Teen Vogue
The Condé Nast site Teen Vogue considers itself on the frontlines of the fight against capitalism. An April article, "What 'Capitalism' Is and How It Affects People," compares the capitalist system, which it insists is leading the world toward a "dystopian Mad Max nightmare in which resources have dwindled [and] rich plutocrats own everything," to supposedly more desirable socialism. Retweeting the article in October, Teen Vogue further declared that ending poverty requires ending capitalism.
Many responded by pointing out the hypocrisy involved: The publication is a product of capitalism owned by billionaires, and the Vogue brand generally chronicles and celebrates the very products and choices made possible through a market capitalist system.
But the most damning critique is that under capitalism, the number of people around the world living on less than $2 a day has been cut nearly in half since the 1980s. Global trends in which absolute poverty is shrinking and the middle-class lifestyle is improving highlight the glories of systems that, as Teen Vogue says, promote "private property, economic growth, freedom of choice, and limited government intervention."
This article originally appeared in print under the headline "Teen Vogue."
