“Communism ruined us”

What Western suburban communists need to know about life under communism

Sofia, Bulgaria. September 2023.

It’s not uncommon to come across middle to upper class white activists who espouse communism in the West. This particular brand of person often comes from a comfortable, suburban background, is university-educated, and frequently promotes social justice ideology. And more often than not, they have experienced very little adversity in their own life (which might explain why they adopt social justice terms du jour like ‘microaggression’ so they too can claim some form of victimization in their lives). They may be well-versed in theory, but they often have very little understanding of what life was actually like under communism.

I find this trend equally baffling as it is amusing.

These self-styled communist acolytes misrepresent what communism means — and often ironically take for granted the very ideals that communism is incompatible with: civil liberties, individualism, democracy, and basic fundamental freedoms. For a group of people so concerned with identity and diversity, you would think they wouldn’t vehemently subscribe to an ideology that is centred on collectivism, oppression, and homogeneity.

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I reflected on this trend on my recent trip back to Bulgaria where I was born, though I was only a few years old when my parents made the decision to move to Canada in the hopes of providing a better life for my sister and I.

For those who don’t know — Bulgaria (I call it the ‘forgotten country’) is a still-developing, former communist country — and one of the poorest in the European Union. It’s highly corrupt, and has been unstable for many years. I’m told Covid has only made things worse — and I believe it. 

Former bakery near my grandparents’ apartment forced to close its doors in Sofia, Bulgaria. September 2023.

While there, one cab driver recounted how his problems started under communism.

He expressed regret over not leaving the country when he was younger and had a chance of living a better life. He complained about his wages, taxes, and the corrupt politicians leading the country. He was visibly filled with anger from a lifetime of feeling betrayed by his government.

He concluded that Bulgaria was better before communism. At the end of the conversation he yelled,

“Communism is terrorism. . . [it] ruined us!” 

Certainly he is not alone in his feelings.

Many locals, family members, and friends echoed similar sentiments. Everyone said they had wished they left the country when they had a chance, that communism ruined them, and that the country continues to be on a downward spiral. They now have no other choice but to live out their remaining years in abject poverty. The disillusionment is palpable. You could feel the tension bubbling in everyday interactions.

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To this day the country continues to suffer residual fallout from the communist period, which lasted from 1946 to 1989. Since then, it’s been in economic and political purgatory. Bulgaria has cycled through 5 presidents within the past 2 years alone.

22% of the Bulgarian population lives under the poverty line—which comprises a meagre monthly income of 257 Euros or less. How they determined that below 257 Euros is poverty level is unfathomable to me. It’s abysmally low, even for the lower cost of living there. The reality is most ordinary Bulgarians, including those who juggle multiple jobs, are living in poverty. One of my cousins often puts in 15+ hour work days and takes home about 600 Euros a month (the equivalent of some 1200 Bulgarian Lev) and he struggles to survive every day. With little room for job advancement or upward mobility, he will be left working back breaking work until he retires after which he will receive barely enough pension to survive.

The population is fast shrinking, too — in fact, Bulgaria is the fastest shrinking country— even beating out Somalia, one of the most unstable countries in the world. Bulgaria’s population declined by more than 11 percent in a decade, and the UN estimates it will fall from 7 million to 5.2 million by 2050. 

It is also the poorest state in the European Union. Oh, and it consistently ranks as having the worst air pollution in the EU. Organized crime has also taken over all levels of society, and it’s only getting worse.

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Under communism, the unemployment rate may have been low, but the claim that few people would want to work if given the choice never rang more true here. Relatives would share stories about how workers would often show up hours late for their jobs, sometimes not at all, and it was business as usual. There were no repercussions for not showing up, but the same held true for those who worked: They were not rewarded for making an effort. Everyone was treated exactly the same, but treating everyone the same did not result in a more prosperous society. Quite the opposite.

