In her recent op-ed on this issue, Emily Sturge of Campus Reform says glossy posters and trendy buttons with slogans like "capitalism is theft" and "eat the rich" can be found on college campuses, and students can quote Karl Marx's "Communist Manifesto" but give blank stares when asked about the Constitution.
"For over a decade, we've been reporting … that the higher education system is indoctrinating young people with this sugar-coated view of socialism while also demonizing capitalism," Sturge tells AFN.
Noting a Cato/YouGov survey conducted in March that showed the nearly two-thirds of young people view socialism favorably, she says that is now being seen at the voting booth.
Zohran Mamdani's election victory in New York City Tuesday is an example of that. He is to enter office as New York's new mayor on January 1.
"Mamdani got 75% of the youth vote there," Sturge reports, adding, "That's exactly what happens when you teach an entire generation to resent capitalism" and and romanticize a Marxist or socialist.
She remembers her own college professors at the University of Florida advocated for four years to "abolish billionaires" and "redistribute the wealth," and other institutions continue to carry that torch.
"Harvard University, for example, taught a course that blamed capitalism for climate change," Sturge relays. "Williams College taught a course that teaches capitalism leaves the poor starving and workers suffering."
Knowing that Generation Z shifted to the right, especially in the 2024 presidential election, she does see a silver lining, though.
"Gen. Z has shifted toward traditional family values, Christianity, Catholicism, even a boom in patriotism that resulted in a military recruitment spike," Sturge reports. "So, I have a lot of faith in this generation."
