Summary of this article

The terms communist, socialist, and feminist are often misused online as insults, detached from their real meanings.

Historical and contemporary examples show that accusations of being a “commie” are frequently directed at anyone advocating for rights, equality, or social justice.

True understanding of these ideologies requires nuance; advocating for fairness or human decency is not a world-ending threat, but calling someone a “commie” has become a lazy default reaction.

When Guru Dutt, playing the role of a struggling artist, speaks of the destitution and poverty plaguing those who sleep on footpaths with nothing to eat, Lalita Pawar’s character asks, “Are you a communist?”

In the now iconic dialogue from the movie Mr And Mrs 55 (1955), Dutt smiles and res

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