Millennials Pick Socialism Over Capitalism

ask those who lived under socialism in the furnace of those who have not lived... you never equal the blue and red of blood, we have been in the USSR . Now it remains only to equality in the DPRK BELARUS IRAN and exactly it countries are mixed by # your blue media

I was born 1982 so I dunno if that makes me a millennial or not. I have said it before and I will say it again we need to tax space mining ventures and pay of the national debt then move to a basic universal income.

It also should be mentioned, again, that nobody is talking about a pure socialistic system, but rather a base from which the usual capitalistic climb can occur... just a more balanced mix, and strangely, in a way, it's a rather conservative impulse, yearning for the days when equality was more enforced. Heh.

a reply to: EmmanuelGoldstein

So I don't discredit this Poll outright, but if it is correct, that the younger generation has a more favorable view of socialism it would not be a surprise.

Not because of "evolution" or "progress"...Capitalism still beats socialism any day of the week...But rather that our form of capitalism has been corrupted...

And the great opportunities that capitalism offered young people 20 years ago are no longer possible with a shrinking middle class, growing income inequality etc..

It's hard to feel the promise of capitalism when you graduate with 200K in debt for college loans and are working at starbucks.

Proof positive our education system has failed us the last few decades.

Evolution? Try DEvolution..

a reply to: EmmanuelGoldstein

I'm technically in the age bracket that overlaps "Generation X" & "Millenials". I'm a socialist & was one before the term became fashionable. I was also a raving fascist before my religious experiences changed that.


Anyway, I think there are several reasons why many of us accept socialism over capitalism (or what many consider capitalism).

1. We're very social lol. The rise of social media isn't a fluke. We grew up with the internet and mass communications, and we absolutely love to share our ideas with others. Open source software, crowdsourcing, crownfunding, flash mobs, etc are all common parts of our lives. So an economic system that has people working together towards common needs isn't much of a stretch for us.

2. The "Information Age" has allowed us to learn the truth about our world. We grew up in an era where we can fact check nearly everything. So the scare tactics and propaganda don't have the same impact with us as it did on earlier generations. When people say "Rawr! Socialism's Evil! It'll turn America into a Stalinist hellhole!", we say "Oh really?" Then we look up Stalin, look up Stalinism, look up socialism, look up socialism vs communism (Stalinism barely fits as communism but whatever), and form our rebuttal of "LOL! No it won't because blah blah blah." And the fact that we were lied to makes the liars & their positions even less credible to us.

Oh yeah, this constant access to information also allows us to easily look into economic situations around the world. The days of the masses being a captive audience are finished. It's easy for us to look into the economic side of wars & realize that it really is a racket. We can also look into capitalism & see that it simply can't exist without ripping people off. The largest cost in capitalism is usually labor, and thus, "the exploitation of labor" is one of its core pillars. And seeing as we're part of that labor pool and our generation is the first to have lower standards of living than the parent generation, we started connecting the dots.

3. Personal experiences. Don't discount our personal experiences with capitalism. We grew up in the era of stagnant wages, union busting, and austerity. We were brainwashed to think that a college education was a necessity of success and that home ownership was a main component of the American Dream. However, college costs and home costs are astronomically higher than during the "Baby Boomers" generation. Needless to say, we got crushed with debt by trying to attain what we were told was a successful life.

On top of that, we've seen family members (or ourselves) lose houses, credit, benefits, and investments in the "once in a lifetime" Dotcom crash & the foreclosure crisis. The outsourcing of millions of jobs for cheaper overseas labor; the social safety net we either don't qualify for or won't live long enough to benefit from; the constant cycle of wars that send ourselves and our peers to die for corporate greed; and the ridiculously high income inequality rate are all things we notice. In Japan, the generation that went through similar is called "the Lost Generation".

Well, after seeing how bad the current system treats us and seeing how the war profiteers and bankers profit from our literal misery, something seems to have clicked. Having not grown up in the Cold War, we weren't brainwashed to think Communism and Socialism were evil. The only "evil" economic system we experienced was the one that crashed the world economy, demanded the public pay for the losses through bailouts, and then gave itself massive bonuses with the bailout funds. Oh and charges many times higher for medical treatment & drugs than in other countries. Hmmm...

And even basic research showed us that other countries with more socialist programs have cheaper or free college, incredibly cheap healthcare, and stronger social safety nets. Why wouldn't we like that? It certainly sounds better than the "buyer beware" and "just keep working hard and you'll make it" crap. Especially when we've been stuck in dead-end low wage jobs that make starting a family too expensive; much less the obvious fact that those jobs will never allow us to buy our own homes, travel, or do much else in this incredible world we've learned about. So yeah, socialism seems like a much better option to a lot of us.

originally posted by: DBCowboy
I'm laughing my ass off at the poor millenials.

If socialist Bern gets elected, then there is nothing stopping me (a boomer) from retiring early with my savings, and living off the social programs the baristas and wee, tiny millenials will be paying 60% of their wages to support.

Now imagine me times a few million.

The millenials are going to be sucking wind.

hahahahahahahahahahahaha

I fail to see what the problem is with this. The money you get from those social programs will end up being spent back into the economy. if you want more than a basic lifestyle you'll be spending that savings as well. All of which creates work.

a reply to: Stormdancer777

"I am not blaming anyone"

Why? Were we looking out for our best interests with our apathy when these tax laws aimed directly at the working class were being constructed?

originally posted by: corvuscorrax
Here come the old coots to say how dumb the young people are!

