Why I’m the Perfect Socialist Even Though My Dad Is the CEO of Whole Foods

‘Being a socialist is a state of mind. I’m constantly thinking “How can I change the world?”‘

February 16, 2021

By: Misha Han

My name is Sarah Mackey, and I was recently named one of Forbes 30 under 30 Socialists living in NYC. That’s right, the oldest daughter of Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, can be and is one of the best socialists in the greatest city in the world.

As I sit here and write this piece for you from the comfort of my parents’ multi-million dollar condo on the Upper East Side, I want to remind you that it was not easy to get here. My Dad had to earn all of this by busting a bunch of unions, removing their hazard pay, and firing the people who claimed sick leave after they tested positive for COVID-19 that they contracted at the stores. 

He had to make so many sacrifices because of evil capitalism, and as a socialist, I want to ensure a life where none of us have to do that ever again!

Being a socialist is a state of mind. I’m constantly thinking “How can I change the world?” Sure, I haven’t done any organizing, protesting, or changing policy, but last week I went on a super powerful platform called Twitter.com. I favorited a ton of tweets about hating evil capitalism, eating the rich, and ending racism. I also quote tweeted a few of them saying, “yassss queen” and “so true bestie.” Signal boosting is one of the most critical ways to embody socialism and fight facism.

I am brave enough to say that I believe in socialism. When I went to undergrad at Columbia University I felt super sad for all of my friends that were digging themselves into an exorbitant amount of debt! At first I said to myself “What’s wrong with their parents? Why are they being so selfish?” And then it dawned on me – their parents can only afford to pay for their credit card bills, rent, Uber rides, and botox for purebred Shiba Inus. That stuff adds up. Not everyone’s parents can pay tuition on-top of that like mine! I knew that I was living a privileged life and needed to reorient my mind. The government needs to pay for higher education, which is necessary to get any job in this country. 

These days adult life is a huge bummer; my friends are too busy working to pay off their student loan debt while I shop at Barney’s. Life is so lonely for me, and the government could easily fix it by subsidizing tuition. I feel like the government forgets that if people weren’t so busy working all the time they could be employed with my dream job: stimulating the economy. 

Xoxo,

Sarah