Young Employees liberal at my firm

Has anyone else noticed that the younger employees and interns tend to be super liberal? I thought high finance was a bunch of conservatives but at my firm id say about 50% or more of the people are liberals, especially on social issues. Any thoughts? Has it always been like this? Im a first year so im new to this. 

 

As a whole finance tends to be liberal on social issues, be it a libertarian outlook of idgaf to the more activist mindset. Young people also tend to be more liberal than other demographics. You're in an environment with a bunch of young people from what are likely very liberal college environments who are only now working their first real job or internship, they will tend to be liberal on social issues and more often than not fiscal as well (though the fiscally liberal outlook tends to change over time).

 

Many people are much more liberal in their college years. They rebel against their parents beliefs a bit, media for teenagers is tailored to them (ex: John Oliver, Jon Stewart, The Atlantic, vox, etc) , and they lack the life perspective/experience that undermines most traditional liberal beliefs

in time the smart ones grow up and switch out of it 

 

No,  in your case you just grow up and whine about wealth inequality, racism, and the white male patriarchy while working at a bank or hedge fund with 90% white male leadership and living in white rich enclaves in the UWS and sending kids to private schools with like 2% black and latinos kids in a borough that's majority minority.

 
GeorgeSorosFinanceMaster

Trump tweet dumbThis isn't the Reagan era.  You don't "grow up" and vote for a guy who told people to inject bleach to fight COVID, stared into the sun in a solar eclipse, and countless other mindless, immature things.

Except he never said to inject bleach. A New Yorker article was the first to make-up that incident by quoting two entirely different quotes from the press conference. 

 
tommytim

Has anyone else noticed that the younger employees and interns tend to be super liberal? I thought high finance was a bunch of conservatives but at my firm id say about 50% or more of the people are liberals, especially on social issues. Any thoughts? Has it always been like this? Im a first year so im new to this. 

Probably because the recent state of the college education system is dangerously going to the left compared to years, even decades ago. I've said it before, I'll say it again. Wall Street is liberal and Democrat. Who did Wall Street help fundraise the most in the 2016 election? Hillary Clinton. And 2020? Joe Biden. Who did the 1% vote for in both elections? Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden.

 

rabbit

Everywhere I've worked, most of us stay quiet on our political leanings. I prefer it that way, different spheres.

Agreed. Check that shit at the door. I work with a wide array of different people and I respect their results most while I may have some questions and even confusion about their own personal ideals. But I keep that to myself, and they give me the same respect. We're there to be professional, not activists for whatever-ism is the new trend.

The poster formerly known as theAudiophile. Just turned up to 11, like the stereo.
 

It's because most liberals by definition are hypocrites. Why not also work on wall street?

They work in an industry(PE and M&A) completely propped up by the notion of synergies, which in reality means firing people.  How very stunning and brave to burn the midnight oil on an accretion dilution model predicated upon "cost synergies" while being a card carrying registered democrat.

That's why we have ESG investing.  So they can feel better about synergies and "margin expansion" because they aren't investing in fracking or gun manufacturers.  So very brave!

The fact you could even step foot and work at Goldman Sachs, after all they did in 2008, and still consider yourself a "liberal" is beyond me.

It would be like if I got a job doing strategic acquisitions for planned parenthood.  I wouldn't be able to live with myself. 

 

Liberals in the United States are not communists, despite what Fox News may tell you.  They support a market economy, but with more taxes and regulations than what conservatives support.  So you can be liberal and fire people if you believe that it would make the company fare better in the free market.

 
GeorgeSorosFinanceMaster

Liberals in the United States are not communists, despite what Fox News may tell you.  They support a market economy, but with more taxes and regulations than what conservatives support.  So you can be liberal and fire people if you believe that it would make the company fare better in the free market.

"But Faux News.!!!..."

Maybe Dems in the 1990s. Not even close with today's Dems.

 
Most Helpful
calvincoolridge

It's because most liberals by definition are hypocrites. Why not also work on wall street?

They work in an industry(PE and M&A) completely propped up by the notion of synergies, which in reality means firing people.  How very stunning and brave to burn the midnight oil on an accretion dilution model predicated upon "cost synergies" while being a card carrying registered democrat.