Bulgarians came to expect equality of outcome, not equality of opportunity. While everyone may have been equal, that simply meant they had equal access to the bare minimum. Those who had an ambitious, entrepreneurial spirit, and who tried to achieve a better life for themselves weren’t rewarded for it. They were treated exactly the same as their lazy, complacent neighbour who couldn’t be bothered to show up to work. What’s the incentive if the outcome is the same for everyone?

Even so, communists in the West and elsewhere seem to be convinced that the adage ‘from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs’ could be easily practiced in application. In reality, there will always be a not insignificant number of people who take advantage of this principle, and those who claim otherwise are fortunate to have never learned this the hard way.

This is not equality. It’s inequality, repackaged.

And this perverted notion of equality brings with it homogeneity.

Under communism, say goodbye to your identity. In the West, it’s common to navel gaze about your identity and obsess over all sorts of ways to set yourself apart from others by using meaningless, made-up buzzwords invented by bored, white collar professionals and teenagers who have far too much time on their hands. Under communism, the individual doesn’t matter. Communism completely stamps out individuality, creativity, and any form of innovation. It requires you to be compliant—to be just like everyone else. In fact, under communism, marginalized groups were often encouraged to stay away from the public eye. Racism was —and continues to be—rampant to this day, not to mention hostility towards anyone who may look or act different. Xenophobia is part and parcel of the communist way. This is antithetical to the self-professed Western communist who seeks all sorts of ways to appear different, both in appearance and in identity.

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Communism has created a sense of learned helplessness among Bulgarians who have been forced to rely on the government to fulfil their most basic needs. And this attitude is still so pervasive today. Bulgarians are internally conflicted: They simultaneously blame the government for all of their problems, while also seeking more government assistance. This attitude is more common among older Bulgarians who have experienced life under communism; meanwhile, younger Bulgarians are emigrating in droves, as they are less likely to have adopted this learned helplessness.

Many Bulgarians now have an enduring attitude of anti-entrepreneurship, self-pity, and dogged resistance to any change. They don’t want to see their country move forward for fear of being left behind, but they also desperately want someone to swoop in and save them. They are paradoxically very proud of their country, but they don’t care to apply this pride in their own environment. Green spaces aren’t maintained, garbage and cigarette butts line the streets, roads are weathered and filled with cracks and potholes, residential and commercial buildings are deteriorating. Bulgarians do voice their grievances, and many protest, but they’re terrible at mobilizing and strategic organizing.

Today there’s very little job opportunities for working age people, and very little innovation or desire for change — this includes from all levels of the corrupt government. 

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Under communism, fundamental freedoms were non-existent. There was no freedom of press, no freedom of media, no free flow of information, no freedom of religion, no exchange of ideas. No consumer choices. No dissident opinion was allowed. My aunt once criticized the government when she was buying bread and she was disappeared for months. She suddenly reappeared one day and never spoke to anyone about what happened.

Architecture was soulless. Culture was dull. Food choices were limited. There was no such thing as a political choice or even a two-party system. There was only one party, and it was corrupt and ruled all sectors of life with an iron fist. You couldn’t even travel beyond the Eastern bloc.

A central planning system inevitably resulted in an impoverished, stagnant state. The government may guarantee the bare minimum, but it always comes with strings attached. They offer food, housing, but they also track every single person—and this practice continues to this day. My own records are kept up-to-date, including my current residence despite not living there for decades.

Soulless, economical Soviet-style apartment buildings (also known as a ‘krushchevka’) in Sofia, Bulgaria (September 2023).

Perhaps the greatest irony is this:

Self-styled Western communists preach endlessly about diversity, but fail to realize how communism is inherently anti-diverse. The ideology is simply incompatible with any form of diversity and social justice. I wonder how they reconcile with these competing ideologies.

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On top of all this, there’s an unsettling lack of humanity that can only be best experienced in person. We all know the stereotype of the cold, withdrawn Eastern European, but the reality is much worse.

