PSL: Why do young people in the US favor socialism?

[TBF]

8. I agree - I am smack in the middle of middle age at 45 -

Reagan's 2nd term started when I started college. I think it really affected everyone. I came from a union family, yet listened to the flowery speeches about ownership like everyone else, and was gung ho to hit the working world. Of course it didn't take more than a few years (hitting my first management job) to figure out everything my parents said about "working" was true. Granted I had the benefit of the union background and having read the Manifesto in high school so I was less taken in by Capitalism than some and have no problem rejecting it.

I would argue though that the mess didn't start with Reagan though. It's true that many of our immediate problems can be traced back to his policies, but when you go back further you realize that it was really only by the grace of FDR and Eisenhower that we had a middle class at all in this country. 1950-1980 weren't bad years for many families - jobs, piece work, kids when to college - folks at least had a chance. But go back before WWII and you're not going to see that. These 30 years were more socialist in nature and perhaps today's kids are reading their history and realizing this.