That's why we have ESG investing.  So they can feel better about synergies and "margin expansion" because they aren't investing in fracking or gun manufacturers.  So very brave!

The fact you could even step foot and work at Goldman Sachs, after all they did in 2008, and still consider yourself a "liberal" is beyond me.

It would be like if I got a job doing strategic acquisitions for planned parenthood.  I wouldn't be able to live with myself. 

Do you think every liberal is a pink-haired communist or something? I've been doing M&A for 12+ years now and can list of hundreds of reasons that I vote blue that have nothing to do with marginal tax rates..

This "hypocrite" attack from conservatives always kills me. "Oh you fly on planes but also believe we should do more to save the environment?!"

Yes? And it's clear you guys don't care at all. How is that a better stance?

"I don't know how to explain to you that you should care about other people."
 

Remember when the democrat talking point for why romney was bad was that he was a former pe guy that fired people?

Your own party platform you vote for would not support your current salary structure or job(mergers supported by laying people off).  

 

Well some people look at PE job elimination as a clear sign that the social safety net should be improved. Someone is going to eliminate that position whether a liberal or a conservative occupies the role. What you are basically admitting is that you know jobs are being eliminated/automated and you think poor people who have done those jobs for years deserve to suffer. While calling the liberal who does the same job, but believes in improving social safety nets a hypocrite. Am I understanding this properly?

 

Republican policies don’t poll very well, and the majority of Americans prefer more government in places like healthcare, education, etc.  

So Republicans decided to give up on the demographic that typically supports those types of policies (such as the top 5% who now vote Democrat) and go full steam ahead with Fox News rage porn about immigrants, lgbt, etc. directed at lower class people.  And now they completely ignore the actual issues.  For example they STILL don’t have a plan for inflation even though blaming Biden for it is the centerpiece of their 2022 campaign.

 

Because throughout history, the younger generations always skew more socially liberal, and that's why society has gotten more socially liberal over time. I mean think about it: do you believe that people should be segregated by race in public facilities, or that black people should have to give up their seats to white people on the bus? I sure hope not, but 60 years ago, there were plenty of white people who thought that way. Those who try to fight against the tide don’t generally prevail for long.

As I see it, the problem is not social liberalism, but the fact that it’s become so tightly tied to fiscal liberalism (if you can call it that), and conversely, fiscal conservativism is wholly in bed with far-right social views. There seems to be no mainstream, reputable voice left for what what I call being a sensible human being (but I’m me, so I’m biased…)

 
exec.realness

Because throughout history, the younger generations always skew more socially liberal, and that's why society has gotten more socially liberal over time. I mean think about it: do you believe that people should be segregated by race in public facilities, or that black people should have to give up their seats to white people on the bus? I sure hope not, but 60 years ago, there were plenty of white people who thought that way. Those who try to fight against the tide don't generally prevail for long.

Just last week we saw a majority of House Republicans vote against codifying gay marriage, so let's not give the Neanderthal conservatives too much credit yet!

"I don't know how to explain to you that you should care about other people."
 

If being around liberal people makes you feel uncomfortable, you could get a job in a state in which the majority of people share your conservative views. If this is not an option for you, it would make sense to avoid politics at work. 

 
financeabc

If being around liberal people makes you feel uncomfortable, you could get a job in a state in which the majority of people share your conservative views. If this is not an option for you, it would make sense to avoid politics at work. 

Bingo. Talk about hypocritical stances! I bet 3/4s of this forum lives in deep blue cities, yet complains nonstop about liberals. Mississippi and Arkansas would be glad to have you!

"I don't know how to explain to you that you should care about other people."
 

One thing not pointed out here is that highly educated college grads have gotten significantly more liberal over the last ~20 years. Yeah youth are always more liberal than their parents and things may change later on in their lives, but the % of liberal, well-educated people has gone from like 25% to significantly over half. Not specific to wall street but a large change

Array
 

It's a social signaling device that solidifies their image as part of the professional upper middle class (with upper class aspirations). They're just going with the flow and taking direction from the... "globalist" elites that are shoving these narratives down their throats. Especially true for the women, though applies to men too. Very few of them put any real thought into this. They didn't sit down and think "you know we really should just let the blacks commit crimes with impunity, that's what we need" or "men actually can be women, let's give kids sex hormones" or "mass immigration of <90 IQ people from shit countries is a good thing". They could be culture jammed into believing literally anything.

