Charlie Kirk Debates Socialist Millennial Elijah Joiner on Capitalism Versus Socialism for Young Americans
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Charlie Kirk Debates Socialist Millennial Elijah Joiner on Capitalism Versus Socialism for Young Americans
Charlie Kirk faces off against socialist activist Elijah Joiner in a compelling debate about economic systems and the future of America. As surveys show 18 to 24-year-olds increasingly favor socialism over capitalism, Kirk argues that capitalism has lifted a billion people out of poverty and remains the only system aligned with human nature. Joiner counters that capitalism fails young people drowning in student debt and unable to afford housing or healthcare. The debate exposes the fundamental divide in how the next generation views economic freedom, personal responsibility, and the role of government.
A fascinating debate has emerged among the next generation of Americans about what kind of economic system they want to live under. The current system of capitalism has lifted roughly a billion people out of poverty over the last 25 years. It has arguably done more to empower people and raise the living standards of people around the world more than any other force or political movement in human history.
Despite these achievements, a new survey from Axios found that more 18 to 24-year-olds view socialism favorably than capitalism, making them the only age group to do so. This shift prompted a debate between two Millennials on opposite sides of the issue: Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, and socialist activist Elijah Joiner.
The Appeal of Price Controls and Government Intervention
The moderator opened the discussion by addressing the seductive nature of socialist policies, particularly for young people. It's exciting to think of price controls on things like transportation for people who haven't worked yet or maybe don't have a job. If all transportation no matter where you go in a city cost the same, who wouldn't be for that? The moderator referenced living in the Soviet Union as a student in college, remembering the Metro cost five kopecks, which seemed great, but noting that citizens didn't have any other rights.
Charlie Kirk on Why Socialism Appeals to the Young
Kirk explained why these ideas are becoming more popular: "It's very easy to be generous with other people's money. When you're young and most of the followers of this movement are students, they want to believe in utopia. It's the people that are actually pushing this forward that have actually lived through the Soviet Union, that have been to Cuba, that I've seen the failures of these ideas across the world that they should know better."
He continued, "But it's the next generation. They've never been taught the failures of the ideology and the philosophy behind these ideas. It's inevitable it's gonna fail because it goes directly against human nature. Human beings are going to be naturally self-interested, and the only system that allows that self-interest to be good for all people is one that respects private property rights and makes sure that you do something productive with that drive."
Kirk warned that communism and socialism will inevitably fail because individuals who try to get as much wealth and as much power as they can will do so by running for office and then exploiting the citizens.
Elijah Joiner's Case Against Capitalism
Joiner presented a straightforward counterargument: "My message is simple. Capitalism is not working for young people, and we know this. When you look at the amount of student debt, 1.5 trillion dollars in student debt drowning my generation, we understand that this debt needs to be canceled. It's hurting us, it's drowning us. We can't afford a house, we can't afford a one thousand dollar emergency, we can't afford our health care."
He cited studies to support his position: "The Koch-funded Mercatus Center did a study showing that Medicare for all would save the country two trillion dollars in healthcare expenditures. So we have a problem."
The Reality of Current Economic Success
The moderator challenged Joiner's premise by pointing to current economic indicators: "Youth unemployment hit a 52-year low last year. There are more jobs for more people at this time in our nation's history than I think since the Industrial Revolution. That's how well the economy is doing. We are the envy of the world. Europe's not working, Germany's economy is basically at a 0.1, 0.2 percent GDP, China's slowing down. Everyone's looking to the United States because we're actually humming, we're actually creating jobs as other countries are beginning to shed them."
The Entitlement Question
The moderator then posed a fundamental question to Kirk: "Elijah seems like a nice guy and he's trying to put himself through college, but where did we get to the point where people think it's someone else's responsibility to make sure that you get everything that everyone else has? How did we get to that? Because that's not how I was raised, and I don't get how people think you have that right to have whatever someone else has, you have to have that exact same thing or better."
The Cultural Shift in American Values
Kirk provided a concise explanation for this cultural transformation: "It's a terrific question. I think I can answer it rather quickly. When you were growing up 30 or 40 years ago, your parents and the older generation would say America is wonderful and you need to go through a development process and you need to make better choices. Now we're telling young people, my generation, you are wonderful and America is a horrible place, and America needs to go through different changes."
He identified the problem with this shift: "Of course, what the problem with that is, is that my generation believes we're entitled to everything."
Debunking the Student Loan Argument
Kirk then addressed Joiner's central example about student loan debt: "This false argument that Elijah made about student loan debt—ninety-nine percent of all student loans are given out by the federal government. Remember when Maxine Waters did this whole hearing where she was trying to call out all the big banks on all the exploitation they're doing on student loans, and she was surprised even to learn that the big banks aren't even engaged in student loans anymore."
He concluded, "So the thing that you're trying to use as your big example is this massive student loan industry—it's the government that is perpetrating it. Your ideology and your philosophy, with all due respect, would only grow government, raise taxes, and lower freedom."
Life, Responsibility, and Freedom
Kirk closed with a philosophical statement about personal responsibility: "Look, I'll say this. So many students want to accomplish utopia. Instead of talking about things that never happen, let's admit that life is a very, very difficult journey. Let's expand freedom, and the individual has to be responsible for going through that, not somebody else."
