Words
matter. The word "new" is so
highly motivating to some that we have regulated its use. Legally a product can only be called
"new" for six months.
Last
February, the Republicans announced that their strategy for winning the 2020
election was to label anyone who votes Democratic as a Socialist. (Stolberg, 2019)
All I
could think of was a woman who I saw holding a sign at an anti-Obamacare rally
in 2010 which said - "Keep your government out of my Medicare."
But as
we said, words matter and if the wisdom of the tribe says that Socialism is
wrong, then there are many people out there who will accept that statement at
face value and not bother to figure out what it means.
This
week YouGov released a new poll suggesting that the word Socialism might not be
the lever that the Republicans are looking for.
What it showed was a huge difference in perception among different
generations.
Here
are the percentages who say they would support a socialist candidate by
generation:
Silent
Generation: 33%
Baby
Boomers: 36%
Millennials:
70% (20% extremely likely)
Gen Z
(over 16): 64%
(Derysh,
2019)
That's
some difference. But it brings me back
to the original question. What is
Socialism? And why would the older
generations be against it and the younger generations for it? How do the tribes people associate with impact these views? Would a change in wording change
perceptions? And if so, what words might
be used and what would the impact be?
Stolberg,
S. (2019, February 17) Republicans Hope
to Sway Voters With Labels That Demonize Democrats. nytimes.com. Retrieved October 29, 2019, from
Derysh,
I. (2019, October 29) Here's why
millennials are ready to go socialist. rawstory.com. Retrieved October 29, 2019, from
