A 2018 poll by the Pew Research Center found that 53% of millennials prefer socialism to capitalism. Wonder what that looks like today. (medium.com)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by yogthos@lemmygrad.ml to c/us_news@lemmygrad.ml

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[-] CyberGhost@lemmygrad.ml 21 points 1 year ago

There are many different types of socialism, and not all of them are the same. Some forms of socialism are more authoritarian, while others are more democratic. Some forms of socialism focus on nationalizing the means of production, while others focus on providing social welfare programs.

This is straight up propaganda. Socialism is not authoritarian, but democratic. Socialism is not when the government gives welfare programs 🤦🏾‍♂️.

This now makes me wonder if the people interviewed knew what socialism is.

[-] yogthos@lemmygrad.ml 15 points 1 year ago

Yeah, that's always the problem with these kinds of polls. Most people can't really articulate what socialism is in the first place. However, I'd argue the key finding is that young people are rejecting capitalism as a system, and this means that they are open to new ideas. It's ultimately the job of communists to help others develop proper grounding in political theory.

[-] CyberGhost@lemmygrad.ml 9 points 1 year ago

I agree comrade ✊🏾

[-] demonquark@lemmy.ml 17 points 1 year ago

I’m more surprised by the fact that 39% of boomers have a positive view of socialism. That’s more that one in every three boomers.

[-] yogthos@lemmygrad.ml 11 points 1 year ago

Yeah, that's surprisingly positive from the generation that had the heaviest indoctrination into capitalism.

[-] senoro@lemmy.ml 13 points 1 year ago

I wonder how many of those polled actually had any idea what they were talking about. I mean if you ask the average person to define capitalism/communism/socialism you will get an incorrect answer.

It’s more of a poll of what word people like more.

[-] yogthos@lemmygrad.ml 6 points 1 year ago

I'd say the fact that people are rejecting capitalism is an important finding. People might not have a solid understanding of what socialism is, but they do know that they don't like the system they live under currently. That creates potential for positive change going forward.

[-] senoro@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

I like your idea, but my opinion is that people hear a lot about capitalism in the news (it feels like it has been showing up more and more in mainstream discussion), and simultaneously feel like their own quality of life has been dropping recently, equate the two and reject the faux capitalism they think is ruining their lives.

It could very well be that capitalism is ruining their life, it could be that the governments in power do not do enough to regulate for their best interests. It could be that they don’t do enough physical activity and so they feel worse.

I would bet that most of those polled chose socialism because it’s not capitalism (which shares a name with an idea they think they dislike) but it’s not as “extreme” as communism (because that’s the bad evil thing!!!).

It could create potential for positive socialist change like you say, but I fear that when people don’t know what they are voting for, they won’t know if it’s being implemented effectively.

[-] yogthos@lemmygrad.ml 2 points 1 year ago

At the end of the day it's up to communists who have sufficient understanding of political theory to educate people who are becoming disillusioned, and guide them towards effective methods for effecting change.

It's worth noting that the capitalist system cannot be separated from the political system. The government necessarily represents the interests of the class that holds power, and that's the capitalist class in a capitalist society. In order for the government to regulate business it must be a government that represents the working majority.

[-] Prologue7642@lemmygrad.ml 6 points 1 year ago

I think you missed a few words in the title of the post.

[-] yogthos@lemmygrad.ml 4 points 1 year ago

lol oops, fixed

[-] kig_v2@lemmygrad.ml 2 points 1 year ago

Sadly I'm sure a big chunk of them are just glorified social democrats, but in my life recently I've found more people amicable to our wing than I would have assumed

[-] yogthos@lemmygrad.ml 0 points 1 year ago

We have to be realistic that people moving out of the liberal mainstream will necessarily gravitate towards ideas that aren't too far afield. The fact that people are becoming open to new ideas is important though, and those of us who have better understanding of political theory can help them develop better understanding as well.

[-] kig_v2@lemmygrad.ml 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Absolutely, I have talked with people who are functionally spicy socdems but who hadn't yet been intercepted by "tankie" propaganda and thought Marx, Mao, even USSR and sometimes even modern China was to some degree cool, which caught me by surprise. Definitely made ensuing conversation much easier.

this post was submitted on 06 Sep 2023

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