Report: Young Socialists Told to Avoid Word ‘Socialism’ When Recruiting

Democratic Socialists of America counter protesters hold signs and flags as they march, pr
AMY OSBORNE/AFP/Getty

Democratic Socialist organizations are reportedly training their young members to avoid the word “socialism” when recruiting due to the stigma surrounding the word.

According to a report by The College Fix, organizers within the Young Democratic Socialists of America organization are encouraging their recruiters to avoid words like “socialism.” During a training session, organizers told recruiters to make the case for socialism without using the word “socialism.”

During a video conference training session, organizers for the Young Democratic Socialists of America encouraged members to talk about the “class struggle” while recruiting.

“You are not going to use the word ‘socialism,’ or ‘capitalism’ or ‘Marx’ or any of that, you are just going to talk about common issues you both care about, you’re going to find a way to make it about socialism and talk about class struggle with them and why they should be socialists, even if you are not using that word,” the organizer said during the instructional video.

“This exercise isn’t to tell you that you should never call yourself a socialist or use the word socialism,” the organizer continued. “… But it’s important that we be able to engage with people on more than just labels, we need to be able to talk about issues. Because at the end of the day your lived struggle is what inspires you.”

At a later point in the video training session, a PowerPoint slide described conservative journalists as “enemies” of the Young Democratic Socialists movement.

Breitbart News reported in August 2018 that new polls suggested that American Democrats prefer socialism to capitalism. Although the percentage of Democrats that have a positive view of socialism hasn’t changed since 2010, they now collectively hold a less favorable view of capitalism.

Earlier this month, MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell denied that members of the “Squad” are socialist, despite the fact that two members have explicitly identified as socialists.

Stay tuned to Breitbart News for more campus updates.

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.