Wasn’t Rolling Stone once a clever and trendy magazine? Now it’s descended into history’s dustbin to publish a listicle showing just how low it can go. Jesse Myerson’s “Five Economic Reforms Millennials Should Be Fighting For” scrapes the bottom of the memetic barrel, almost all the way down to Communism.
- Public Works über alles. Can’t find a job? Work for the government, thus fulfilling the notion of “Guaranteed work for everybody … who wants to” sit around and look busy.
- Guarantee an income, or “Social Security for All.” Hoary. But the higher that guaranteed level is, the more it would nullify the make-work schemes of proposal no. 1, above. That’s only the most obvious problem.
- Seize the land. Yup, land communism. How 19th century. Because landlords, we’re informed, “don’t really do anything to earn their money.” For some reason, the author of this ignorant list of proposals doesn’t mention the most obvious problem with this old tradition: the tragedy of the commons. If mass poverty won’t convince you, what about environmental degradation?
- State Socialism, pure and simple, advertised as “Make Everything Owned by Everybody.” Yes, a major American magazine has now endorsed the very system that was tried by the worst totalitarian regimes in the modern world, the Soviet Union, Communist China, etc. No mention of Ludwig von Mises’ explanation as to why this cannot work.
At least Myerson’s fifth “reform” isn’t to eradicate money. It’s to
- Set up state banks.
Not as goofy as the other ideas, but hey: in a world where the government owns all the land and all the capital, and people don’t have to work — but can earn extra bucks in government “jobs” — what, exactly, will his beloved state banks be loaning us to accomplish?
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
6 replies on “Memes to Shun”
Because of my status in the Footwear Industry, for a number of years I received a free subscription to Rolling Stone. As a fan of rock music I had supposed I would find something worth reading in each issue.
Actually, Rolling Stone was absolutely worthless, typically without any article remotely worth reading.
This publication is clearly aimed at the very lowest intellectual levels in our society; truly for the know nothings, written by know nothings.
PD
Well, Paul, you’ve finally done it. In your feeble attempt to be even-handed, you’ve dramatically understated one of the scariest pieces I’ve ever read. Either Jesse Myerson was recently transported from a back room Bolshevik strategy session, or we are in for a very bumpy ride of ignorance cloaked in civil activism for Millenials.
And, BTW, don’t you think Duke professor Kathi Weeks qualifies for Honorable Mention?
Sad, simply tragic.
That the Millennials might fall for such a program is a condemnation of the US failure to provide a competent economic education or even a servey of history to its youth in schools.
We have commenced and lost the War on Poverty, War on Drugs and any of a number of other “social reforms”, leaving the debt to the present youth and future generations. Still it appears the Mellennials can be persuaded that more, and more radical versions of the same failed policies, can reverse the destruction and chaos which the previous “social efforts” have already visited upon them.
If they take this path it is then going to be their future, and they will deserve it.
I agree with above, worthless, but also frightening and sad. Hopefully there are many young people who are smarter than this.
Ply them with pot. Then they’ll swallow it.
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