As an example, take my grandfather.

My grandfather is dying of cancer and he was housed in a private facility so he could get 24-hour care. Unfortunately, the care he received was borderline negligible. The staff often kept him confined to his bed for days on end, which resulted in frequent bedsores. He was completely at the mercy of the staff as he was unable to move to his wheelchair on his own. On the rare occasion when he was moved to his wheelchair, there were very little places he could actually go. The only outside visitor area, which is part of the public hospital, has no wheelchair ramp. He was also frequently given heavy sedatives which impacted his memory and rendered him in a constant state of catatonia. Because of the lack of basic care, my uncle had to repeatedly bribe the staff to provide ‘additional’ care for my grandfather, as that was the only way he would be given some form of care.

I sympathize that the workers are overworked and underpaid, but that is no excuse for the neglect I saw. This treatment reflects how Bulgarian citizens—especially the vulnerable—are treated. (Note: My grandfather is now in different facility where he is allegedly being given better care).

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It’s not just humans who are grossly mistreated. It’s common knowledge that in Bulgaria, animals are viewed as pests, so much so that the government actively suppresses local animal rescue groups from operating.

When I was there, we had rescued a street kitten and were looking to rehome him. We found a local Bulgarian ‘rescue’ group which can only be described as a living hell for the poor animals who were rescued. I saw dozens of cats enclosed in a 10x10 windowless room, covered in drywall dust. There were no toys, nothing to play with, and a single food dish. The owner confirmed that the cats weren’t ever allowed to leave the tiny room. They would be subjected to a life within those four walls, which the owner seemed to think is better than the alternative of fending for themselves on the streets.

There were hundreds of dogs—each chained in varying degrees. Only a few lucky dogs were free to roam. Most were on short leashes that were cutting deep into their matted necks; they could only walk a few steps in either direction, and they were isolated from all the other animals. They could only hear them, but they couldn’t see or socialize with them. Other dogs were crammed into tiny cages, including a litter of puppies who were visibly in dire need of medical care.

We saw countless balding birds—including parrots and other exotics—who were constantly pecking at their remaining feathers and pacing back and forth, only to take a break to gnaw at the cages they were trapped in.

The situation was made worse by the sheer fact that the owner seemed to think she was actually giving the animals a better quality of life. Admittedly, I couldn’t stay long as I couldn’t bear to hold in my tears.

I reached out to a couple legitimate animal rescue groups to inform them of this devastating situation, but they were barely functioning themselves. We ended up bringing the kitten back to Canada with us. Being here with us was the best possible outcome for him, but most animals aren’t given that second chance of life, and that thought keeps me up at night.

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Meanwhile the gypsy (Roma) population continues to grow exponentially, with most of them living in slums. The Roma population largely lives in their own communities, where they have their own culture and way of living. Like Bulgarians, Romas have their own struggles of poverty, substance abuse, and lack of education. They also still practice some unsavoury ‘traditions’, like selling their underage children at markets. Note, some 80% of Bulgarian trafficking victims are ethnic Roma women and children.

Gypsy (Roma) slums. The gypsy population has been steadily increasing over the years.

Suburban Western communists have taken this ideology and completely stripped it of its original meaning. Communism is not just an identity you can cosplay while living in a (somewhat) free Western country. Suburban communists insist that utopia is waiting on the other side of the communist ideology, but that’s simply not the case. Social justice advocates in the West continue to enjoy their freedoms that they take granted while espousing an ideology that is antithetical to freedom.

Communism is more than words on paper. It’s an ideology that resulted in millions of deaths and millions more suffering.

In critiquing communism, I’m not necessarily advocating for any other political or economic system, like capitalism. I’m just as ready to criticize capitalism, but that does not mean its exact opposite is any more tenable. I don’t claim to know the answers, but I know that when applied, communism has proven it doesn’t work—and we should heed the warning of those who have lived it.