Read more: Miseducated or Stupid?, by Walter E.Williams Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Follow us: @Ammoland on Twitter | Ammoland on Facebook A recent Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation survey found that 51 percent of American millennials would rather live in a socialist or communist country than in a capitalist country. U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- A recent Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation survey found that 51 percent of American millennials would rather live in a socialist or communist country than in a capitalist country. Only 42 percent prefer the latter. Twenty-five percent of millennials who know who Vladimir Lenin was view him favorably. Lenin was the first premier of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Half of millennials have never heard of Communist Mao Zedong, who ruled China from 1949 to 1959 and was responsible for the deaths of 45 million Chinese people. The number of people who died at the hands of Josef Stalin may be as high as 62 million. However, almost one-third of millennials think former President George W. Bush is responsible for more killings than Stalin. By the way, Adolf Hitler, head of the National Socialist German Workers' Party, was responsible for the deaths of about 20 million people. The Nazis come in as a poor third in terms of history's most prolific mass murderers. According to professor Rudolph Rummel's research, the 20th century, mankind's most brutal century, saw 262 million people's lives destroyed at the hands of their own governments. Young people who weren't alive during World War II and its Cold War aftermath might be forgiven for not knowing the horrors of socialism. Some of their beliefs represent their having been indoctrinated by their K-12 teachers and college professors. There was such leftist hate for former President George W. Bush that it's not out of the question that those 32 percent of millennials were taught by their teachers and professors that Bush murdered more people than Stalin. America's communists, socialists and Marxists have little knowledge of socialist history. Bradley Birzer, a professor of history at Hillsdale College, explains this in an article for The American Conservative titled “Socialists and Fascists Have Always Been Kissing Cousins.” Joseph Goebbels wrote in 1925, “It would be better for us to end our existence under Bolshevism than to endure slavery under capitalism.” This Nazi sentiment might be shared by Sen. Bernie Sanders and his comrade Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Goebbels added, “I think it is terrible that we and the Communists are bashing in each other's heads”. When the tragedies of socialist regimes — such as those in Venezuela, the USSR, China, Cuba and many others — are pointed out to America's leftists, they hold up Sweden as their socialist role model. But they are absolutely wrong about Sweden. Johan Norberg points this out in his documentary “Sweden: Lessons for America?” Americans might be surprised to learn that Sweden's experiment with socialism was a relatively brief flirtation, lasting about 20 years and ending in disillusionment and reform. Reason magazine reports: “Sweden began rolling back government in the early 1990s, recapturing the entrepreneurial spirit that made it a wealthy country to begin with. High taxation and a generous array of government benefits are still around. But now it's also a nation of school vouchers, free trade, open immigration, light business regulation, and no minimum wage laws.” School vouchers, light business regulation and no minimum wage laws are practices deeply offensive to America's leftists. Our young people are not the first Americans to admire tyrants and cutthroats. W.E.B. Du Bois, writing in the National Guardian in 1953, said, “Stalin was a great man; few other men of the 20th century approach his stature.” Walter Duranty called Stalin “the greatest living statesman” and “a quiet, unobtrusive man.” There was even leftist admiration for Hitler and fellow fascist Benito Mussolini. When Hitler came to power in January 1933, George Bernard Shaw described him as “a very remarkable man, a very able man.” President Franklin Roosevelt called Mussolini “admirable,” and he was “deeply impressed by what he (had) accomplished.” In 1972, John Kenneth Galbraith visited Communist China and praised Mao and the Chinese economic system. His Harvard University colleague John K. Fairbank believed that America could learn much from the Cultural Revolution, saying, “Americans may find in China's collective life today an ingredient of personal moral concern for one's neighbor that has a lesson for us all.” Are Americans who admire the world's most brutal regimes miseducated or stupid? Or do they have some kind of devious agenda?
Miseducated and therefore possible stupid as well. Either way it takes some knowledge to formulate an agenda other than what someone tells them to do. So, no, no agenda.
I think it is more a belief system than an agenda. To me, the belief that Socialism or Communism is the "fix" to the inequity in our society exists because of the ignorance of how these systems work. I link laziness into this belief because those who "Believe", don't seem to be interested enough to actually figure out how either of these socio economic systems will work, and they don't care. I see bumper stickers all the time that state, "Yes, We can Tax the Rich". That statement is true, but what they fail to take into consideration is that, given the number of other countries where there would be no tax on their income or profits; the wealthy that could leave the country would leave the country and take their money with them. I'm reminded of a statement attributed to Margret Thatcher that, "The problem with Socialism is the you eventually run out of other people's money." So, Ignorant... perhaps. Uninformed... definitely. Indoctrinated into a belief without any understanding of it's impact.. Most definitely.
