This video features Gloria Alvarez, a viral influencer from Guatemala who has become one of the most widely shared voices against socialism in Latin America. Alvarez speaks from the experience of a region where socialist promises have been made many times, and where the results, in countries such as Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua, have been economic collapse, political repression and mass emigration. Her message is aimed especially at young people, who she says are drawn to socialist ideas without having lived under them.
Alvarez’s appeal lies in her directness and her use of social media. Rather than speaking in academic language, she tells stories, uses humour and asks her audience to look at the evidence from their own continent. Socialism, she argues, always fails, not because its supporters are bad people, but because the system itself cannot deliver what it promises. People still want it, she says, because its promises are attractive, and that is exactly why they need to listen to those who have seen it tried.
For viewers, this clip is a window into the Latin American debate about socialism, and into why a young Guatemalan commentator has found such a large audience far beyond her own country.
Socialism always fails! But people still want it. They should listen to Gloria Alvarez.