Teen Vogue: The Only Way to End Poverty is to End Capitalism

For those teens who prefer to get their economic instruction from the same magazine that teaches you how to have eyebrows that are on fleek, I give you Teen Vogue.  In the most recent edition, the magazine has chosen to teach their young readers all about capitalism… and its inherent evil:

Capitalism is defined as an economic system in which a country’s trade, industry, and profits are controlled by private companies, instead of by the people whose time and labor powers those companies. The United States and many other nations around the world are capitalist countries, but capitalism is not the only economic system available; throughout history, other countries have embraced other systems, like socialism or communism, so it’s important to explore what capitalism actually is.

CNN recently reported that 66% of people between the ages of 21 and 32 have nothing saved for retirement. However, according to Salon, the reason many millennials haven’t been investing in mutual funds or building up their own financial nest eggs isn’t because they’re too broke, or that they lack personal responsibility — it’s because they think our current economic system, capitalism, will cease to exist by the time they are in their 60s.

The millennials Salon spoke to expect to see a grand societal shift in their lifetime, either toward socialism — a political and economic system in which the means of production are collectively and equally owned by everyone — or toward a sort of dystopian Mad Max nightmare in which resources have dwindled, rich plutocrats own everything, and ordinary people need to band together in small, autonomous communities to survive. To conservatives’ dismay, the modern idea of socialism, which has roots in Greek philosopher Plato but emerged as a popular political idea in the early 19th century among German radicals like Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, has become increasingly popular among young people in the past several years, following Democratic Socialist Bernie Sanders’s underdog run for president and the authoritarian creep of the ultra-capitalist, anti-socialist Trump regime.

The article goes on to say that critics believe our system is “an inhuman, anti-democratic, unsustainable, deeply exploitative system that must be dismantled.” Also, that “the hallmark of capitalism is poverty in the midst of plenty.”

Okay, let’s take a deep breath.

Capitalism has done more to raise people out of poverty than any — ANY — government hand out program.  This is not hard to figure out — if just by simple observation.

But here’s the thing that really gets me: how ironic that a magazine that hawks needless beauty products to insecure teenage girls is now taking an anti-capitalist stand?  Are they going to start giving away their publication now?  (I, for one, wouldn’t let it anywhere near my house or family even if it were free.)  Should they stop selling their inane ads?  Well, to maintain intellectual consistency, they would. But that’s not what Teen Vogue is about.

One Twitter user suggested that the magazine stop talking constantly about the luxurious lives of the Kardashians and instead proposes some new topics:

How to survive without the latest iPhone.
How Fashion houses are scamming you by creating new lines every season.
How to get into the habit of making your own coffee.
How to take the job the government assigns to you without complaint. 🤷🏽‍♀️

— Somi (@somiscellany) October 18, 2018

Jason Smith tweeted, “Multi billion dollar private company Advance Publications, owner of Condé Nast brand ‘Teen Vogue’, says we must end capitalism, but want you to go first.”

Exactly.  Parents, beware what your kids are reading in their free time. Teen Vogue needs to stick to what it knows best: mindless consumerism and vanity.  Or, I’d be fine if it just went away altogether.

Image Credit: Twitter