Just last week I was approached by a student on campus because the button on my book bag “deeply offended” him. I am not sure if it was the button with ‘I love capitalism,’ or ‘Big Government Sucks,’ but either way he was upset and in his feelings. He then proceeded to waste a few minutes of my day lecturing me on how capitalism has hurt America more than “literally" anything else. All while holding his venti Starbucks coffee, iPhone 6, and wearing his ‘I Heart Netflix’ t-shirt. He also made the comment that socialist countries tend to have “all-around prosperous people.” Which makes total sense, right? Because the “prosperous people” in Venezuela are loving their iPhones and ‘I Heart Netflix’ shirts. After explaining how capitalism has and continues to pull people out of poverty around the world, I may or may not have seen smoke fuming out of his ears. Though he acted like he was educated on the subject, his $7.00 coffee, iPhone 6, and love for Netflix said otherwise.
This altercation on campus made me realize all of the things millennials love that would not be possible without free markets.
Here are the first 25 things that come to mind that we all love -- brought to you by capitalism.
1. Starbucks
2. Chacos
3. Facebook
4. Chegg
5. Apple
6. Comfort Color T-Shirts
7. Uber
8. YouTube
9. Chick Fil A
10. Yoga Pants
11. Chipotle
12. Amazon
13. The Odyssey
14. Spotify
15. RateMyProfessor.com
16. Buzzfeed
17. Ray Bans
18. Yeti
19. Nike
20. Pandora Radio
21. Fantasy Football
22. Pinterest
23. Snapchat
24. Target
25. Netflix
Capitalism is widely criticized among millennials across college campuses. Most have fallen for the rhetoric that capitalism is evil and should be replaced by a more socialist like structure. These same millennials often sit on their iPhone in an Uber, drinking Starbucks and tweeting about their love for socialism or hate for capitalism. Ironic to say the least.
