A new Gallup poll shows that a solid chunk of the American population is ready to embrace some form of socialism despite readily available examples of how socialism fails.
According to the Daily Wire, the poll notes that 43 percent of Americans answered that “some form of socialism” would be a “good thing” for “the country as a whole.”
Those who still want to maintain full capitalism still outnumber those friendly to socialism at 51 percent, however as the Daily Wire noted, the friendliness toward socialism is an 18 point increase since the last poll was taken in 1942 by the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research.
The reason, Gallup noted, was due to the fact that the definition of socialism in American has largely changed:
“Previous Gallup research shows that Americans’ definition of socialism has changed over the years, with nearly one in four now associating the concept with social equality and 17% associating it with the more classical definition of having some degree of government control over the means of production,” the polling company wrote. “A majority of Democrats have said they view socialism positively in Gallup polling since 2010, including 57% in the most recent measure in 2018.”
The definition is likely changing due to the language being used by socialists to describe themselves today. Both Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) define themselves as “democratic socialists.” Despite the window dressing of “democratic” in the name, the policies they support are still full on socialist. However, due to the popularity of people like Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez, many have warmed up to the idea of socialism.
This popularity comes in the face of such countries who have embraced communism either collapsing or living in such stagnation that it’s a wonder it will ever climb back out of the hole that socialism has dug for it. Venezuela is currently so destitute that riots are commonplace. North Korea is a consistent example of how communism creates a horrific land of poverty, starvation, disease, and corruption.
Regardless, socialism’s supporters point to various examples of when socialism supposedly works, for instance, the Canadian healthcare system. The example is often used as a model of how it should work, but as the National Review covered, the pitfalls can be as deadly as they are expensive.
It’s likely that socialism is trendy at the moment, and hopefully, it won’t stay that way for much longer.
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