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I'm sure one can make the argument that inner city urban decay and the student debt bubble are the consequence of leftist policies from decades ago, fair enough. But I'm referring to the present. Again, to the extent that young people in the US are radicalized by leftist ideology, how much of that is explained by the current conditions of the student debt bubble and the healthcare system, for example?
Essentially none. Young people are radicalized by leftist ideology today because they're being propagandized into it, same as before. It's hard to overstate how much the message from the media and institutions is "leftism is good, rightism is bad". Healthcare is not much an issue for young people, because young people are generally healthy (and the modern cost of health "insurance" is... well, thanks Obamacare). And if it was about the student debt bubble, we wouldn't see so many radicalized FAANG employees for whom the debt can be paid off in a couple of years.
The issues are just excuses to hang the ideology off of.
So you think that explains all of it? "Media and institutions"?
It explains the vast majority of it. There's also the point that leftist ideologies are inherently attractive to those who figure they'll be on the receiving end of transfers, which would apply to a lot of young people (because they're just starting out), though that obviously fails to explain the FAANG people.
A lot of them probably expect to be on the receiving end of transfers of social status rather than economic status.
Yeah, they'll be sadly disappointed in that too. Social status goes to those who can play the social game, always.
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