Children today are taught by their government operated education system and their state-dependant parents that they are special merely because they exist. This philosophy is embedded in socialism: you are owed something just because you are alive. The state adheres to this ideology, and bureaucrats and politicians glorify it under the guise of kindness, caring, and benevolence.
Leftist propaganda has indoctrinated today’s generation with the idea that socialism – or the scheme that is known as democratic socialism – is the only virtuous system on the planet. Capitalism, to the directors of this brainwashing crusade, is malevolent and selfish. Since many young students were breaking out of the gulags of collective thought, civil servants had to go one step further: if you endorse capitalism, then you also support white supremacy, racism, misogyny, and all the other leftist buzzwords.
Unfortunately, what young people are not taught is the tragic history of socialism. As Winston Churchill averred, it is a philosophy of failure, ignorance, and envy – and that “its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.” When the public is routinely proselytized a truly evil ideology, these traits become embedded inside every man and woman: a participation trophy, taxing someone’s success, spouting incorrect assertions.
And then you witness a trend of millennials wanting to abandon capitalism for socialism. This was highlighted in a new Victims of Communism (VOC) Memorial Foundation study, which found half of the millennials sympathized with socialism and dismissed capitalism as an unjust way of life.
Millennials Demand Socialism and Communism
According to the organization’s latest poll, 44% of millennials say they would rather reside in a socialist or communist country instead of a capitalist democracy.
When the YouGov polling firm asked respondents to name “a personal hero, hero for the country, or hero for the world,” many listed names that would make you hang your head in shame. Che Guevara (26%), Karl Marx (18%), Vladimir Lenin (17%), Mao Zedong (16%), Joseph Stalin (13%), and Nicolas Maduro (12%) made the list.
Yes, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was also at the top of the list with 40%, just behind former President Ronald Reagan (60%).
Why would 20-somethings celebrate such tyrannical figures? Maybe millennials already have that totalitarian instinct. Take a gander at this: the survey also found that 48% want to limit free speech on social media and that 45% want to suppress free speech on college campuses to avoid offending anyone.
The good news of the study is that nearly one-third failed to correctly identify the real definition of communism and socialism, and many had conflated the two ideologies. This is a good thing because if they are taught what these two systems are, then perhaps they will reconsider their support.
For Marion Smith, executive director of the organization, this is a “deeply worrisome” trend. He told MarketWatch:
“Millennials now make up the largest generation in America, and we’re seeing some deeply worrisome trends.
Millennials are increasingly turning away from capitalism and toward socialism and even communism as a viable alternative.”
These aren’t necessarily new developments. A similar survey was released last year, and it discovered that many millennials and Generation Zers agreed with Marxist dogma and would vote for a socialist.
Teaching the Sins of Socialism
The definition of socialism has been modified over the years. In the 20th century, socialism simply meant state takeover of industry with price controls and production quotas. In the 21st century, the socialist umbrella now includes welfare, income redistribution, and, most recently, censorship.
We have witnessed all forms of socialism in our past: Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, Mao’s China. We continue to see all categories of socialism across the globe today, particularly in Cuba, North Korea, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.
Perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that millennials have such a positive attitude towards socialism. The majority of this generation has never had to toil and suffer under an oppressive regime a la Mao or Kim Jong-un. Also, many of them were born after the fall of the Soviet Union, and so many of their teachers pontificate on the wonders of Marxism.
That said, millennials will always cling to their belief that nationalizing industry, seizing the means of production, and having a single ruler are the only paths to affluence if they are not exposed to champions liberty. A great start to reverse the effects of indoctrination would be to read or listen to former Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX), iconic economists like Ludwig von Mises or Milton Friedman, and sage commentators like Tom Woods, Ben Shapiro, or Thomas DiLorenzo.
Or, you can just look at the death tolls from communist states: 65 million dead in China, 20 million killed in the Soviet Union, two million lives lost in Cambodia, and one million deaths in Vietnam.
Young people persist in demanding diversity in every aspect of life. That is, except for the diversity of thought. The socialist millennials cannot fathom or even handle that someone else has a different opinion to theirs. But this is where the central planning mindset is born, and one that was highlighted by legendary economist Milton Friedman in “Capitalism and Freedom”:
“Indeed, a major source of objection to a free economy is precisely that it... gives people what they want instead of what a particular group thinks they ought to want. Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself.”
Millennials want you to want what they want. Central planners want you to want what they want. See the pattern? If you differ or disagree, then you will be directed to the gulags, the labor prisons, the concentration camps. And this is what socialism breeds: a vicious, vile, and violent contempt of individuality and freedom.
Do you support capitalism or socialism? Let us know in the comments section!