Some even got here early!

THE WORLD IS CHANGING AROUND ME AND I'M SCARED!

Hahaha....had a conversation on this with my husband in the car last night.
I'm thinking we are going to have to re-vamp our economic systems world wide, because of the changes technology (particularly computers and internet) have brought us. LIke we have to think totally outside the box (that is what progress, growth, innovation, is all about!)

His reaction was typical of what I see in others my age (mid forties and up, X generation)- that oh no, no, no.. we can't.
Followed by a myriad of excuses as to why we cannot radically change.

When I talk to my children, their generation already sees beyond our limited ideas. Why do we think we already know everything there is to know about political and economic systems? That it has all been done, and no more progress or discover shall ever again happen to the human race???
How un-scientific of us, and most of all, un-creative!
Evolution has shown us that it is not survival of the fittest in terms of strength, or will power,
it is fittest as in "the ability to adapt and change to environmental changes".


Some societies established themselves upon the values of individualism, with the concept that searching attainment of the well being of the individual results (in the long term) in well being for the collective.

Some others established themselves upon the values of collectivism, in which searching attainment for the well being of the collective as a whole results eventually in well being for the individual.

And as us old fogies bicker over which one is true,
the young people roll their eyes and know - BOTH ARE TRUE

Our survival and well being as individuals is directly related and highly dependent upon the survival and well being of our collective, and vice versa. This indicates that our previous polarizations might be frucked either way.


Anyway, for you young people wondering why we are being so objectionable to such change-

At the base, we from experience and knowledge, we have an instinctual understanding that big change never happens easily or pain-free. Such a revolution looming means a traumatic tearing down of what has been. We won't be able to benefit from the new systems that will replace it. You will. Maybe. Your children, surely.

But are you ready to live through hell first, for a large chunk of your life?
We have a hard time accepting our children having to live through what would have to pass.
Our children are only eyeing the destination, with ignorance of the suffering that lies in between.

I'll laugh good naturedly with you in mocking our fear.... but after, I'll ask you- seriously. Are you ready for WW3? Are you ready for real hunger? Real pain? Horrors like you have never seen in your cushy well-fed, videogame life???
Sometimes fear is valid.

Old people and young people both have value and need each other.

a reply to: Bluesma

With all of the worlds economies and political systems being put to the test right now one thing is obvious...

Change is coming.

originally posted by: corvuscorrax
Here come the old coots to say how dumb the young people are!

Some even got here early!

THE WORLD IS CHANGING AROUND ME AND I'M SCARED!

This is nothing new.....just never called "socialism" by the solipsists openly. The first step toward socialism or central financial control was the implementation of your employer as tax collector and accountant.....otherwise known as income tax/payroll deductions.

Love how easy it is to convince every new generation that they are on to something new.

a reply to: Logarock

I don't think they think they are onto something new I just think they have a different world view.

a reply to: Bluesma

The thing is socialism has been around awhile. We can look at it in action with decades of results to research. Its really an old fogy idea to begin with. Its been ever expanding in this country over the decades. The only "new" thing going on here is......nothing but decades old socialist wet dreams being attached to a new generation bs and nincompoopery.

As bad or worse than most other systems its a skim plot. Lots of skim looting takes place in the implementation of progressive ideas. All the way from massive bank interest on borrowed money to socialist politicians investing in "public housing".

originally posted by: MOMof3
a reply to: corvuscorrax

Who taught you to be afraid of change? Look for opportunities. They only come while you are young. You know best what is good for your generation, don't listen to old geezers.

Under socialism, there is only equality of outcome. There is no change or opportunity.

That's why large-scale socialism doesn't work.

The young *think* they know what is best. Only through experience do they learn the truth. In this case, people who have seen the truth are trying to pass on their experiences.

originally posted by: onequestion
a reply to: Logarock

I don't think they think they are onto something new I just think they have a different world view.

Oh wow how original for a generation. Its just that socialism was first taught in mainstream education 50 years ago and really started to flourish before WWII as the first point were capitalism, industry and business first came under attack in this country by socialists and really not changed in tone, rhetoric or ideas.

Notice that "free education" wasn't much of an issue until banks, the government and the institutions drove the price through the roof.......

originally posted by: onequestion
a reply to: Logarock

I don't think they think they are onto something new I just think they have a different world view.

Replace 'different' with 'naive' or 'flawed' and you are much closer.

a reply to: Teikiatsu

I don't think all their perspectives are flawed and naive. Some of them sure, but all of them? No.

if you haven't noticed they are politically active.

I would say chalking up an entire generations point of view to naive... Is rather obtuse.

originally posted by: Bluesma
When I talk to my children, their generation already sees beyond our limited ideas. Why do we think we already know everything there is to know about political and economic systems? That it has all been done, and no more progress or discover shall ever again happen to the human race???
How un-scientific of us, and most of all, un-creative!
Evolution has shown us that it is not survival of the fittest in terms of strength, or will power,
it is fittest as in "the ability to adapt and change to environmental changes".

People like Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot depended on the population thinking like this to achieve power.

a reply to: Teikiatsu

you think you know what's best right now to don't you?

originally posted by: onequestion
a reply to: Teikiatsu

I don't think all their perspectives are flawed and naive. Some of them sure, but all of them? No.

if you haven't noticed they are politically active.

I would say chalking up an entire generations point of view to naive... Is rather obtuse.

By 'they' I am referring to the useful idiots who think 'democratic socialism' is new and innovative.