Socialism is back. We see it with the election of Zohran Mamdani as Mayor of New York. We also see it in polling from the Cato Institute that suggests many young Americans view socialism favorably: “Among Americans under 30, 62 percent feel favorable toward socialism…”

Beyond the obvious economic and political dangers of socialism, one component receives relatively little attention: the culture of work.

People who live and work in socialist societies often report being far less satisfied and motivated than those who work in relatively free markets. When a nation’s government controls businesses, they lose a competitive advantage. As a result, employees who derive dignity from achievement and contribution experience disappointment.

At the same time, people uninterested in hard work are more likely to be coddled and protected. This often perpetuates an environment of mediocrity.

Talk to any driven person who has ever worked in a socialist country, or in an industry controlled by government regulation, and you’ll hear this sentiment. Hard work is not rewarded. Mediocre employees can’t be let go. Innovation is harder to sustain. Work becomes a matter of showing up, biding your time, and accepting that upward mobility is not possible.

I work with a young man who took great risks to escape a socialist country, and I have other colleagues who have lived in socialist countries. Their experiences convey a muted sense of hope that most people have about their employment.

Anecdotes aren’t proof, but they often show you what certain systems tend to produce. A vivid lesson about the dangers of socialism on the culture of work comes from a surprising source: people who have worked in “socialist-like” industries that exist within free markets.

When traveling for business, I’ve spoken to many flight attendants about their work experiences. The vast majority work in heavily unionized environments, and many have told me there is little incentive to do their job well other than their intrinsic desire to make people happy. Their careers are determined by seniority, and chronically underperforming colleagues are tolerated, rarely addressed, and almost never dismissed.

The fantastic flight attendants I met can’t be recruited by competitors — or even move to airlines that pay more or treat employees better — because they’d have to start over at the back of the seniority line. So the next time you experience great service on a flight, show some respect knowing they are often doing what they do out of love for others, not because they are rewarded.

The purpose of work should be to give people the freedom to provide for their families, use the gifts that God has given them, and experience the dignity of serving others well. When leaders organize work with these purposes, they give individuals incentive to tap into their best potential.

However, when organizations tolerate poor performance and remove the extrinsic rewards of achievement, they do a terrible disservice to the dignity of customers and employees alike. It’s important to understand that even underperforming employees lose dignity in socialist societies and organizations as they are prevented from experiencing the tough love necessary to become the best versions of themselves.

This is the real tragedy of socialist workplaces: people rarely become the best versions of themselves. In other words, they settle.

Despite all of this being true, why do large numbers of Americans still say they have a positive view of socialism? I believe there are three reasons.

First, many have never really experienced the impact of socialism. To them, socialism is merely a theory that involves more sharing and kindness. For example, according to actress Amanda Seyfried, socialism means “taking care of each other.”

Second, many people who say they like socialism already work in socialist organizations and have settled. They are accustomed to roles where competition is muted, and pay and advancement are constrained by rules, not results.

Finally, too many Americans work in very large organizations that mimic some aspects of socialism via crony capitalism and corporate welfare. Their industries are protected by lobbyists and elected officials who thwart authentic capitalism.

When addressing the false hope of socialism, we must not attempt to split the difference. In fact, we must advocate for more competition in all industries, as well as for real consequences for people who consistently underperform. Additionally, we must push for the enforcement of antitrust laws that prevent dangerous monopolies and oligopolies.

Perhaps most important of all, America must support one of the best sources of employment, dignity, and innovation in our society: small businesses. These small companies, where most Americans work, still have great incentives to find new ways to please customers and to attract and retain great employees. But in socialist countries, there is less capital and fewer incentives for entrepreneurs to take risks and start small businesses.

If America truly wants to defend human dignity, we can’t romanticize systems that smother the very drive that makes people come alive. Socialism doesn’t just weaken economies; it weakens people. America doesn’t need more managed mediocrity. It needs the freedom that lets workers, and the work itself, succeed.

* * *

Pat Lencioni is one of the founders of The Table Group, a pioneer of the organizational health movement, and the creator of  The Working Genius, which helps leaders understand workplace efficiency. He is the bestselling author of “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” as well as 12 other books, which have sold over 10 million copies and been translated into more than 30 languages.

The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

It was a chilly New Year’s Day in New York, but crowds nevertheless huddled together in front of City Hall to watch as Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as the city’s new mayor.

