Socialist attacks on slackers aren't one-offs or outliers. To illustrate this fact, we present over 30 examples from a single socialist great, Fidel Castro.
As you're likely aware, Castro is one of socialism's most celebrated figures. If there's anyone who understands the real-world implications of socialist theory, it's Fidel. The fact he attacks slackers time and time again is telling.
To believe in socialism is to believe in its compulsory duty of "from each according to their ability." And believing in this duty leads directly to the conclusions expressed by Castro: that the slacker is "a thief, a thief!" and that, in socialist society, "laziness must become a crime"—one of socialism's "new types of crimes."
We must struggle to see that there is no loafing in the society of the future, that there is no shirking of work, nor disloyalty, lying, parasitism.[2]
Some acts were not crimes under capitalism, for example, laziness …. However, in our society, it is an antisocial and criminal condition which goes against the interests of the masses. These are new types of crimes.[3]
Why isn't laziness a crime under capitalism? Because the liberal philosophy that underpins capitalist society says our abilities—our time and talents—are our individual property to use as we wish. Socialism repudiates this most important of liberal principles. It says we must give our time and talents to society, thereby creating "a new type of crime": laziness as theft from society.
We must struggle constantly … against laziness, the same way we struggled and are struggling against crime.[4]
Laziness must become a crime—a crime similar to stealing. Indeed, why is the thief punished? Why? Because he steals something from the people. If he enters a distribution center and walks away with a bag full of things, he is robbing the people–the productive, working people. In the same manner, the vagrant steals from the people in an even worse way. He is worse than the thief who at night breaks the windows of, let us say, a people's distribution center…. The lazy person robs the people daily. This is the truth…. So we must take measures so that these elements may have no place in our society, so that this kind of robbery will never go unpunished.[5]
For the peasant and the honest man, work is not a punishment, but for a parasite the worst thing in the world is work.[6]
Our future society must be a society entirely of workers. Of parasites, let there not be even one per million in that future society. For if we have one parasite out of a million people in that future society, the revolution's work cannot be considered finished.[7]
What we must create is a climate of condemnation for the scoundrels, the loafers, the idlers, and parasites.[8]
He who lives as a parasite does not belong to the people.[9]
The exploitation of the hero of labor by the loafer, the parasite, by one who does absolutely nothing, must also disappear. … everywhere we must apply the principle of whoever does not work does not eat.[10]
Who besides the workers can better develop a hard position against the parasites and against the one who consumes but does not produce because he does not feel like it and prefers instead to live off others? In other words, this person is a thief, a thief! Children, the aged, the ill … they shall have everything. We will work for them. … But not for the slacker! He is not going to become our exploiter! Our new exploiter![11]
Note how Castro speaks of "our new exploiter." There are no capitalist "exploiters" in socialist Cuba. When Castro maligns slackers, he's not talking about the idle rich. No, he's attacking Cuban citizens he sees as violating socialism's compulsory duty to give our time and talents to society.
We do not mold parasites for our society but workers for society; servants of society and not its exploiters.[12]
The revolution is not obliged to tolerate vagrants, it has no obligation to tolerate parasites.[13]
Our society must become more a society of the workers and for the workers, and less a society of the parasites and for the parasites. Who is against this? Just the parasites. Who is against justice? The parasites and those who live in idleness.[14]
Our people already see the loafer, the parasite, as an enemy; the absentee—they see the absentee as an enemy who does not want to produce.[15]
We have to produce food even for the lazy. That is what hurts, to have to feed the lazy and the parasites.[16]
Never forget that only work will lead to the fulfillment of our needs. That is why we must have a worthy, revolutionary attitude toward work. We must struggle against all forms of laziness and absenteeism. We must work![17]
A loafer formerly [in capitalist society] could hide his idleness among a crowd of semiloafers or many loafers. A loafer now [in socialist society] is an individual who stands out anywhere. He is an individual who is immediately recognized in the neighborhood. He is an individual who has no place to go. No matter where he is, in a mass or humans or on the job, he can be quickly discovered for the loafer he is.
Thus, as the masses get into production, the struggle against the antisocial elements becomes easier. In some provinces where these persons have been detected, they have already assigned them productive tasks; of course, not by force, but they are told: your ration book is there [laughter and applause] at that farm or in that productive activity. [cheers, applause] in this way it will be hard for anybody to escape. …The principle that he who does not work has no right to eat [applause] is getting full application.[18]
A loafer costs society. A loafer wears shoes and clothing and partakes of everything. An unproductive person may consume as much as 10 loafers without contributing anything to society.[19]
Could a child who from his early years is taught to produce material goods with his hands become a loafer and a parasite?[20]
A work cult is needed. A merit cult is necessary. A sacrifice cult is needed. The history, the future of the peoples, the progress of the peoples is not created by the lazy or the corrupt, or by those with vices, or by the parasites.[21]
I believe that just as the most shameful thing for any man is to be called lazy, the most shameful thing for any people is to become a nation of lazy people. I believe the thing that makes any man proud is to be called a hardworking man…. I believe the thing that would make our revolution and people proud would be to develop a nation of workers. Socialism cannot be conceived without that.[22]
For a bourgeoisie, anything can have aesthetical value–anything that entertains him, that amuses him, that helps him to linger in his laziness and boredom as an unproductive bum and parasite.[23]
It is there [in the factory] where the genuine revolutionary spirit really is that Marx and Lenin talked about. That is the spirit of the greater majority … that they still attend with the spirit and sense of duty that these people devote to their work, and the disgust they feel for the lazy, for the bum. Just go into a factory and ask what the workers think one should do to bums, and they will tell you. And they may even ask to have him shot, just shoot him and kill him. Of course, they will not ask for that although they may feel like it, but what must be done is to load him [the slacker] with work.[24]
The man who works and does his part, is he going to be working for the fellow who does not do his part? We must combat this parasitism from now until we put an end to it. … The day when every citizen sees the loafer as an enemy, it will be harder to be a loafer.[25]
This is no longer exploitation by capitalists but exploitation of the working people by parasites, by those who do not aspire to create wealth but to see in what manner they can receive the largest possible share of that wealth with a minimum of effort.[26]
Everybody already is learning to see the loafer as the worst enemy, the parasite as the worst enemy.[27]
We trust in the revolutionary spirit of this great mass. We know that you will overcome difficulties. We know that you will overcome weaknesses and change the lazy people, those who do not feel a sense of duty, those who do not understand the truth that work is the most honorable activity of man, that the most basic need of man is work, that work makes men of us.[28]
To a certain extent, those who work are forced to work for themselves and also for those who do not work. They are forced to work for the lazy, the parasites, and the privileged. They are forced to work because of certain exploitation practices that still exist in our country. If we can reproach this revolution for anything, it is not for having been extremist, but rather for not having been sufficiently radical. We must not lose the opportunity. We must not fail to seize the hour and the moment to make this revolution more radical.[29]
Capitalism left all kinds of vices: Gambling, all kinds of gamblers, lazy people all over.[30]
We are now making progress, even though there are still pockets of laziness in a few places. I have seen that. I immediately notice when people are sitting around, just talking. … All this talking takes place because the chief is either complacent or is an idiot, because he does not impose discipline. Yet, as I have time and again said, a worker must demand that he be disciplined. Workers like to be disciplined, they like discipline, they like to work, they like progress, they like to see the project moving. No man likes filth, except for those who, having the soul of pigs, are capable of rolling in the mud.[31]
The honor of the workers, pride of the workers, does not tolerate indiscipline. Workers establish discipline. The pride of the workers does not tolerate laziness or indiscipline.[32]
