It’s hard to believe that just 40 short years ago, high schoolers practiced hiding under their wooden desks, preparing to protect themselves from a nuclear attack from the Soviet Union. 40 years before that, the mere mention that someone was a socialist would get them fired from their job and shunned from society. Nowadays, however, socialism has become a rather popular ideology for teens and young adults to adopt, and with Generation Z shaping up to be the United States’ most politically active age demographic, this influx of young socialists could accelerate the country’s gradual shift to the left.
A 2019 Gallup poll reveals that 49% of Generation Z views socialist policies positively. The opposing sides of the political aisle give varying explanations for this phenomenon. According to right-wing pundits, socialism’s rising popularity is the result of Generation Z’s ignorance towards the implications of the ideology, coupled with the demographic’s widespread infatuation with buzzwords and self-labeling. Connor Boyack, Conservative author and writer for Fox News, believes that socialism’s allure with the youth is a possible indicator of anti-capitalist sentiment in the schooling system. On the other hand, the political left holds Generation Z to be more astute to the problems the U.S. is facing and finds this rise in socialism to be emblematic of a greater loss of faith in the U.S. government.
Senior Hanah Husain identifies herself as a far-left anti-capitalist. She was first exposed to politics during the social tumult of the 2020 election cycle. Husain details what attracted her to leftism: “Under socialism, there would be equality of the people and we wouldn’t be separated by class. Almost all of the disparities we see in this country, whether it be race, gender or ethnicity, ultimately come down to class, so it makes sense to pursue a classless society.”
While many may assume that encouragement from peers and glamorization online foments the spread of socialism among teens, Husain notes that “the people around me don’t really care that much about politics. None of my friends are really conservative, but they aren’t extremely left either.” For Husain, her political opinion arises from personal research and acute observation of the world around her. While she concedes that “social media can help you find people that think like you, it isn’t the basis of my thinking.”
When asked to respond to the idea that schools are instilling anti-capitalism in students, Husain laughs and says, “Well, in history class they will straight up tell you that ‘communism is evil,’” suggesting that the schooling system swings heavily in favor for capitalism, disproving the idea proposed by Boyack. Husain adds that, in many ways, “capitalism is the default opinion,” and it is difficult to see the merit of anti-capitalism when living in a capitalist society.
Senior Christian Orzame echoes Husain’s sentiment, pointing out that, though “we are required to take [economics,] but a lot of times what they would tell you is that ‘communism is bad, capitalism is good.’ The whole premise behind the [economics] classes seems to be ‘the freer the market, the freer the people.’”
Orzame raises that the trend of teenage leftism could also be due to the increased availability of sources of information. Orzame also points out that older generations might be more closed off to leftism because “back then, during the Red Scare, our only sources of information were the government and news stations that encouraged anti-communism. Back then, schools were pushing children towards a certain point of view.” In a way, this rise in teenage socialism could derive itself from a greater freedom of information.
When presented with the idea that teenage socialism stems from ignorance, Orzame notes that those who believe this “don’t really understand the system that we’re trying to create. They grew up in a time where they were told to hate communism, and they are quick to reject these ideas based on what they were told.” Orzame thinks that many Americans are likely going to view socialism as absurd or ignorant simply based on their preconceived biases.
In fact, Orzame is pragmatic in his approach to politics, explaining the economic, international and social factors that attract him to socialism. “I’m most passionate about the poor distribution of wealth within this country.” He continues, “Being an economic leader in the world, I don’t think that there’s a reason for us to have people on the street, living under the poverty line.”
Husain agrees, offering that “capitalism built to benefit the rich.”
Both Husain and Orzame believe that the world has yet to see a country successfully implement socialism. However, Orzame doesn’t think this represents the ineffectiveness of socialism; rather, “there are so many sanctions placed onto these nations that try [socialism] by Western nations that want to push capitalism.” He continues, “A lot of time you see that they fail because of the lack of trade, the lack of help from other countries.” While it has been generally believed that socialism itself has proven ineffective, Orzame presents another side to the story.
The perspectives of young people have long been written off as idealistic and naive. However, whether ideological trends are the result of social fads or demographic-wide attunement to the political climate, the opinions of the youth will undoubtedly change the political landscape.
