THE ugly head of racism is out in open air amid the Covid-19 pandemic.  

The racism against Chinese people and propaganda against the achievements of the Chinese revolution spread like the coronavirus itself.

The anti-Chinese media coverage continues the long history of anti-communist propaganda campaigns against the Soviet Union from the days of its inception to its fall.

And anti-Soviet propaganda continues to appear on the front pages of mainstream media even three decades after its demise.  

The ruling capitalist class, their well-paid right-wing and liberal think tanks and intellectuals, continue to argue that there is no alternative to the capitalist world order.

It means socialism remains a theoretical utopia that can never be an alternative to capitalism.

The objectives of such ideological propaganda are to distort truth and hide the incredible achievements of the Soviet Union.

Many anti-Soviet books, articles, newspapers, editorials, posters, advertisements, magazines, films, stories and documentaries were produced to sustain the narratives that uphold the interests of the bourgeoisie.

The communists, socialists and workers’ parties were depicted like demons — strangling the capitalist gods and goddesses of individual prosperity, liberty, democracy and freedom.

The socialist alternative to capitalism is still portrayed as an apocalyptic culture of death.

History is the witness to the failed experiments and achievements of socialism in the Soviet Union to Asia, Africa and Latin America.   

But our living experiences of capitalism in the 21^st century documents the inhuman stories of death, destitution, inequality, hunger, homelessness, environmental catastrophes and war.

Capitalism is destroying our planet and all the values of a humane society based on peace, prosperity and solidarity.

Throughout world history, anti-communist and anti-socialist propaganda led by the capitalist system has served the forces of tyranny.

Dictatorships, authoritarian regimes, fascism, nazism, xenophobia, the growth of terrorism and reactionary right-wing forces are products of capitalism.  

The capitalist system is not a friend of democracy, freedom, human rights and human emancipation from illness, poverty and inequalities.

In spite of all its powers and propaganda, capitalism failed as a system.

Death and destitution due to pandemics are not new in human history. Covid-19 is not the first pandemic and it is not going to be the last.

But for the first time, there are attempts to delegitimise the state and government of China in the eyes of its people when human beings in general and working-class people in particular are facing an annihilating economic crisis again amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The crisis is accelerated by racism and anti-Chinese propaganda. The specific objective is to defeat the achievements of Chinese people and their revolution that lifted millions out of poverty, hunger, homelessness, illiteracy and unemployment.

The general objective is to defeat all available experiences of alternatives to capitalism.

The Western capitalist media plays a major role in achieving these twin objectives.

Therefore, the capitalist media is spreading stereotypes on food habits of Chinese people and negative image of Chinese society, state and its government during this pandemic.

The successful containment and reversal of Covid-19 is an achievement of the Chinese state and government.

The capitalist states and governments in Europe and the US have failed to protect their citizens from this pandemic.

The incredible achievements of Cuba and China show that and alternative to a capitalist healthcare system is possible and inevitable.

The Cuban and Chinese medical aid to Italy, Spain and many other countries in the world shows that solidarity during a pandemic is only possible under non-capitalist healthcare systems.

Therefore, it is imperative for all working people all over the world to defend socialism and the achievements of Chinese people and stand against racial slurs against the Chinese population outside China.

It is not a “Chinese virus” but Covid-19 which is a pandemic.

It can only be defeated if we can reverse the business of illness spread by pharmaceutical corporations, private medical care and health insurance companies under capitalism.

The failure to learn the lessons of history from the anti-Soviet propaganda then and anti-Chinese propaganda now will be an unimaginable defeat of working-class people all over the world.

The pandemic of capitalism will continue to produce death and destitution for its own profit. Human lives, animals and the environment are disposable under capitalism.

It is time to debunk the capitalist myths and celebrate socialist achievements — even during this pandemic.

Dr Bhabani Shankar Nayak is a senior lecturer in business strategy at Coventry University.