| This study examined Millennial "graduates with no future" within the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and their views on traditional, liberal concepts, such as "justice," "meritocracy," and "freedom." I interviewed twenty-seven members of the DSA, who had graduated college and had either been unable to find work or unable to find work in their field of study, about their views on these broad, liberal concepts. Participants reported a general disillusionment with the notion of meritocracy, flowing from their experiences with the Great Recession. Many participants, also, showed a lexical alienation from various other liberal concepts, most notably "freedom." In addition, some participants were ambivalent towards the abstraction of "free speech," in particular, preferring instead to consider the effects and practice of concrete speech and speakers. Overall, the study found that many of the participants felt disconnected from the language of the traditional liberal lexicon. |
