Words matter. And over the last few years I have heard words and phrases used by people describing both themselves and others in ways I haven’t heard in a long time, or ever.

One such word is Marxist, and it is one that has been both applied to oneself or others in a very broadstroke way. This is not a descriptive term I am completely unfamiliar with, yet it is one I am not completely understanding of its meaning either. So when I got a copy of American Marxism by Mark Levin for Christmas this past year, I was intrigued to read it. My hopes were that it would help me understand the 5 H’s and 1 W of the use of the descriptor.

As I read through American Marxism, I kept this personal goal in mind and do so now as I reflect on my takeaways from it.

This book is not a history on Marxism – Marxism comes from Karl Marx, a 19th century German writer and philosopher. From my experience, especially as someone who hasn’t studied him before, his philosophy is to the left of the political spectrum and is often compared with Socialism and Communism. Add the word “American” it and one can assume it applies to similar people and beliefs in the US. But rather than start from the beginning, it starts in the middle and makes assumptions of knowledge of many of the people mentioned in the book. Saying that someone is a Marxist is not a definition of the term, but inferences can be made.

Degrowth – I have never heard of this term previously, and thus was new to me. My own personal high-level definition is that it is the opposite of growth, encompassing everything from economic development to population growth. This is something in itself I may want to explore more, especially as it is presented in the context of Marxism.

I like Capitalism – Where there are both good and bad in everything we do, I personally believe that free societies where people know what’s best for them as well as free markets are the way to go and we have a robust society as a result of it. Granted not everyone shares in this, but there are many complex reasons for this.

The author of American Marxism, Mark Levin, is a conservative radio talk show host, and my guess is this book is written for his audience and not looking to reach a broader audience, similarly to other politically-oriented books I have read. As someone who doesn’t have a firm footing in one place on the political spectrum, reading American Marxism helped me understand better how some observe those who apply this term to themselves, or who don’t but others apply it to them. Where words matter, so do actions, and no matter where someone’s beliefs are, perhaps we shouldn’t focus as much on labels.

If the title of this book intrigues you then I recommend American Marxism. There were many people introduced in this book that I was not familiar with and would require more research as to their background and fully what they said beyond quotes, but it is a well-written and quick read on the topic. As I pass along all books, this one is going to someone whom I am sure the title would resonate with.

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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