A global phenomenon that is astonishingly productive and creative, generating untold sums of wealth by enriching other people’s lives and making them obsessed with new material they never knew they wanted—all while shaking off the haters, constantly inventing new eras, and achieving phenomenal popularity.
I’m referring, obviously, to capitalism.
The system of market economics driven by the profit motive and backed by the private decision-making of individuals is even more popular than global music superstar Taylor Swift, according to a recent NBC survey of registered voters.
In that poll, 51 percent of respondents said they view capitalism positively, while just 25 percent view it negatively. That’s a +26 approval rating for capitalism, which dwarves the ratings given to such prominent politicians as Vice President Kamala Harris (+3), President Joe Biden (-8), and former President Donald Trump (-13). Even Swift, who recently endorsed Harris, scores just +6, with 33 percent of respondents having positive feelings about her.
Socialism, meanwhile, is liked by just 18 percent and disliked by 55 percent of respondents. (It does, however, poll better than the Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025,” which tells you something about how disastrous the roll-out of that agenda has been for the conservative think tank.)
Polling all this is a bit silly, of course, but it’s a nice reminder that the political class on both left and right are out of touch with the views of most Americans. Most people understand that markets have been a positive thing—a solution to the obscene levels of poverty that plagued humanity for most of its existence—rather than a problem requiring government action to control.
In fact, if Republicans were eager to counter-balance Swift’s endorsement of Harris with an even more potent ally of their own, they might try courting the capitalist vote. That would, however, require the GOP’s current leaders to abandon their interest in protectionism, their eagerness to tell private businesses what they can buy and sell, and other forms of economic illiteracy.
After all, capitalism being more popular than Swift makes sense. You could have capitalism without Swift, but you could never have Swift—or any other modern pop star—without an underlying economic system that rewards talented individuals, offers extra incentives to be creative, and provides the rest of us with the wealth necessary to support her art.
And it will still be here long after she’s gone out of style.
The post What’s More Popular Than Taylor Swift? Capitalism. appeared first on Reason.com.
