Ben Shapiro, the American conservative commentator and founder of The Daily Wire, takes on socialism in this fast-paced video, drawn from his talks and debates in the United States. Shapiro is known for his rapid, fact-based style — his catchphrase is that facts do not care about feelings — and here he applies that approach to the socialist arguments that have become popular among young Americans. The video is a compilation of his sharpest exchanges on the subject.
His case turns on incentives, history, and definitions. Shapiro argues that socialism, whatever its promises, removes the rewards for work and risk-taking, and that every large-scale attempt has ended in poverty or repression. He challenges the examples often cited by socialism’s defenders, including Scandinavia — which, he notes, relies on free markets — and Venezuela, which he presents as a warning of what happens when a government takes control of the economy.
For viewers, this is Shapiro at his most direct, and a good sample of the American conservative argument against socialism. It will appeal to fans of debating style as much as economics, and it captures why his videos have found such a large audience among young people in the United States.