The three-hour inauguration ceremony featured a who’s who of the American Left. Reflecting on the day, Matt Bernstein — host of the “A Bit Fruity” podcast who describes himself as a “friendly queer Jew with very long nails” — declared that “the future is unapologetically pro-queer, pro-palestine, pro-worker and ready to tax the rich.” 

You may be thinking “well, surely it wasn’t that bad.” And you’re right. It was worse.

To give you a sense of just how insane Mamdani’s inauguration was, here’s a timeline of what will likely go down as the wokest event of 2026.

11:00 AM: New York Attorney General and longtime Trump foe Letitia James swears Mamdani in underground at the decommissioned City Hall Subway stop. This ceremony is closed to the public, but open to CNN. 

1:01 PM: The audience is asked to take their seats at City Hall so Mamdani’s second ceremony of the day can begin. 

1:31 PM: Bernie Wagenblast, a transgender-identifying man and the voice of the New York City Subway, serving as the Emcee for the inauguration, kicks off the show.

1:34 PM: Javier Munoz, a gay Broadway actor best known for replacing Lin-Manuel Miranda in Hamilton, sings the national anthem. 

1:36 PM: Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez takes the stage to celebrate the “new era for New York City.”

1:37 PM: AOC says “the entrenched ways would rather have us dig our feet and seek refuge in the past” and commends New York on choosing a leader “making a new future for all of us.” 

1:39 PM: AOC forgets to mention that the new leader’s team is full of people entrenched in the Democratic establishment. 

1:40 PM: AOC praises New Yorkers for being brave enough to vote for someone promising free stuff. “New York City has chosen the ambitious pursuit of universal child care, affordable rents and housing, and clean and dignified public transit for all.” 

1:41 PM: Executive Director of the Islamic Center Iman Khalid Latif takes the stage. He’s joined by other “representatives from New York City’s many faith communities.” Only the muslim leader says a few words. The other six just stand on stage. 

1:42: Latif leads the crowd in a prayer, asking Allah to deliver on Mamdani’s campaign promises. 

1:49 PM: Time for another Broadway interlude: known Leftist Mandy Patinkin sings “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” with a chorus of children from Staten Island. 

1:54 PM: Tish James is back on stage to swear Mark Levine in as the City Controller. Levine speaks in Spanish, Greek, and Hebrew. He tells the crowd if they didn’t understand that then they should get Duolingo. 

1:56 PM: Levine says he hopes that “one day when we look at New York from above we will see a city full of solar panels and trees.” 

2:02 PM: Woke poet Cornelius Eady takes the stage to recite his poem “Proof,” which he dedicates “to my trans, queer, foreign students of color at the University of Tennessee Knoxville.” 

2:04 PM: Eady reads “Who said you were too dark, too large, too queer, too loud?” 

2:05 PM: Following Eady, three New Yorkers “who have been impacted by immigration enforcement in New York City” take the stage to administer the oath of office to Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.  

2:15 PM: Williams begins his speech. 

2:16 PM: Williams starts crying. 

2:20 PM: Williams tells the crowd, “governing is hard, and achievement is exhausting.” 

2:22 PM: Williams’s sobs increase when his speech derails into an awkward and alarmingly personal therapy session. He tells the crowd he’s waited 49 years to hear what he’s about to say: “Little black boy, you were worth it. And you always were. And without any titles, you were enough. You were always enough. You deserve to accept love.” 

2:26 PM: Singer Lucy Dacus performs “Bread and Roses,” an early 20th-century socialist anthem.

2:30 PM:  The socialist tune summons Bernie Sanders, who shocks exactly no one by giving a speech attacking the top 1% of earners.

2:39 PM: Sanders swears in Zohran on the Quran. Allahu akbar!

2:41 PM: Mamdani begins his speech. 

2:42 PM: Mamdani terrifies Americans by saying Sanders is the man he hopes to emulate. 

2:47 PM: Mamdani declares that the era of big government is back on. Oh, goody.

2:50 PM: Mandani says the authors of New York’s story would speak Pashto, Mandarin, Yiddish, and Creole. He leaves out English.

2:58 PM: Mamdani claims free buses, free childcare, and rent freezes are “freedoms” of the people. 

3:01 PM: Mamdani crushes all remaining remnants of hope: “I was elected as a democratic socialist and I will govern as a democratic socialist.”

3:06 PM: Mamdani’s speech ends and Toronto-based Punjabi artist, “Babbulicious” takes the stage to start the block party.

3:07 PM: The entire Upper East Side logs on to Zillow and starts looking for homes in Florida.