands of letters to [[Moderate Republican]] U.S. senator [[Thomas Kuchel]] of [[California]], and subsequently branded Kuchel a "Comsymp" when he replied in a form asserting no evidence of such Communist activities.<ref>Bogus, Carl T. (November 2011). [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Buckley/HvGHFnwPljAC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=john+birch+society+comsymp&pg=PT207&printsec=frontcover Buckley: William F. Buckley Jr. and the Rise of American Conservatism]. ''Google Books''. Retrieved May 16, 2023.</ref> Sen. Kuchel in turn publicly denounced the John Birch Society on the floor of the U.S. Senate, angrily quoting the Society's criticism of President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]].

[[William F. Buckley, Jr.]], a prominent leader of the "New Right," opposed the John Birch Society, which he perceived as damaging the reputation of the anti-Communist cause. Buckley sarcastically commented in ''The Politician'':<ref>Mulloy, D. J. (2014). [https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_World_of_the_John_Birch_Society/RHHYAwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=john+birch+society+comsymp&pg=PA79&printsec=frontcover The World of the John Birch Society: Conspiracy, Conservatism, and the Cold War], p. 79. ''Google Books''. Retrieved May 16, 2023.</ref>

[[William F. Buckley, Jr.]], a prominent leader of the "New Right," opposed the John Birch Society, which he perceived as damaging the reputation of the anti-Communist cause. Buckley sarcastically commented of ''The Politician'', an outlet for the JBS:<ref>Mulloy, D. J. (2014). [https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_World_of_the_John_Birch_Society/RHHYAwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=john+birch+society+comsymp&pg=PA79&printsec=frontcover The World of the John Birch Society: Conspiracy, Conservatism, and the Cold War], p. 79. ''Google Books''. Retrieved May 16, 2023.</ref>

{{cquote|Woe unto the man who disagrees with [[Robert Welch|Mr. Welch]]. He is 1) an idiot, or 2) a Comsymp, or 3) an outright Communist.|||William F. Buckley, Jr.}}

{{cquote|Woe unto the man who disagrees with [[Robert Welch|Mr. Welch]]. He is 1) an idiot, or 2) a Comsymp, or 3) an outright Communist.|||William F. Buckley, Jr.}}

[[Nick Fuentes]], a white supremacist and Comsymp who leads the "Groypers" claiming to be right-wing, has extolled Joseph Stalin, the Communist mass murder of tens of millions of people, as [https://twitter.com/nickmartin/status/1526685548567330817 "inspirational" and "iconic."]

[[Nick Fuentes]], a white supremacist and Comsymp who leads the "Groypers" claiming to be right-wing, has extolled Joseph Stalin, the Communist mass murder of tens of millions of people, as [https://twitter.com/nickmartin/status/1526685548567330817 "inspirational" and "iconic."]

===MAGA Communism, right-wing/Communist syncretism against Ukraine===

===MAGA Communism, right-wing/Communist syncretism against the Ukrainian fascist dictatorship===

[[File:Putin I'm not bluffing.PNG|thumb|right|200px|With the outbreak of the Russo-Ukraine War, Russian president [[Vladimir Putin]], a former [[KGB]] member, gradually gained a massive coalition of support from Comsymps.]]

[[File:Hinkle.PNG|thumb|right|300px|Jackson Hinkle tweet.]]

Amidst the [[Russia-Ukraine War]], numerous figures on the political right have glowingly referenced articles by anarchist, socialist, Communist, and various other far-left outlets which glorify [[Vladimir Putin]], who mourns the the demise of the [[Soviet Union]] as a "genuine tragedy."<ref>Associated Pres (April 25, 2005). [https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna7632057 Putin: Soviet collapse a 'genuine tragedy']. ''NBC News''. Retrieved May 16, 2023.</ref><ref>Osborn, Andrew; Ostroukh, Andrey (December 12 2021). [https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-rues-soviet-collapse-demise-historical-russia-2021-12-12/ Putin rues Soviet collapse as demise of 'historical Russia']. ''Reuters''. Retrieved May 16, 2023.</ref> According to the [[Heritage Foundation]]:<ref>Edwards, Lee (June 7, 2022). [https://www.heritage.org/progressivism/commentary/putin-the-marxist-leninist Putin the Marxist-Leninist]. ''Heritage Foundation''. Retrieved May 16, 2023.</ref>

Amidst the [[Russia-Ukraine War]], numerous figures on the political right have glowingly referenced articles by anarchist, socialist, Communist, and various other far-left outlets which glorify [[Vladimir Putin]], who mourns the demise of the [[Soviet Union]] as a "genuine tragedy" because off the failure of its successor regimes to honor [[pension]] and [[social security]] payments guaranteed by the Soviet Union to workers.<ref>Associated Pres (April 25, 2005). [https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna7632057 Putin: Soviet collapse a 'genuine tragedy']. ''NBC News''. Retrieved May 16, 2023.</ref><ref>Osborn, Andrew; Ostroukh, Andrey (December 12, 2021). [https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-rues-soviet-collapse-demise-historical-russia-2021-12-12/ Putin rues Soviet collapse as demise of 'historical Russia']. ''Reuters''. Retrieved May 16, 2023.</ref> According to the [[globalist]]-leaning [[Heritage Foundation]]:<ref>Edwards, Lee (June 7, 2022). [https://www.heritage.org/progressivism/commentary/putin-the-marxist-leninist Putin the Marxist-Leninist]. ''Heritage Foundation''. Retrieved May 16, 2023.</ref>

{{cquote|An educated Marxist-Leninist such as Putin accepted that there had been more than 100 million victims of communism, an acceptable price to pay to remodel the world. He accepted the purges that Lenin and Stalin used to cement their rule, the forced famines that eliminated enemies of the state, the forced labor camps in Siberia, the tight control of all media. Putin studied the techniques of agitation and propaganda, applying them in his KGB assignment in Dresden in East Germany during the Cold War.

{{cquote|An educated Marxist-Leninist such as Putin accepted that there had been more than 100 million victims of communism, an acceptable price to pay to remodel the world. He accepted the purges that Lenin and Stalin used to cement their rule, the forced famines that eliminated enemies of the state, the forced labor camps in Siberia, the tight control of all media. Putin studied the techniques of agitation and propaganda, applying them in his KGB assignment in Dresden in East Germany during the Cold War.

The MAGA Communist movement, led by YouTube and Twitter personality Jackson Hinkle, is a prominent current example of modern-day Comsymps.{{citation needed}}

The MAGA Communist movement, led by YouTube and Twitter personality Jackson Hinkle, is a prominent current example of modern-day Comsymps.{{citation needed}}

==References==

==References==

{{reflist}}

{{reflist|2}}

[[Category:Political Terms]]

[[Category:Political Terms]]

[[Category:Anti-Communism]]

[[Category:Communism|*]]