The op-ed was written by 17-year-old Democratic Socialists of America Delegate, Calla Walsh. Walsh argues that her generation has become disillusioned by "the white-supremacist, bourgeois state" of America, and is ripe for the picking by the socialist movement.
Walsh explains,
Disenchantment with capitalism and positive attitudes toward socialism are strongest among younger Americans, but Gen Z faces a unique set of conditions that make us especially open to ideological radicalization. Polling shows that Gen Z adults, ages 18 to 24, already have a more positive view of socialism than of capitalism — presumably because our age group has also experienced the worst of late-stage American capitalism.
That's one heck of a presumption. Considering her age, I feel safe presuming that she hasn't had a lot of experience with socialism. Or with capitalism for that matter.
But she's right on one key matter, which is that Gen Z is open to ideological radicalization. She herself is advocating for radicalization.
She cites the pandemic, Black Lives Matter, and the climate crisis as the key events in the lives of Gen Z that make them particularly open to this radicalization.
Walsh argues that the pandemic opened her eyes to capitalism's disregard for human life (ironically, while simultaneously complaining about unemployment among Gen Z).
If you were like me, you didn't even qualify for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance from the federal government.
Let me pause to remind you that the author is currently 17.
Continue...
When I regained employment after Massachusetts reopened, I witnessed capitalism's lack of regard for human life firsthand. Going to work meant risking my life to perform labor because the ruling class had decided that dead frontline workers were just the collateral damage of their profit-motivated reopening.
As a teen, she was hardly at risk of becoming a "dead frontline worker." Nonetheless, she did work in a restaurant in 2020, which is basically, apparently, the frontlines in a war zone.
She continues her praise of socialism with religious clarity:
Looking at the world through the lens of class conflict and historical materialism has made everything I had never been able to explain make sense. So many of my questions can be answered.
This is exactly what socialism does, and why it's so appealing to the young, confused masses. It gives them a lens through which to view the world. It promises answers, utopia, peace, harmony.
It delivers gulags, starvation, and death, but that's beside the point.
Our digital fluency provides us with a unique platform to organize, disseminate information, and share our beliefs. Social media exposes us to new ideas that antagonize our current belief systems, induce change, and push us toward ideological clarity.
Once again, Walsh isn't wrong here. That's why it's so incredibly important for parents to parent their own children and oversee their access to social media. Teens are getting exposed to this stuff (courtesy of Teen Vogue in this case), and their belief systems are being antagonized. Don't say we didn't warn you and don't say they're doing it stealthily... this op-ed is anything but sneaky.
Walsh concludes her call for Gen Z to mobilize towards the socialist utopia we all hear so much about, and yet never get to see:
The tools to build interracial, intergenerational working-class power are here. If we, the generation whose souls have not yet been crushed by capitalism, choose to use these tools, we can shift the tide in favor of socialism — the only system that will guarantee us a livable planet and life unburdened from economic exploitation, crushing debt, and racial castes.
In that case, I guess it's too late for my soul.
I do not doubt that Gen Z will shift the tide in favor of socialism. I do have serious doubts that it will gift us with the bright future the author predicts.
P.S. Now treat yourself to our latest awesome video about socialist Rashida Tlaib getting busted partying maskless with tons of people 👇
