It's also an opening for education and radicalizing leftwards, though. A big part of pro-capitalist/anti-communist propaganda is getting even people who are ignorant of those concepts to viscerally respond to them. Think of how many people couldn't tell you hardly anything accurate about communism but who will loudly proclaim how anti-communist they are at the drop of a hat. The point is to rewire people's brains so they don't even consider it -- no argument, no debate, just communism == bad. This is why you get stuff like leftist policies polling well until you attach the word "socialist" or "communist" to them, or why you can individually get people on board with all sorts of leftist policies but they still hesitate when you bring up the s- or c-word.
It works the same way with capitalism, too. People have been successfully propagandized to hear "capitalism" and think capitalism == good; no deeper examination required. What this poll might reflect is that level of propaganda breaking down. This doesn't necessarily mean people are rejecting capitalism (as @axont pointed out), but it might mean that capitalism == good barrier is down and people will be more receptive to criticisms of it.
No doubt. It's both an opportunity and a danger. Along your lines of thinking on a propagandized populace, I pretty much never use the s or c words when talking to new people and in doing so find that they're pretty open to a lot of actually socialist/anti-capitalist ideas. Lots of folks like the idea of worker-owned enterprises, for example, which is a little cartoon version of a socialist society. Or they understand the problem of power imbalances and the inherent conflict between between owners and workers when, e.g., discussing Medicare for All (and they sympathize with the worker camp pretty much every time).
The challenge will be to translate this into coherent, disciplined, organized action. That propaganda also teaches them that political activism begins and ends at the confines of bourgeois democracy. Hell, even worse than that: the confines of the propaganda they've absorbed from bourgeois democratic politicians and PR consultants. Outside of when they join a party or otherwise socialist organizing group, I haven't had much luck in getting libs to actually do anything outside of those confines. Consequently, they end up being little better than a neolib.
At the same time, not knowing what you're talking about is an important part of getting swept up in a quasi-fascist movement.
It's also an opening for education and radicalizing leftwards, though. A big part of pro-capitalist/anti-communist propaganda is getting even people who are ignorant of those concepts to viscerally respond to them. Think of how many people couldn't tell you hardly anything accurate about communism but who will loudly proclaim how anti-communist they are at the drop of a hat. The point is to rewire people's brains so they don't even consider it -- no argument, no debate, just communism == bad. This is why you get stuff like leftist policies polling well until you attach the word "socialist" or "communist" to them, or why you can individually get people on board with all sorts of leftist policies but they still hesitate when you bring up the s- or c-word.
It works the same way with capitalism, too. People have been successfully propagandized to hear "capitalism" and think capitalism == good; no deeper examination required. What this poll might reflect is that level of propaganda breaking down. This doesn't necessarily mean people are rejecting capitalism (as @axont pointed out), but it might mean that capitalism == good barrier is down and people will be more receptive to criticisms of it.
No doubt. It's both an opportunity and a danger. Along your lines of thinking on a propagandized populace, I pretty much never use the s or c words when talking to new people and in doing so find that they're pretty open to a lot of actually socialist/anti-capitalist ideas. Lots of folks like the idea of worker-owned enterprises, for example, which is a little cartoon version of a socialist society. Or they understand the problem of power imbalances and the inherent conflict between between owners and workers when, e.g., discussing Medicare for All (and they sympathize with the worker camp pretty much every time).
The challenge will be to translate this into coherent, disciplined, organized action. That propaganda also teaches them that political activism begins and ends at the confines of bourgeois democracy. Hell, even worse than that: the confines of the propaganda they've absorbed from bourgeois democratic politicians and PR consultants. Outside of when they join a party or otherwise socialist organizing group, I haven't had much luck in getting libs to actually do anything outside of those confines. Consequently, they end up being little better than a neolib.
We've really gotta get these people into parties.
Yeah, that's a legitimate danger and I hate it.