Don’t Assume Millennials and Generation Z Have Given Up on Capitalism

Younger voters present an opportunity for the Right

The prognosis was dark, the response fast and furious. “People our age have never experienced American prosperity in our adult lives — which is why so many millennials are embracing Democratic socialism,” wrote journalist Charlotte Alter, sharing her Time profile of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter. Her reformulation of the congresswoman’s words quickly became a flashpoint online.

Point: The economy’s booming. Millennials are lazy, vain things that pay up for Instagrammable experiences and anything avocado. They live in their parents’ basements because they can’t be bothered to pay rent, or a mortgage. Counterpoint (offered by AOC and crew): Millennials are destitute because they’ve been screwed by the Boomers. They’re strangled by the high cost of education and health care, and by an uneven economic recovery. Business is roaring, but only a select few enjoy its fruits.