People are incentivized to believe this stupid bullshit. It has immediate benefits and no immediate consequences - it's basically costless to drop a hashtag for BLM or Pride or reiterate whatever talking points you've been told, and you convey that you have the "correct" opinions. The pain only comes when you aggregate these individual choices across the entire population, and then it's hard to directly connect your beliefs to collective pain. So black criminality skyrockets, vulnerable tweens permanently fuck up their lives, civic unity and social trust collapse, etc.

The Musk phrase "mind virus" isn't totally wrong, but virus implies something natural. This is more like a bioweapon that can be traced to a relatively small % of the population in media, academia, NGOs etc. Ultimately course correction will require the destruction of the institutions and organizations responsible, which will require government action. 

 
sneed and feed

It's a social signaling device that solidifies their image as part of the professional upper middle class (with upper class aspirations). They're just going with the flow and taking direction from the... "globalist" elites that are shoving these narratives down their throats.

I love how conservative always think it’s groupthink or “virtue signaling” when people espouse liberal views, and never once consider that these are deeply held beliefs and that (gasp!) some of their fellow citizens prioritize human rights over marginal tax rates.

"I don't know how to explain to you that you should care about other people."
 

No one should promote marginal tax rate reduction over human lives. We should promote saving human life over hurting black, migrant and trans feelings. 

Where did you get any position on taxes from my post? Solid example of the Retard Override that commands most shitlibs - don't address the actual issues, just regurgitate a handful of talking points fed by your betters. 

 

Occam’s Razor: there is no grand conspiracy by a globalist cabal.  Educated young people don’t like conservatism because a big chunk of the new conservative orthodoxy falls apart with even a little bit of education.

Basic earth science debunks the whole deny climate change thing

Basic biology debunks the evolution denial and all the vaccine conspiracies

Basic US civics debunks the election fraud conspiracies, the Jan 6 coverup

Basic economics debunks the insane tax plans pushed by Trump and co.  We spent trillions on tax cuts and the average person saved just 65 bucks.

Basic social interactions with others debunks the “blame the women/immigrants/blacks for all my problems” nonsense that seems to form the basis of most of your posts on here.

 

Basic earth science debunks the whole deny climate change thing - If you've studied, it says it's actually yes and no. The real debate comes down to how much of it is manmade, the permanancy of it, climalogical geological effects, etc. Because natural climate change happens. What has happened as a long term pattern, vs what about right now, this very moment? 

Basic biology debunks the evolution denial and all the vaccine conspiracies - Yes and no again. Evolution is definitely real, so I will agree on that. But when you have the actual inventor of mRNA vaccines come out and point out SCIENTIFIC evidence of issues with the current situation?

Basic US civics debunks the election fraud conspiracies, the Jan 6 coverup - Then why did certain people revoke the idea of having the national guard come in to offer protection and then DC police welcome people into the building and open the doors? All on record and video. Also, look up May 29th if you want to see real coverups.

Basic economics debunks the insane tax plans pushed by Trump and co.  We spent trillions on tax cuts and the average person saved just 65 bucks. - This one I'll legitimately concede with you to a degree. $65 doesn't sound like much until you total up how many millions of people it comes from and said millions of dollars that come from it. Don't forget that $65 is a heckuva-lotta money to a family only making $40,000/yr . Unlike most of here on WSO who can gloat about making three times that and then some. I mean, I don't about you but I just dropped about $65 on buying just maybe three days of groceries and didn't flinch unlike those I mentioned that need that $65 to pay their electric bill or feed their family. And because we're on the topic and given the current situation, $65 is a lot of gas for most people. You and I can pay over $100 a tank for 21 gallons of premium. But that goes back to my earlier points about how lucky we are in our line of work.

Basic social interactions with others debunks the "blame the women/immigrants/blacks for all my problems" nonsense that seems to form the basis of most of your posts on here. - I will also agree with this that short of some way out of line people, social interactions show that  at the most basic level that we all can get along. Easy example? Right here. You and I might have some back and forth agreeing or disagreeing about what's said, but I ain't about to start flinging MS or throwing slurs or some other degenerate short-sighted stuff. Again, like you correctly pointed out, basic level.

The poster formerly known as theAudiophile. