[Long read. I was inspired.]
Where I live, the American South, a self-professed socialist receives weird stares from people. Never mind describing oneself as communist out of fear of being held in serious contempt by peers. I am 20-something years old. Much about the current U.S. economy is less than ideal as opportunities are not as commonplace as they once were in the workplace, which you have noted.
The residing administration has been very pro-business, yet anti-worker. Safety regulation standards have been rolled back in pursuit of short-term financial gain. That's also on top of prospecting job candidates being required to sign a waiver agreeing to not sue their would-be employers over any such concerns, which the court has decided to recognize and uphold. This now includes most Fortune 500 companies. There is on-going debate as to the legality of this practice since it seems to be crafted to squash class-action lawsuits, which are becoming increasingly normal due to the dismantling of said regulations.
America's Democratic Party is seeing a developing coalition of anti-corporate representatives gather momentum, being dubbed as "Libertarian" Democrats, who desire to remove money from politics, overturn "Citizens v. United", and introduce a cap aimed at limiting campaign contributions to small donors.
Personally, I do agree capitalism is in need of reform. What we are seeing is not the same system Adam Smith envisioned in his work "The Wealth of Nations", but rather, crony capitalism not unlike what Americans went through during the "Gilded Age" of the late 1800s. With the U.S. government being reluctant to use welfare capitalism, I have a good idea of what you are saying about society's issues.
During Karl Marx's lifetime, he expressed discontent at what he perceived as other people twisting his communist ideal into something it wasn't, namely Blanquism, an appeal to benevolent dictatorship under the system of meritocracy more concerned with immediate results than overall outcome.
I don't think Lenin will carry as much resurgence as Marx due to the baggage of Lenin's leadership, who caused millions of deaths subsequently carried out from it well before Stalin came to power initiating political purges of his own. Lenin was in a difficult situation of needing to stabilize Russia, but it meant brutally suppressing dissention, and even though it wasn't genocide by nature in creating the changes he thought was necessary, it still happened during his administration. Marx has enduring popularity today, being a more accessible figure to rally behind and wish to be affiliated with in similar political movements.
Regardless of the times and passing generations, 20-somethings are the ones always working the hardest out of all people, being the bulk of the task force at their physical prime attempting to learn skills while charting a course for the further years in their lives. The need for youthful expression is nothing new, the age where people are at their strongest sense of idealism to oversee the changes made in their society.
1920s United States saw a shift towards conservatism in the form of Prohibition and post World War I relaxed business attitudes. The 50s and 60s brought the people that made the Civil Rights Movement a reality under liberal movements. The 80s saw conservatives again sweep the nation with policies meant to safeguard American assets abroad while maintaining global influence. We might be witnessing another such shift.
Globalization has many rightfully worried about the welfare of their societies and cultures, concerned that their identity will be lost without due diligence to promote their well-being. Incidentally, this has spawned the rise of reactionary groups who wish to splinter growing community ties across the world, even if it means committing acts of violence and terror. In the grand scheme, their backlash is only temporary, even if successful, since the world is adapting to changing circumstances. Optimistically, I do believe we will survive these social disputes. The world is bound to come together, while staying true to what everyone holds dear.
Should capitalism be replaced with a new economic system much the same way feudalism gave way to it after medieval times, it will be at the helm of a post-scarcity society in the intervening years following another industrial revolution, this time in the form of A.I. and other kinds of automation. Just my thoughts. Feel free to share more of your thoughts with me in the future.
~~/o/
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