The United States of America, since its founding, has been a Democratic, and as is typical of that government type, a capitalist nation. However, as time continues to take us away from the years when Americans still remembered why we made our nation that way, it would seem some citizens would rather see it become something like that of our enemies’ countries.
And the latest annual report on U.S. Attitudes Towards Socialism, Communism, and Collectivism by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation or VOC only confirms that. According to their findings, a good portion of our young people are seriously considering trading in capitalism for socialism, and all that implies.
Per the VOC, “This year’s study showed increased favorability of the term ‘socialism’ (49%) among Gen Z compared to 2019 (40%). Opinions on capitalism declined slightly from 2019 to 2020 among all Americans (58% to 55%), with Gen Z (ages 16-23) slightly up (49% to 52%) and Millennials (ages 24-39) down 50% to 43%). 35% of Millennials and 31% of Gen Z support the gradual elimination of the capitalist system in favor of a more socialist system.”
But while this is scary in and of itself, it is not the only concerning information the study provided.
In addition to views on socialism improving over the last year, the opinions of our current president, Donald Trump, went down among those generations. Many even have gone so far as to call him “the greatest threat to world peace.”
According to the study’s findings, “34% of Gen Z and 35% of Millennials see him as the greatest threat to world peace, up 8& ad 7% from 2019, respectively.” And roughly the same percentages were held when talking about Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Some (39% of Gen Z and 32% of Millennials) even believe he is more responsible for the virus becoming a pandemic than China’s Xi Jinping!
And when it comes to opinions of inequality, 68% of Americans now think that our highest earners don’t “pay their fair share. Among these Americans, 57% of Gen Z and 60%) of Millennials favor a complete change in our economic system away from capitalism – a 14% and 8% increase from 2019, respectively.”
The word ‘scary’ hardly does this justice. In fact, I am plum terrified at these findings.
Although I do have a few questions. As most of you probably do, I wonder how the most pandered to generations in our history have come up with such a viewpoint. I mean, these kids are literally given just about anything and everything. And yet, it’s apparently not good enough.
Instead, they want to move to a financial system that would give them even more, and one that would coincidently take away many of their freedoms.
My question is: do they know that? Do they actually understand how socialism works and honestly see it as better for American capitalism? Or are they basing their opinions on what the political left has told them: that if socialism is implemented, they will get free everything and all on the government’s dime?
The answer to this, Executive Director of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, Marion Smith, says no.
She doesn’t believe they do understand what it really means or the consequences. And she blames the American school system for the most part. And she’s not wrong.
Most of you likely remember history being taught as it actually happened, for the most part. We were taught the good, the bad, and the ‘we probably should have done something else.’ No, capitalism isn’t perfect, but it offers our citizens the most freedom by allowing them to dream big and work to accomplish those dreams.
However, in more recent years, and if you’re a parent of a Millennial or Gen Z child, you already know this, the schools aren’t what they used to be. Instead of classes about civic duties, government, and our founding fathers, we have ones that cater to the ‘correct’ use of pronouns, gender sensitivity, and equity over equality.
They aren’t taught so much about the proud things our nation has done but about the horrors that lie in our past. And it has led a great many of our young to view America and its leaders in a bad light.
Of course, the media and popular culture that seems to be moving in that direction hasn’t helped.
If we are to change this direction at all, we have to begin to really teach our children again, making sure that while they are free to create their own viewpoints, they understand there are consequences to jumping into things without knowledge.
