Charlotte Alter, author of "The Ones We've Been Waiting For: How a New Generation of Leaders Will Transform America"
Posted on 02/16/2020 8:39:36 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
After two strong showings by Bernie Sanders in the last two weeks, many of you may be wondering why so many young people are enthralled with this 78-year-old socialist.
Here's the thing: Baby Boomers who grew up during the Cold War were taught that socialism led to communism, and communism threatened American freedom. When they think of socialism, they think of the Soviet Union – its gulags and bad economy.
But the millennials who support Sanders, or Elizabeth Warren, didn't grow up with that history. The oldest of them turned eight the year the Berlin Wall fell. To many of them, "socialism" means universal health care, child care, and free college – like in many parts of Europe.
In fact, for many people my age, it's runaway capitalism – not creeping socialism – that's had the worst impact on their lives.
Millennials came of age during the 2008 financial crisis. They're burdened by soaring college debt and can't afford many of the things their parents took for granted, like owning homes or cars. They're confronting a climate crisis that will leave parts of the world uninhabitable for their children. That's why they're tilting to the left.
I'm not arguing in favor of democratic socialism. I'm a journalist, not an activist. But I do think that many Americans fundamentally misunderstand the trend.
When millennials say they're socialist, they mean they want to elect leaders who will address the affordability crisis in housing, health care, child care and college tuition, and move aggressively on climate. And yes, they want higher taxes on the wealthy to pay for it.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
Charlotte Alter, author of "The Ones We've Been Waiting For: How a New Generation of Leaders Will Transform America"
In other words, they’re stupid.
They think weather is last week.
BULL$HIT.
I wonder if this propagandized "correspondent" is an offspring of a leftist 70s talk show guy named Jonathan Alter.
As a millennial, I’ll say that it’s because many of them are spoiled fools who can’t accept the way the real world works. It’s easy to blame boomers, parents, or the boogey man, but at some point the excuses must stop and one must accept some responsibility for one’s own future. Millennials are now well into adulthood (even up to late 30s). Time for whining and wanting free stuff is over.
That's because they lack the most elementary grasp of economics. Exceeded only by their ignorance of history.
There is no such thing as "free."
Another brainwashed high school sophomore ignoramus telling us what to do.
They’re burdened by soaring college debt and can’t afford many of the things their parents took for granted, like owning homes or cars.
Really, took for granted? Wake up A hole, no one I know “took” anything for granted. Some of us bought homes with a GI loan because we actually served in the military. Some of us actually paid for our cars, the ones we could only afford, with the then customary 24 or 36 month loans. Some of us actually worked when we went to college and did not pick up useless degrees from private schools. We did not expect to buy a McMansion as A starter home either or drive a new BMW or Mercedes as our first car. Climate change? Some of us actually learned that the planet temperature cycle did not begin in 1990. And most of all, many of us did not believe that the Government was the answer to all our wishes, desires or even our needs.
Thanks for your perspective on this.
Socialism to the Participation Trophy young emphasized the "free" stuff it provides. Someone needs to point out that the Free Lunch, under any economic system, is a myth...often discovered after it's too late (e.g., Venezuela). On a recent trip to Budapest, our young guide pointed out how their gov't provides them with "Free" health care and free college. I corrected her and said "subsidized", not free. When she argued with me, saying they pay nothing for either one. I asked her what was the lowest income tax rate in Hungary. She answered 40%. Then I asked her about the national sales tax. She answered 24%, but "some foods and outdoor concerts are only taxes at 18%". (Outdoor concerts...why??) So I said: "So your 'free" stuff only requires you to pay about 2/3rds of you income in taxes, even if you're healthy and don't want to go to college, right?" Her response: Crickets.
We need to try and get these voting idiots to make more than 2 or 3 neurons firing in their brains.
I think that many young people support Sanders because he’s edgy and different, not because he’s a socialist. Sanders is like your favorite rebel uncle. If somebody dull were saying what Sanders is saying, he’d get no traction.
What those young folks don’t understand is that their favorite rebel uncle isn’t just talking. He really wants to turn the United States into Venezuela.
What this young lady is saying, I also hear from some of my Gen X friends as to why they like Bernie. I don’t agree with all the points, but I’m beginning to see how this new tolerance of Socialism has happened.
Bravo! Years of training in the Marxist philosophy of “everyone deserves a trophy” is begin to pay dividends for the commies.
I LOL'd for real after that line.
So move to many parts of Europe and enjoy a ready-made socialist utopia. Travel is cheap so vote with your feet. America is for Americans.
(Wiki) Jonathan Alter lives in Montclair, New Jersey with his wife, Emily Jane Lazar an executive producer of the former Comedy Central show The Colbert Report, and their three children: Charlotte (b. 1990), a writer for TIME Magazine, Tommy (b. 1991), a producer for HBO Sports, and Molly (b. 1993), who works in venture capital.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Alter
My theory is that they grew up in a socialist system (the family) where they were “given” everything (food, clothing, transportation, medical care, clothing, school) without having to necessarily work for it, for the most part. Now that adolescence extends through the late 20’s, early 30’s in a lot of cases it makes sense for the government to take on the beneficent parent role.
Hard times make strong men, strong men make good times, good times make weak men, weak men make hard times....
As Dinesh D’Souza says, people who have barely worked a day in their lives are supporting a man who’s barely worked a day in his life.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.