The problem with erasing history from the public square comes into sharp focus when one understands what harm it produces in the next generation. How can young people comprehend the horrors of war if we remove all traces of it? How are they able to discern what works and what doesn’t in society? A prime example is a new poll that shows millennials are suffering terribly – not from lack of food or clothing -- but from rank ignorance.
As harsh as this sounds, the reality is that millennials understand little of what they speak and believe and even less of what they think they know. The non-profit Victims of Communism teamed up with YouGov to poll people’s attitudes about socialism, communism, and capitalism. What they found out about millennials, in particular, is nothing short of astonishing.
It would be funny were it not so heart-breaking.
Millennials Love Socialism
One-third of millennials questioned feel the U.S. “economy works against them” and would prefer to live in a socialist country. But here comes the kicker: 66% of them don’t know the definition of socialism. Another seven in ten misidentify communism, and more than half confuse Fascism with communism.
Uh oh. The next question that naturally surfaces is: Why do millennials prefer what they don’t even understand? It would be one thing if they had studied the various forms of government and came to an educated decision. But to elevate something that you can’t even define into your personal belief system demonstrates a total lack of critical thinking. Are we stuffing our children with useless facts and opinionated education but leaving them without the ability to reason or think for themselves? This poll seems to confirm the maxim.
Victims of Communism Executive Director Marion Smith postulated that the poll results demonstrate, “the systematic failure of our education system to teach students about the genocide, destruction, and misery caused by communism since the Bolshevik revolution one hundred years ago,” according to a Daily Mail report.
It’s never too soon to teach children about the truth. Perhaps in jest the president’s son, Don, Jr. tweeted the following this week. But, as the saying goes, the truth is in the joke:
It’s been frequently quoted, but apparently not often enough, that British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said, “The trouble with Socialism is that eventually, you run out of other people’s money.” How very true. But the real dilemma now is that folks like Thatcher who genuinely understood socialism are long dead and gone. The same is true for the millions silenced by the likes of Mao and Stalin.
Here's the Problem
Thus, millennials have a disconnect: How can they know the evils of communism and the travails of the people besieged by socialism today? They have no first-hand knowledge of people put in gulags or sent to Siberia. Their paradigm for understanding these historical failures has been left up to leftist educators and the left-wing media. Put together, these two powerful resources can influence and persuade children to believe that which they do not even understand.
It is up to the adults of this generation to teach their children the damage wrought by these evil forms of governments that subjugate, murder, and reign hell down on their people. And if this poll is any indication, we are guilty of not exposing them to the truth at best and culpable for their failure to grasp the malevolence of socialism and communism at worst.
Time is running out for this generation. Soon – too soon – we will be handing the reins of power over to millennials. It is only then that we will be able to comprehend the damage done through distorted pedagogy and leftist cultural mores. Let us hope – and pray – that millennials soon come to understand that ignorance regarding socialism and communism most definitely is not bliss.
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