Socialism all about inclusivity and kindness, students say

By Jackson Elliot | The Daily Signal

The word “socialism” has left behind its past of breadlines and beatings and has come to mean something like “kindness” for some students at Georgetown University, The Daily Signal found in campus interviews.

Many millennials would agree with the positive feelings these university students have for socialism.

According to a new YouGov survey commissioned by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, over 50% of millennials say they are “somewhat likely” to vote for a socialist candidate. Another 20% say they are “extremely likely” to vote for a socialist.

“Socialism means multiple people coming together for the benefit of the most instead of the benefit of those contributing the most,” sophomore Darby Bupp, 19, a government major from Piqua, Ohio, told The Daily Signal.

In over 40 nations that have practiced it, socialism inflicted loss of individual freedom, severe shortages of basic resources and consumer items, and untold suffering.

Stephanie Galvan, 21, a senior from Houston, Texas, had a similar perspective.

“[Socialism is] supposed to be restoration. If you have something, it’s OK to give out and help others,” Galvan, a neurobiology major, said.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines socialism as “any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods.”

In over 40 nations that have practiced it, socialism inflicted loss of individual freedom, severe shortages of basic resources and consumer items, and untold suffering.

For students such as these, though, socialism means a better and fairer future, vaguely defined.

That 100 million people were starved, shot, and slaughtered by socialist governments from the 1917 Russian Revolution to the close of the 20th century is a fact that bears little relation to their “socialism.”

“I don’t think the USSR was a perfect version of socialism,” said international politics senior Adam Harrison, 22. “I don’t think they truly adhered to socialism or communism.”

Although Harrison said he defines socialism as “more equity among people, less disparity,” he also said learning the dictionary definition is different doesn’t change his opinion of socialism “at all.”

Some millennials view deaths under communism as mistakes in the application of socialism, not the logical result of its premises.

“The implementation [of socialism] and the way it’s performed is not necessarily benefiting us,” Galvan said. “At its core foundation socialism is a great policy.”

A real socialist never would compel people to do something they disagree with, she said.

“At that point, it stops being actual socialism and starts being individualism and what a person [in power] wants.”

The YouGov survey found that only a little over half of millennials believe the Declaration of Independence “guarantees freedom and equality” more effectively than the Communist Manifesto.

Even if Americans don’t want socialism, it won’t matter for long, Galvan said. Socialism will benefit them enough that they won’t notice a difference, she said.

“There are always people who are unwilling,” Galvan said. “A lot of the people that are oppressed now are voting for socialism, and the ones who are unwilling are the ones [who are privileged,] so it’s OK for them to take one step down. And they wouldn’t even be taking a step down. I don’t see how it would even hurt them that much.”

The poll found that 1 in 5 millennials say society would be better off if all private property were abolished.

However, even if some millennials approve of some aspects of socialism, they disapprove of others, another Georgetown student told The Daily Signal.

Socialism “leaves a very open window for corruption,” said freshman math major Kevin Jackson, 18, from Burke, Virginia.

“Those openings for corruption are almost guaranteed to cause things like genocide,” Jackson said.

Still, he said, “I don’t think that something being ineffective means that it’s morally wrong.”

Only one student interviewed by The Daily Signal expressed strong opposition to socialism.

Eduardo Mendoza, 18, a freshman and finance major from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, said socialism would bring “nothing good.”

Mendoza said socialism means “the government trying to provide more for the individual than the individual trying to provide more for himself.”

“Many millennials want the government to give them everything, and each passing day [they] become more dependent on other people than just on themselves,” he said.

But Jackson, the math major, said he sees it differently.

“We can take some inspiration from socialism and try to implement those ideas into what we’re doing and see if we can find a happy medium that is actually effective,” Jackson said.

Doing so will help eliminate political corruption, he said.

“Even though I believe capitalism is the best economic system in terms of effectiveness so far, it also leaves open a lot of corruption possibilities,” Jackson said.

“I don’t think that necessarily means socialism, but the way socialism is advertised, it does imply a lot of fairness.”

