Is Your Child a Socialist?
Highly likely, according to a new survey from Pew. From 24/7WallStreet.com:
Young Americans have a more positive view of socialism than capitalism, according to new research from Pew. That puts them in contrast to the balance of adults, the great major of whom view socialism negatively. But younger Americans, those under 29, may have read the headlines about the future of Social Security and other social safety nets and believe these programs will be gone in two decades. That makes the results understandable.
I’m not sure I agree with the analysis – that faltering, bankrupt entitlement schemes have turned young Americans into Little Octoberists. But seeing their paychecks and their futures get looted to pay for those faltering and bankrupt entitlement schemes is certainly going to have some effect on their attitudes and political philosophy. I hope it makes them turn sharply to the right. But this survey indicates that they’re turning sharply to the left.
Stupid kids.
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Comments:
Apr '11
Re: Is Your Child a Socialist?
Considering the leftist domination of education, media, culture, etc. I think it's a miracle that socialism polls negative over all. The results show that people become more conservative with age. That this remains so with people who grew up during the height of leftist control is pretty remarkable. Today's youth is far more exposed to intelligent conservative ideas than past generations, which will come in handy as they watch the foundations of socialism crumble around them.
Jun '10
Re: Is Your Child a Socialist?
HeartofAmerica: Not my 21 year old. He's about as far away from embracing socialism as you can imagine. And...he's got a lot of friends who are just like him.
So perhaps there is a little bit of hope after all. · Jan 16 at 1:09pm
None of my five children (25 to 34) have ever shown the slightest disposition toward socialism. All believe in family, self-reliance, and helping Obama move into early retirement. It was my 29-year-old son who first told me about the Ricochet podcasts a couple of years ago. He likes Mark Steyn, but feels that he may be a little over-the-top with his sunny, naive optimism.
Sep '10
Re: Is Your Child a Socialist?
As per previous comments, I think most people here would be shocked and bewildered by the massive amount of Leftist indoctrination that goes on in our school system. We conservatives have lost this war and it's only a matter of time before this disparity makes socialism a sure thing in this country. A student once complained to me about my criticisms of the Left in my class (she thought I was too hostile to her belief system). When I asked her what she planned to do, she indicated she wanted to teach kindergarten. Trust me when I say that indoctrination starts at age 5. I told her that she now has an inkling of what most conservative college students are being subjected in most all of their classes.
Oct '11
Re: Is Your Child a Socialist?
When I was a kid I talked like a conservative, because my parents were conservative. If they were liberal, I would have talked like a liberal. You do what you're told until you have to think about it, and no-one has to think about it. It's still hard for me to challenge my parents on what little we disagree on. And if you're taught to respect adults, then you first have to see them as infallible before you get that necessary skepticism for true and successful conservatism. And even then, you may still have faith in the majority.
Oct '10
Re: Is Your Child a Socialist?
Rob, note that the blog you link to is actually anti-capitalist: "...Capitalism has done almost nothing to help minorities and the relatively poor for many decades, if ever..."
As an alumnus of Wall Street, I never cease to be surprised and saddened by how few of my former colleagues actually support non-crony capitalism.
Dec '11
Re: Is Your Child a Socialist?
My generation needs a Cold War to straighten us out.
Oct '11
Re: Is Your Child a Socialist?
Rob Long
That would make an excellent comic book. Any comic book artists out there want to make one? · Jan 16 at 3:45pm
Edited on Jan 16 at 04:30 pm
hmm, it is tempting... I've also been wanting to do a adaptation of "I pencil" and a collection of conservative minded classic fairytales and folk tales... It's always tough to squeeze in extra-curricular work though. Not even sure there's enough of market for such a thing.
Oct '10
Re: Is Your Child a Socialist?
This poll (link to original study here) seems meaningless. Do young people like communism? Social democracy? Democratic socialism? Corporatism? And the age range, 18-29, sounds like it'd be dominated by college students, whose views will change once they leave college.
The same study said 50% (1% more) of young people have a positive view of libertarianism, too. That's insane. You just know that the people with positive views of the world "socialism" (if they know what it is at all) are probably the same people with positive views of "libertarianism" (which they might know a little more about).
Oct '10
Re: Is Your Child a Socialist?
