Austrian School Economics—for Kids!
Bloomberg Businessweek US|August 01, 2022
While right-wing politicians and activists fight to keep left-wingery out of children’s education, the Tuttle Twins are trying to build an audience for libertarian cartoons
By Max Chafkin
Austrian School Economics—for Kids!

Just before she turned 6 years old, my daughter announced with an unsettling solemnity her plans for the future. “I’m going to buy a mansion,” she said.

We were six months into Covid-19 lockdowns, and she was, for no reason I could discern, newly interested in capitalism. She would wake up and, before eating breakfast or going to the bathroom, start rifling through her craft supplies, demanding tape, scissors, pipe cleaners, construction paper, and so on. She told us her plan was to assemble faux flowers in mass quantities, sell them on the corner outside our apartment in Queens, N.Y., “and get rich.”

This seemed strange. Alice shares her bedroom with her two younger brothers. She goes to one of those progressive public schools where kids are encouraged to pick their pronouns, solve their problems with collective action, and consider their privilege. Her baby bookshelves are filled with volumes that seem designed to give Ted Cruz nightmares. One favorite, A Is for Activist, includes such lines as “C is for Co-Op,” “T is for Trans,” “U is for Union,” “Z is for Zapatista.” The title’s Amazon.com page includes blurbs from the ecofeminist author Naomi Klein and another attributed to the Occupy Wall Street movement, which describes it as “A People’s History of the United States, but for two-year-olds.”

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK USView all
Instagram's Founders Say It's Time for a New Social App
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Instagram's Founders Say It's Time for a New Social App

The rise of AI and the fall of Twitter could create opportunities for upstarts

time-read
4 mins  |
March 13, 2023
Running in Circles
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Running in Circles

A subscription running shoe program aims to fight footwear waste

time-read
3 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
What I Learned Working at a Hawaiien Mega-Resort
Bloomberg Businessweek US

What I Learned Working at a Hawaiien Mega-Resort

Nine wild secrets from the staff at Turtle Bay, who have to manage everyone from haughty honeymooners to go-go-dancing golfers.

time-read
10 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
How Noma Will Blossom In Kyoto
Bloomberg Businessweek US

How Noma Will Blossom In Kyoto

The best restaurant in the world just began its second pop-up in Japan. Here's what's cooking

time-read
3 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
The Last-Mover Problem
Bloomberg Businessweek US

The Last-Mover Problem

A startup called Sennder is trying to bring an extremely tech-resistant industry into the age of apps

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Tick Tock, TikTok
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Tick Tock, TikTok

The US thinks the Chinese-owned social media app is a major national security risk. TikTok is running out of ways to avoid a ban

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Cleaner Clothing Dye, Made From Bacteria
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Cleaner Clothing Dye, Made From Bacteria

A UK company produces colors with less water than conventional methods and no toxic chemicals

time-read
3 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Pumping Heat in Hamburg
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Pumping Heat in Hamburg

The German port city plans to store hot water underground and bring it up to heat homes in the winter

time-read
3 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Sustainability: Calamari's Climate Edge
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Sustainability: Calamari's Climate Edge

Squid's ability to flourish in warmer waters makes it fitting for a diet for the changing environment

time-read
4 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
New Money, New Problems
Bloomberg Businessweek US

New Money, New Problems

In Naples, an influx of wealthy is displacing out-of-towners lower-income workers

time-read
4 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023