Over the past 18 months, the pandemic has shed an unflattering light on the growing class divide in the United States, and young Americans have become uncomfortably aware of the economic inequities that have developed over the past 40 years.
According to the Pew Research Center, wages for average Americans have remained effectively stagnant since 1964, meaning that the rate at which wages have increased has been nullified by a steady decrease in buying power. Meanwhile, the cost of living has increased faster than the official inflation rate, according to Bloomberg.
As confirmed by a report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, living costs coupled with low wages makes it impossible for full-time minimum-wage workers to afford housing in virtually every U.S. county. Low wages coupled with prohibitively high healthcare costs, declining mental health and a global pandemic have prompted an entire generation of young people to take a look at where we are, how we got here and where we’re going.
The pandemic has expedited the development of class-consciousness among young adults. According to a CBS report, during the first 12 months of the pandemic, billionaires’ wealth increased by 54%, while average Americans witnessed the loss of their wealth. This also applies to their jobs and their homes.
In response to the intense economic pressure on the middle and lower class, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) which allocated $2.2 trillion to COVID-19 relief, including $300 billion in cash payments to individuals, $260 billion in unemployment benefits, and $500 billion in loans for corporations.
While the ratio of corporate relief to individual relief remains a point of contention for many on the left, the CARES Act was the first time many Americans witnessed effective systemic socialized economic relief on a mass scale.
Young people began to ask themselves if this could be a new way forward. For the first time in a generation, the principal virtue of American value was not rooted in radical individualism rather in the overall good of society, which raises the following questions: what makes individualism a virtue, and how does it benefit society? Why is radical self-interest the standard operating procedure? Why can’t we structure our economic system in such a way so as to free people from the menial existence and low wages of our current system?
These questions were further amplified by the development and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine was free and simple, demanding no insurance or out-of-pocket cost. A person could walk up and receive healthcare, no questions asked. Why then should our healthcare system not reflect the COVID-19 response? Why is healthcare an economic commodity rather than a human right?
Enter the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), a minority political party of activists and people who are fed up with the existing system. It primarily advocates “Medicare for All,” affordable college, the Green New Deal and Labor Unions, as found in the “Our Work” tab of the DSA website. The party seeks to implement policies based on leftist ideology through radical economic reform. Additionally, its goals demand a restructuring of the American ethos, shifting the foundation of value from the individual to the group.
According to Elaine Godfrey’s article “Thousands of Americans Have Become Socialists Since March,” young people are flocking to the DSA with questions that traditional political parties have been unable to answer. For many young leftists, the Democratic party isn’t good enough anymore, with many Democrats receiving just as much criticism from the socialists as Republicans.
While the DSA has been rapidly growing over the past two years, at 66,000 members it is still extremely small within the larger political context. For reference, the Libertarian party has over 600,000 registered members, according to Godfrey’s article. However, despite small numbers, the DSA persists in activism and participation in local elections.
Most notably, congressional representatives Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib are outspoken members of the DSA. Additionally, according to Alan Greenblatt’s article “Socialism Goes Local: DSA Candidates Are Winning in Big Cities,” DSA members occupy 11 seats among various state legislatures and are represented in over a dozen elected city council positions across the U.S.
Young people are trying to reclaim the idea of democratic socialism as an ideology for positive change from the bottom up. They feel like they have been abandoned by the system and desire large-scale systemic restructuring. Organizations like the DSA are advocating radical policies that no one else in Washington will touch—policies that would alleviate the immense strain on the backs of the working class.
In the mind of the budding democratic socialist, equity is equality; there is no reason why we cannot enact policies that protect the dignity and security of working-class Americans. If America really is the land of opportunity, then why should we allow wealth and capital to gate-keep the circumstances of success?