Del Mar Dave: Rob, note that the blog you link to is actually anti-capitalist: "...Capitalism has done almost nothing to help minorities and the relatively poor for many decades, if ever..."
As an alumnus of Wall Street, I never cease to be surprised and saddened by how few of my former colleagues actually support non-crony capitalism. · Jan 16 at 8:48pm
These people are so desperate to believe this. It's sickening. I recently met a guy on Section 8 housing and food stamps, who nonetheless had a smartphone, a laptop, internet, and a TV.
To say that capitalism hasn't benefited the poor is insane.
Edited on January 17, 2012 at 8:39amNov '10
Re: Is Your Child a Socialist?
Astonishing: Yes, my daughter's a socialist. Or would be, if she had an inkling of what the word means.
And, yes, stupid is right.
She was educated at Yale, but in political matters she's as imperturbably stupid as a puppy chewing an old sock. She's a darling child, not selfish or grasping. She's just stupid about politics.
My daughter is nine. I am trying to teach her a bit about politics at this stage. So, from your experience, help us all out: Do you think you could have done something different to prevent your daughter from turning out like this?
Aug '11
Re: Is Your Child a Socialist?
I think it's bad parenting to not share at least some of the family finances with your children. My son has always known that the budget is limited and what types of bills come regularly to the house. When we sat down to discuss college options, we discussed who would be responsible for what in the payment process. I also put together a spreadsheet of all the colleges he was interested in and all the costs associated. With this method, he could see for himself all the costs anticipated for his education. To help the process, he secured some nice scholarships and built a small internet business to provide "pocket money" as needed. He already has an idea for a second business and in his mind it's not about if he will start it, it's more around when he will start it. He will start grad school with zero debt. He does lean toward Libertarian principles but believes wholeheartedly in capitalism. I have no idea where life will eventually take him but I am confident he can handle whatever comes his way.
Apr '11
Re: Is Your Child a Socialist?
My son (3) listens to a looped recording of Peter Robinson saying "Ricochet, join the conversation" as he sleeps. I count on one of two outcomes:
1. He becomes president and is the second coming of Ronald Reagan.
2. In six years, we'll all be dead by his hand.
Dec '11
Re: Is Your Child a Socialist?
Nor mine. My youngest goes to a "pre-IB" program which lists seriously to port, but I keep him properly oriented, and he gets it. I was pleased to see that, when he was assigned a project on CO2 sequestration, he spontaneously inserted a statement into his report that questioned the whole concept of CO2-as-villain and of global warming. Brave boy, given the nature of that school!
Mar '11
Re: Is Your Child a Socialist?
On the basis of what they see on the "News", not to mention what they get force fed in school, the young cannot be blamed for concluding that it is capitalism that is failing rather than socialism.
This is because there is not a lot of capitalism out there to be seen. What is there to be seen is crony-capitalism, in which big business submits to extortion by politicians and receives protection from competition in return, in which a significant proportion of profits can be kept but losses are passed on to taxpayers, and in which shareholders and bondholders get shafted by politically connected managers.
Mar '11
Re: Is Your Child a Socialist?
I recall that the first time I was told anything about the New Deal, when I was in high school, it was represented as minimal reforms needed to save capitalism and forestall socialism.
It's been a long time since I was in high school but if they're still peddling this rubbish it's no wonder the young don't connect failed or failing programs with socialism.
May '11
Re: Is Your Child a Socialist?
Rob, the problem with this is blaming capitalism for the failures of socialism. We have a generation of "educators" (doing at a failure in national unions for great pay what community moms used to do at great success without degrees of their own) who have been stamped in "Colleges of Education" with Marxist ideology.
Nov '11
Re: Is Your Child a Socialist?
Lucy Pevensie
Astonishing: Yes, my daughter's a socialist. Or would be, if she had an inkling of what the word means.
And, yes, stupid is right.
She was educated at Yale, but in political matters she's as imperturbably stupid as a puppy chewing an old sock. She's a darling child, not selfish or grasping. She's just stupid about politics.
My daughter is nine. I am trying to teach her a bit about politics at this stage. So, from your experience, help us all out: Do you think you could have done something different to prevent your daughter from turning out like this? · Jan 17 at 3:47am
Yes, I should have done more to mitigate the indocrination she received as a youngster at school and from the popular culture. I suppose I wasn't paying close enough attention at first, and then later I thought she would grow out of it.