The failures of the 20th century: What have we learned?

Thoughts upon reading Robert Tracinski’s “Neglecting the Evils of Communism?” (Perspectives, Aug. 8):

What if the 20th century was a colossal failed social experiment that served only to reveal the human horrors of all the -isms?

What if we had learned that buried in communism was the citizenship concept of community? What if we had learned that mired in socialism was the citizenship concept of a tolerant, diverse and inclusive social culture?

What if we had learned from capitalism that a circular dynamic economy benefits and sustains all its citizenry, while a pyramidal hierarchy turns the invisible hand into a divisive, aggressive and oppressive fist? What if we had learned that neither polarized populism nor polarized individualism constitute the citizenship knowledge necessary to sustain our constitutional democratic republic?

What if we had learned that unbridled libertarian freedom must be tempered with the citizenship concept of civil liberty, safety and justice for all — the very heart of citizenship expressed in our Bill of Rights.

What if we had learned that citizenship must be positive and functional, not negative and dysfunctional?

What if we had learned from the failures of the 20th century (and indeed, from the failures of our own national history) that citizenship requires constant and vigilant learning to prevent us from repeating our most primitive behaviors? DAVE MCKINNIS

Butler