Good article. I hesitate at the word 'stupid'. I agree with @Dunerunner using the word ignorant. Stupid implies that they know, were taught and still don't understand. Ignorant is lack of being educated in the first place. Kind of like I am ignorant of Advanced Rocket Propulsion, but stupid for smoking cigarettes or daring to think I stand a chance arguing with the wife. Anyways, good article and I think it is a bit of both ignorance and stupidity. Which I blame on our society and educational system. History is a valuable lesson, but is usually applied to US History, such as the Declaration of Independence, westward expansion and so on. A lot of US History has been removed or editted to fit today's society and political correctness. So a lot of the younger generations are just ignorant of the facts and don't care to read or learn anything about history as it was never taught as a "what we can learn from history" perspective. Many people do not really believe the expression, but use it anyways; 'History repeats itself'. Not exactly to the letter, but in the same ballpark or theme. A lot can be learned from history and if applied correctly, can keep us from making those same mistakes in the future. In the military we had 'AARs' or After Action Reports. It seriously amazed me how the military was writing and paying lip service to AARs that were just repeat lessons of things that should have been learned from WWII, Korean, Vietnam, etc... Yet, our military continues to march forward, without really looking at the past and the lessons learned, so it doesn't surprise me that 'joe smith' the high school newly graduated has no clue about history and the importance of it.
Sadly, we are now reaping what we sowed when we let the Communists (dressed up as Leftists and Socialists and Progressives) take over the education of our children. When we let them boot us out of our own schools. Millennials are ignorant because the Communists dumbed down our schools as they changed them into Government schools. Millennials are also stupid because they have been taught to be stupid. They've been taught that independent thought is "racis'", and they've been taught to wait until someone in charge does all the heavy thinking and then tells them "the answer" or, worse yet, just tells them what to do. They have been taught to strive for nothing, to excel at nothing, and to believe that Social Promotion and mindless conformity would be their tickets to a Golden Future. Through Socialism. It is a scientific fact that a person whose mind is stimulated becomes more intelligent. It's also a fact that when a person's mind is not stimulated they become less intelligent. That goes all the way back to B. F. Skinner and the unconscionable experiments he performed on his daughters. And the brainwashing techniques developed by the Soviets and the Chinese. Well--Robert A. Heinlein warned us, and almost no one listened. There is a cure for Millennialism. It's called Reality. When they get their completely Communist Amerika, the Millennials that don't die in chains will change their attitudes. It probably won't help them much, but at least they may be able to breed a few Patriots.
I will play Devil's Advocate because I am in that mood this morning... I disagree. I don't think it is ignorance or miseducation. I think kids today aren't as dumb as we would like to think. I think most of the kids see for themselves the lack of opportunities, the screwed up medical system and how their parents, grandparents, beg, scrape and crawl to keep families, fed, clothed and housed. Yet, they see an actor making $20-30 million a film, a guy throws a football for $50 million a year and these folks plus the real moneyed interest, the old money and the new billionaires, are paying less taxes than their social security grandparents - so - they say to themselves "He that makes the money makes the rules/laws that is Capitalism " whether they be good or bad for the people isn't relevant so... So, they asked the question, "This greatness is Capitalism? Maybe there is something better, something more fair?" So, they look, and being young, idealistic and naïve, they look for something that sounds good...on paper. And, it's not that they truly know Communism or Socialism because all they know is what they have read in books, having never lived it...but books lie. They DO know one thing for certain and, that is they are spoon fed lies each and every day by the system. They know their Books lie. The know their government lies. They know the Media lies! The whole damn system is a lie! They see their friends return from war, maimed or broken, which the system lied to get them there then lied about caring for them upon their return. So, maybe Capitalism is a lie too? And, doesn't it look a lot like Fascism except with a few twists? Maybe it is simply good for a very small percentage of the populous but in order to keep the status quo, keep the masses from riot, keep them manageable and subdued, keep them scraping the bottom of their bowls and happy with crumbs so they see they are lied to again and again and again... Give them some other choices and I would bet they would choose them but the fact is there are no other choices of government, perhaps Monarchy but how did that turn out... Maybe kids are smarter than we think because we didn't see the lies when we were kids but they were there. Oh my, yes! The Defense rests its case...
