Imperialist “Inclusion” – Or a Communist World Without Capitalism’s Racism, Imperialist War, or Borders
February 12— “Did you see the halftime show? It was amazing!” a young friend said.
“We heard him call out our country at the end. And we danced to the music,” another added.
There’s nothing wrong with that joy.
The performance led by Bad Bunny was powerful. It centered workers: cutting sugar cane, playing dominoes, repairing Puerto Rico’s crumbling power grid after Hurricane Maria, which the US government refused to pay for. It was mainly in Spanish. It was angry and celebratory at the same time. It showed a multiracial group of workers dancing together and it criticized gentrification and displacement. It said “America” is the whole continent (north and south) and all its masses.
For many people, it felt like recognition. It felt like visibility, dignity. That matters.
But why was this vision allowed on one of the world’s biggest corporate stages?
There are competing visions of “America.”
One is openly racist and nationalist. It pushes white supremacy, English-only policies, deportations, and brutal repression. It divides workers by race and nationality.
Another is inclusive, multiracial, and multicultural. It celebrates diversity, promotes representation, encourages unity across skin color and language.
It’s seductive to prefer the second vision!
But its capitalist promoters mean “unity” as long as we are all patriotic and don’t rebel, or stop rebelling, and trust the “better” capitalist rulers. Both visions operate within the same system: capitalism. One governs through open division and fear. The other also pushes inclusion and hope. But both rely on wage slavery, profit, exploitation, and war.
The inclusive version says: “You belong.”
It does not say: “You should run society.”
It celebrates multiracial workers dancing together, but not workers collectively controlling production and ending wage slavery. It highlights injustice, but does not challenge the structure that creates it.
When rebellion grows, history shows that liberal politicians and open reactionaries will unite to preserve the capitalist system itself. The form may change. The foundation — capitalism — remains the same.
That’s why we need something completely different.
The communist vision and struggle are not about better representation within capitalism. They are about ending this system based on wage slavery, profit, borders, competition, and war. For a world run by the people who do the work. Producing for human need, not profit. A world without racism because the material basis for racial division will be eliminated. A world without wage slavery and imperial wars because capitalism itself will be abolished by communist revolution.
If you were moved by the anti-racist unity on that stage, ask yourself why that unity feels powerful.
Because deep down, we want collective dignity and collective power.
We want to belong.
We want an end to classes, racism, sexism, and obscene privilege for a tiny minority.
Love alone won’t end racism or capitalism. But love for our class can sustain the long struggle required to transform the world. Our anger must be informed by the understanding that capitalism is the source of all the attacks on us and communism is the solution. Love can anchor our commitment.
A halftime show won’t call for that transformation. We do.
Let’s build the unity of the international working class. Not only to dance together, but to dismantle a system that cages migrants, exploits and starves workers, brutalizes women and all workers, commits genocide, and is burning the planet for profit.
We deserve something different from representation inside oppression. We deserve a communist world of sharing, mutual respect, and love, without oppression. For that, we need to mobilize for communist workers’ power. No flag but the red communist flag of the international working class!
That message won’t be on TV. But it is in Red Flag. Help spread it! Join the fight to unite the international working class for communism!