It is no secret that nations worldwide are facing severe economic crises. With inflation rising through the roof and housing markets plummeting, people worldwide suffer from a lack of necessities and shelter.
However, those who raised their voice against these injustices were not the older generation but rather what modern society considers to be millennials and Gen Z. It is a fact that the global population has increased by a lot since the 1950s and 1960s. The population mainly consists of adults between the ages of 19 and 35.
Those in their late twenties and early thirties have experienced recessions and massive economic crises before turning 25. Those in their early twenties have witnessed a global pandemic, two wars, and several genocides worldwide.
The older generation, labelled boomers and Gen X, believe that the youth are heavily influenced by what they see on social media. While it is true that social media is notorious for spreading misinformation, it is also the source of direct communication between communities without other means of communication.
Social media provided unfiltered and first-hand accounts of war zones. Taking into account the Russia-Ukraine war, refugees were able to post online about the lack of necessities and even find displaced family members. Thus, social media acted as a blessing in times of need. Unfortunately, organizations with darker intentions used the same technology to post edited and untrue videos of war-hit regions, painting communities in a negative light.
The ongoing Israel-Hamas war is also an example of how social media is a powerful communication tool. With internet access discontinued in the region, there is no information on the number of casualties or what atrocities the people faced.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought out the ugly side in everyone. The rich hoarded essentials months in advance, while the less fortunate participated in dog-eat-dog fights to secure the bare essentials.
Companies took advantage of high demand and raised their prices sky-high. However, such business tactics only affected the middle class, while the elite could secure these items in advance.
Hence, we can say that capitalism reared its ugly head in the worst of humanity’s crisis and never backed down. The current situation can only go downhill from here.
Alas, social media is no longer enough to express the discontentment of youth. While online communication provides its benefits, it still has its limitations. The youth have turned to the socialist school of thought to fight against oppression.
In today’s capitalist society, allegedly upright companies are funding ongoing wars. Such companies also claim alliances with oppressed nations. Capitalism is also taking away the daily necessities from the poor and handing them to the rich.
The capitalist market has destroyed everything good meant for the youth. Housing is no longer cheap, education is expensive, and medical care expenses are why one requires medical care.
The older generation paid for homes, education, and their loans on a seemingly minimal salary. Yet the same costs today will burn a hole through the youth’s pockets. Such economic changes have enraged millennials and Gen Z’s. Thus, they have taken to demanding socialist reform.
Governments and analysts believe that social reform is not the way forward as socialism cannot be effective in the long run. Socialism forgoes the practice of offering incentives to the working class. Thus, while it does provide equality, it also takes away all willingness to put in more effort.
Experts claim that socialism fails due to imperfect practices. With no incentives, price controls, and a lack of profit and loss, people were unwilling to work. They refused as there was nothing left to achieve. It again leads to the exploitation of the masses and how companies will eventually find a way to regain capitalist profits.
Another downfall of socialism is the idea of communal ownership. If everybody owns the property, nobody is responsible for the upkeep of the property. Thus, it leads to further degradation of viable land and resources.
Despite such shortcomings, the youth still prefer to believe in socialism. That is because it lets them dream of a better world where everyone can afford homes, education, and medical care. Unfortunately, today’s youth are left dreaming of homes and medical care, practical necessities, rather than innovative technologies or new art forms.
Such a mentality shows the lapse of structured civilization. As a society, we failed the youth by making necessities unattainable. While their ideology may appear radical, it is a cry for help and a demand for a better tomorrow.
Thus, the responsible parties should consider the youth a reckoning force. Or else, it won’t be long before we face a revolution born out of our inaction.
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