I have to agree with Bandit99 here, I see my self much of what the youth see. Having been in the military most of my adult life, and away from these states United most of the time, I didn't see the changes until I retired and returned home. What's more, I had to face an uncertain future as a middle aged man in competition for work against those same youth with degrees! Gone are the days of a 30 year carrier in one field, gone are the days where a young person could enter a field through an apprentiship and could count on easing and supporting a family and even putting the kids through collage. Gone are the days where employees were valued assets instead of numbers, and gone are the days where a hard working person could count on continueing employment through merit and achevement! What the heck changed? Was it unions? Decomratic invasion? Japanese systems of worker training? German efficiency? Yes, And no!!! We have lost our sence is self and self worth. We no longer have any ensentive to work hard because we are just a number and a body to fill a space. We work against the numbers, where I have less rights as a skilled worker then a unskilled minority simply because we must have diversity and equality in the work place. I could go on and on and on about what the real problems are, but instead say this, we are so screwed. One look at our Trucking industry should answer all your questions! I do not blame the mellinials, no do I find any fault in what they are doing, they are trying to make their way in this world against the odds stacked against them, they know they should have more and they know that they deserve more, and yet hard work and self determination do not make it so! They lash out and rail against the system and wish to tear it all down, and I believe them to be correct! What I diss agree with is the system they latch onto, a system that history has proven a massive failure! But one must have hope of something good, so they grasp at any thing that offers them a chance to change their dismal outlook!
I don't blame the schools as a system, or blame the teachers them selves, I blame the intrusion and lack or actual training that dosnt exist! I blame the Asian system for inspiring our government and its leaders to change. I blame the teachers union for not standing up against the state and the government and demanding a higher standard with out sacrificing needed learning and training. Those se teaching staff are fighting the same issues with the added curse of being dominated by the Democratic system. ( most unionised labor are democrats, that's a hard and fast fact) so they fight the very system that keeps them employed! Look at what a teacher earns and tell me the system isn't broken! When I was in high school, there were no trades visiting the school, no outside influences that could expose the students to a future that they could choose. The Military was blocked from visiting the schools and taking part in helping students understand what service is and thebopertunities that would be open to them! In short, there was Zero real world input for the students to see and start making plans and choices. Combined with the outrageous cost of higher learning and a degree, and lack of actual skill building while earning a degree that is worth less then the paper it's printed on, and an employment system that demands a degree as a measure of any employees minimum qualifications, and the stage of disaster is set!
Ignorant they are just plain ignorant, nothing more and nothing less and that ignorance makes them ungulates to herded. The leftist Communist in the USA saw that long ago and played the long game and now are winning.
It's enough to make me glad I don't have any kids. The country I grew up in and love no longer exists outside of my memories. The communists said that they would take us over without firing a shot, and it looks like they are pretty close to it, unless the majority of the young folks learn the truth and do something about it.
The sad fact remains that our education system is itself a socialist state with socialist teachers and socialist students. The teachers are paid by the state, have in most cases medical care provided by the state, have job security provided by the state and a pension system provided by the state. If we all had those same benefits, we would be a socialist country now. The students are forced to attend school, in many places now until at least 18, their parents feed them, clothe them, furnish medical care, housing, transportation, etc, and if you don't it is either child neglect, or the government will furnish money thru the anti poverty, welfare, enrichment programs, medicaid, etc. With the breakdown of the old two parent family and the ever lower age of intake into the system, preschool programs, kinder garden, enrichment programs, and the ability to borrow money and get grants to go beyond high school, most of those younger than 19 and many of those up to the age of 23, have lived all their lives in at least a semi socialist state and while the results and level of care may be dismal, an increasing number of minorities will live in such a system until they die. While the Massa may have been removed in 1865, Uncle Sam has taken over most of the support functions that the slave owner used to furnish, including the need to think for yourself or to improve yourself. Doesn't look good and the last election would seem to indicate that those who wish to continue to be supported and to live like children in high school may well now dominate the voting numbers and our members of congress. Saw the perfect example on the futility of it all by one of the new democratic leaders of the House. Was talking about expanding Medicaid and said that the republicans had killed it in the last session by putting in a poison pill to make the states pay for it, and that they were going to bring it up and pass it as a federal program and no state payments. With the increase in national debt being close to 1 trillion a year, how can the feds pay for more expanding high cost programs like medical care, education, and guaranteed incomes? Don't worry, somebody else always pays the bills, you can't expect me to work for a living can you!
@duane " how can the feds pay for more expanding high cost programs like medical care, education, and guaranteed incomes?" Oh! I can answer that one. Simply print more!...Can I have my economics degree now, please?
They will not learn the truth unless their parents sit them down and contradict what they hear at the schools . And , as it seems , the parents don't seem to have the time , or don't care , so as long as we rely on the schools to raise our kids , what we have , is the best we're going to get .
My point was that the sheep have no agenda of their own, and being under-educated (or natively stupid) are fairly easily steered down paths of which they know naught. If there were education sufficient to keep them on KNOWN paths or the ability to see potential mis-steps, well ----
And, in many cases, I would say most cases, the parent child relationship isn't strong enough to counter a teacher due to lack of time or etc. The teacher spends a hell'va a lot more serious time with the child then most parents, is better educated than most parents, also doesn't make them clean up their room or eat their beets so...who do you think they will believe?
