Millennial Socialism

[Lamb]

Socialism is very popular among Millennials and I'm seeing that as being true on Facebook.

What is millennial socialism?

Describing themselves as “Democratic socialists,” Sen. Bernie Sanders and freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez enjoy broad support from millennial voters born between 1981 and 1996.

www.foxnews.com

Seventy percent of millennials – and 64 percent of Gen Z – answered that they'd be somewhat or extremely likely to vote for a socialist candidate, according to a poll conducted by data and research firm YouGov last September for the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.

70% of millennials say they'd vote for a socialist. 5 facts about their debt-saddled economic situation tell you why.

Millennials and Gen Z are less likely than older generations to favor capitalism — only around half of each cohort does, according to a YouGov poll.

www.businessinsider.com

Being able to afford healthcare is more important than ever for millennials who need to find help for their mental health. Depression and "deaths of despair" are on the rise among the generation, many of whom suffer from loneliness, money stress, and burnout in the workplace.

Millennials increasingly fall for socialism's trick

Millennials have no adult memory of communism in its most focal and historical form.

thehill.com

Looking at their indirect life experience, millennials have no adult memory of communism in its most historical form. The oldest millennial was just eight years old when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, and just ten years old when the USSR fell in 1991. The oldest millennial became an adult in 1999, a decade after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Ask a millennial and they may say they prefer socialism — but that’s because they have never truly experienced it.

 

[hedrick]

The problem is that "socialism" has a range of definitions. Bernie is using it as it's sometimes been used by modern Europeans, to indicate a somewhat greater role for government, in selected areas such as health care. I assume that's what the millenials you refer to mean as well. Lots of people are experiencing that now, and it's fine. In fact I'd vote for it too.

 

[tango]

Of course part of the problem is that the capitalism that people see is broken so it's hardly surprising people want an alternative. If they see that "capitalism doesn't work", even if in the sense that it isn't working for them or for many people they know, it's hardly surprising they look at alternatives. The trouble is that the perception that "capitalism doesn't work" is more about the system that even growing numbers of billionaires are saying is broken than about a decent free-market system that rewards enterprise and effort.

Speaking as a capitalist, it's easy to see that when a system pushes the people that the system requires to operate to the margins such that they are unable to enjoy any meaningful value from their labors and see little hope that anything will ever improve those people will push back sooner or later and look to overhaul the entire system. The trouble is that many of the aspects of modern day employment that cause problems for some - zero hours contracts, gig-based contracts, contractor rather than fully employed status etc - work very well for other people.

I read a study a few weeks back that talked of social isolation. One point it made was that in order to enjoy an even remotely useful social life you have to be able to make plans to meet with friends. Nothing too profound there. Of course in order to arrange a meeting with friends you need to have reasonable assurance that you'll have a bit of spare cash to go out and actually do something with your friends, even if that means nothing more than putting gas in the car or buying a coffee and a cake. Still nothing profound. The trouble is that if your job is one where you might get a text at 9am saying you're expected to work the 3pm-10pm shift that day you can't make plans with any certainty at all, and likewise if you get the text the previous day saying you're not needed you just lost a day's pay and maybe can't afford to go out for dinner with your friends after all. And so, little by little, the very fabric of society is undermined.

Of course socialism merely trades all these problems for a different set of problems, that are likely to be just as destructive if not more so in the long run. The people who can see the problems with capitalism all around them and who have never seen the damage socialism can cause first hand can hardly be blamed for wondering if it would be a better option.

 

[hedrick]

Here's a nice essay on Sanders' use of "socialism": https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/17/opinion/bernie-sanders-socialism.html

 

[Jason76]

Any system that makes the state "god" is dangerous. In the end, and we are seeing the starting stages of it now the Coronavirus, it's just a trap probably for mass de-population - which while in a lot of aspects sounds good - is still murder.

 

[Albion]

Socialism is very popular among Millennials and I'm seeing that as being true on Facebook.

I don't doubt it for a moment. They have been carefully taught that Socialism is nothing more than good government, one that takes care of its people on a fair and square basis. That's it.

What Socialism ACTUALLY IS they have been told to disbelieve. That's just what the ignorant yokels of your parents' generation think, so the explanation goes. So why wouldn't they think that Socialism is benevolent...and Free Enterprise is oppressive...when they hear it in every classroom?

That, however, is the way it is with Millennials. When they become part of the real world, who do you think are the first to gripe about someone taking part of their paychecks in income taxes, for Social Security, and so on? Millennials. And who is it that doesn't want to follow 'the rules' imposed unilaterally by some state's governor when that interferes with attendance at the rock concert or being with friends at the beach? Millennials.

In reality, Millennials--and a lot of other people who are old enough to know better--live by the idea that Socialism is good for other people, but Freedom is best for themselves!

 

[Jason76]

I don't doubt it for a moment. They have been carefully taught that Socialism is nothing more than good government, one that takes care of its people on a fair and square basis. That's it.

What Socialism ACTUALLY IS they have been told to disbelieve. That's just what the ignorant yokels of your parents' generation think, so the explanation goes. So why wouldn't they think that Socialism is benevolent...and Free Enterprise is oppressive...when they hear it in every classroom?

That, however, is the way it is with Millennials. When they become part of the real world, who do you think are the first to gripe about someone taking part of their paychecks in income taxes, for Social Security, and so on? Millennials. And who is it that doesn't want to follow 'the rules' imposed unilaterally by some state's governor when that interferes with attendance at the rock concert or being with friends at the beach? Millennials.

In reality, Millennials--and a lot of other people who are old enough to know better--live by the idea that Socialism is good for other people, but Freedom is best for themselves!

More people being dragged in with the "compassion lie". Well, even if the government gave out $10,000 a month checks - could you really trust that consolidation of power? However, they often - haven't been giving out that much. Despite liberal rule, liberal areas of the country that are poor - are still poor, the schools are crap etc..