How Republicans Made Socialism Palatable By Making Capitalism So Unappealing
The GOP have only themselves to blame for bringing their worst fear home
For those who lived through the Cold War, “socialism” was the dirtiest word in American politics. From the Red Scare to the Reagan Doctrine, the United States spent tremendous amounts of time, money, and energy in order to suppress communism. Now, 70% of Millennials and 64% of Zoomers would be “likely to vote for a socialist candidate.”
But, how could this be? Boomers tell us all the time that we wouldn’t be saying this if we lived in North Korea or Venezuela.
It’s not that young people are necessarily allured by socialism, but rather so repelled by capitalism. It is not a yearning for a new economic system as much as it is a distaste for the current one. Many young people who viewed socialism positively thought it offered a more equitable, fairer economic system.
Both Millennials and Zoomers were born after the “Golden Age of Capitalism” had already ended. In other words, the American Dream was already winding down before the Soviet Union started to collapse. All young adults have witnessed in their lifetimes is worker exploitation and predatory companies looking to cut corners — this is what capitalism means to most of…
