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John Mackey, the CEO of Whole Foods Market, is concerned about the growth of socialism in America.
In an interview with Reason magazine, Mackey said that socialism “impoverishes everything” and cited how “socialism has been tried 42 times in the last 100 years, and 42 failures.”
Mackey also decried the growing trend of anti-capitalism among young people in America.
“I think it’s because they’ve been fed a lot of lies about capitalism,” Mackey said. “They’ve been told that capitalism is evil, it’s heartless, it doesn’t care about people.”
Mackey said that capitalism is the “greatest thing humanity has ever done” and that socialism “has never worked and never never will.”
The Whole Foods CEO’s comments come as many young people in America are embracing socialism and turning away from capitalism.
A recent Gallup poll found that 51% of Americans aged 18-29 have a favorable view of socialism, while only 45% have a favorable view of capitalism.
The poll also found that 69% of Democrats have a favorable view of socialism, while only 47% of Republicans have a favorable view of capitalism.
These numbers show a growing divide in America between those who support capitalism and those who support socialism.
It remains to be seen how this divide will play out in the future, but it is clear that John Mackey is worried about the rise of socialism in America.
Mackey: “And I feel like, you know, with the way freedom of speech is today, the movement on gun control, a lot of the liberties that I’ve taken for granted most of my life, I think, are under threat.
“We’ve told a bad narrative, and we’ve let the enemies of business and the enemies of capitalism put out a narrative about us that’s wrong.”
He discussed the narratives present in progressive America regarding socialism and capitalism: “It’s inaccurate and doing tremendous damage to the minds of young people.”
“Yes, of course, business has to make money. If a business doesn’t make money, it will fail, but that doesn’t mean that its purpose is to make money.”
“They talk about trickle-down wealth, but socialism is trickle-up poverty,” Mackey said in an interview with Fox Business. “It just impoverishes everything. That’s my fear, that the Marxists and socialists, the academic community is generally hostile to business. It always has been. This is not new.”
‘I believe in the long run we will thrive,’ said Mackey, who is preparing to leave his position as CEO at the conclusion of the year. ‘We have managed to endure throughout time due to a clear objective and love, as well as a commitment to our staff.’
“We’re not perfect, but we try really hard to take care of our people and take care of our customers,” he said.
Mackey’s comments come as the U.S. sees a rise in socialism, with democratic socialists like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gaining popularity.