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Mark Dixon

9 thoughts on “Socialism all about inclusivity and kindness, students say

  1. Socialism is about Dem/Prog government, centralized, MONOPOLISTIC, command and control of the wheezing, near-zero, real-growth, Vermont economy.

    Dem/Progs have demonstrated their ineptitude by EXPENSIVELY taking control of Healthcare and Education and Energy, by wrestling them away from LOCAL control.

    Since 2000, Dem/Progs spent $3 billion, including the money pit called Efficiency Vermont, on energy projects, but have only INCREASING CO2 to show for it.
    Talking about ineptitude!!

    But it is not enough. They want more and more, this time to “save the world, fight climate change”

    Let us face it, Vermont is just a fly on an elephant’s butt.
    Dem/Progs want to EXPENSIVELY turn the fly into a flea!!

    They want to inflict their ineptitude on the ENTIRE Vermont Economy.
    This has to be stopped at the ballot box before it is too late.
    They are brainwashing children in public schools and colleges with various dogmas that say black is white,

    That was done in the USSR, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, etc., and all became basket cases.

  2. Newsflash for the mush minded collegian propaganda sponges;

    Socialism is the means to Communism without the guns and bullets needed…
    or better put socialism is the scat with sprinkles to the communist just a stinking pile of scat….

    • That’s pretty good, I think they are falling for the multi colored sprinkles, the chocolate ones aren’t as visible. If I had kids, I’m not sure where I would send them, certainly not public school, not sure for a university….

  3. It’s not just colleges, this is coming to the grade school, high school near you. Teach them to make signs then go outside school to protest at the statehouse.

    Socialists take over the Legislature, then take over what used to be “our schools”, they tell us to buzz off, they are the experts.

    THIS IS NOT GOOD, AND THEY ARE GOING FULL BLAST, WHILE WE WATCH AND WONDER.

    Cuba, then Venezuela, plus such a large part of world history

  4. First off, I’d never let my kids attend any college or university which teaches the mush they seem to be getting at Georgetown. Parents spend thousands of dollars supporting this drivel. Amazing.

  5. I remember life before i was really “on my own”… defined for these purposes as “mommy and daddy not paying all the bills” any more

    It is easy to be idealistic …and one tends to be easy prey……when you have not yet had your first real life challenge. Pick one.

    Have lost track of the times the drone college students from out of state have stopped on behalf of that well known non profit to tell me how i should live in Vermont

    They tend to leave quickly when i question their (lack of) cred in terms of their total lack of knowledge of how their brainwashed schemes will be paid for… or how their latest tax and spend proposal will be spent and on what…. not to mention their embarrassment when i ask why anyone would take them seriously when they are just moving back to mommy and daddys out of state compund, for the summer, or forever

  6. This is a perfect example of one phase of subversion. They have it written down, it’s in the manual, it’s the primary phase “educate” one generation or more in the ways of socialism, then they will educate their children in the ways of socialism, and soon you state (country, neighbor hood, family) will,be followers of socialism.

    It’s a major part in hoe to subvert a country. You see it really has nothing to do with tweets.

    Voila, now you have the people’s republic of Vermont.

    I cringe just typing that out. Vermonter’s here’s our sign, tough as it may be to see. Our educational system is a complete failure, our teachers are forced to teach this stuff. For example, social justice is a mandatory class in some colleges! Complete garbage.

  7. Socialism all about inclusivity and kindness, students say………..Brainwashed fools,
    all they have learned is that they are now in debt !!

    The teaching leftist professionals should all be fired for promoting their propaganda
    just ask them how do they make their lively hood, Oh yeah in a capitalist society ??

    Maybe they need to go profess these ” Feel Good ” policy in Socialist Countries and
    let’s see what happens, they wouldn’t last a week, no coffee latte there !!

    Educated idiots, what a shame, there’re paid to educate, not indoctrinate.

  8. These students are dumber then a bluejay flying across Kansas in January. Colleges need to raise their acceptance standards.

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