USA’s Young Socialists & THE Reality Check

Letter to Romans: Is Socialism’s appeal on our campuses meeting a reality check? What every generation usually sorts out at election time is this: Idealism is not only admirable but key to a person’s & society’s growth; but pipe dreams always end in nightmares for both ...

The mid-term elections are already underway. So, voters of all ages, voting early or going to the polls on election day, are hopefully using common sense as well as considering the lessons of history. As always but especially in these super-divisive days, their smart choices are essential for the future of the nation. Not surprisingly, a recent Fox News poll found that 48% of Americans aged 18 to 34 viewed socialism favorably, compared with 32% of Americans overall. When Fox asked more than a dozen University of Michigan students to define socialism, however, their answers ranged from government funded safety nets and affordable health care to collective ownership of industry. Of course, these are “strikingly different understandings of the ideologies [involved] among college students,” and some of them acknowledge that their generation may not fully grasp what they’re embracing. “If the definition was more widely known,” one student conceded, “people would support it less honestly.” Or maybe not?

Here's what old man Soul, who got degreed during the chaotic campus years of the 1960s’ Civil Rights Movement & Viet Nam War protests, would tell his 30-Something kids: Every generation wants “change for the better.” Yet experience & sound judgment also tells us “change can & has at times made things worse.” The American Revolution & capitalism gave the world the “Last best hope of mankind.” The Russian Revolution gave the world a birds-eyed view into how socialism & Marxist extremists can bring out the worst in humanity. When you vote this year, consider that prudence & discernment is the hallmark of an educated mind. Use it wisely. Carefully weigh the differences between “meritocracy” and “mediocracy,” “safety net” and “collectivism.” Those “definitions” aren’t just sound bites you are hearing from politicians & are being parroted in the MSM. They are arguably the most important “reality checks” Americans of all ages need to make now.

Davd Soul