Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition, but they should

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“Fans of collectivism are always expecting a party. They always end up in the pens watching the Party party instead.”

Today's Deep Question: What Exactly Is 'The Warmth of Collectivism'?

HotAir’s Ed Morrissey posted an excellent Friday discussing Mamdani’s promise to bring all the joys of collectivism to New Yorkers:

…. Yesterday, Zohran Mamdani took the oath of office as the new mayor of New York City. Mamdani doubled down on Marxism as he took the reins of the most significant capital market in the world, insisting that he would bring a new perspective to governance by, er ... trying the most-failed political-economic system of the past 100 years and painting it as "warmth".

After reminding his readers of the results of previous collectivist regimes, including the estimated 100 million deaths brought on their respective countries by Stalin and Mao, Morrissey turns to Friedrich Von Hayek’s great work, (it was the beginning of my own great awakening when I first read it as a college freshman), The Road to Serfdom:

None of this is a secret. The numbers and the inevitable trajectory of collectivism has been well known for decades. F.A. Hayek wrote the definitive explanation of collectivism in The Road to Serfdom, which should become a must-read for New Yorkers in 2026, eighty-two years after its initial publication. Collectivism, whether expressed as communism, national socialism, or any other central-planning economic and political system, are destined to create either collapse or dictatorship, and usually both. 

The reason for this, Hayek explains, is that any system designed for collectivist central planning cannot possibly account for the myriad interests and transactions of the individuals within such systems at any scale. When contradictions build up and transform into failures, collectivist regimes do not usually transition back to free-market systems and leverage the power of sovereign individuals for rational transactions, but instead use increasing force to dictate outcomes. That increases the contradictions and failures, and this cycle produces ever more ruthless leadership willing to impose central-planning policies to cover up the regime's failures. Hayek explained the failures of the Soviet system as they happened, and at the same time predicted the failures and carnage of every collectivist regime that would follow – especially China, but hardly limited to it. 

The "warmth of collectivism," as explained by Hayek, is basically the white-hot rage of those in power seeking to maintain their privileged positions in these "people's republics."

The entire article’s an excellent read, but it’s Morrissey’s concluding paragraphs that really caught my eye:

“Amusingly, Mamdani has already offered an example of the incompetence of his own collectivism. New Yorkers who came to the streets to celebrate his inauguration got a very good preview of the "warmth" to come over the next four years”

Scores of Zohran Mamdani fans who braved freezing temperatures to celebrate the new mayor as he was publicly sworn into office Thursday were left disappointed by the bash the socialist pol had promised.

Around 10,000 supporters stood outside City Hall during the event — billed as an “Inauguration for a New Era Block Party” by Mamdani’s staff — crammed into several barricaded pens without access to bathrooms or any food concession stands.

“It’s definitely not a block party,” said Danny Mahabir, 30, an Astoria resident who told The Post he’d been expecting a mix of food and music at the New Year’s Day festivities. ...

While Mamdani fans were still excited for the new administration to get underway, they weren’t impressed by the supposed “block party” on a frigid day when temperatures dropped to the mid-20s.

“It’s not exactly what I was expecting,” said Brooklyn resident Shane Turner, 30. “I was expecting food and music.”

As Morrissey observes,

“Fans of collectivism are always expecting a party. They always end up in the pens watching the Party party instead.”

UPDATE: This video of an idiot socialist (redundant, I know) reading a script provided by his overlords probably fits better in the previous post that discusses Chavez/Maduro’s ruination of Venezuela’s oil production, but it works to illustrate this one as well:

I don’t quite understand the commies’ upset here: it was just three days ago that Maduro volunteered to meet with US authorities “wherever they want, whenever they want”. Who can complain that his offer was so promptly accepted?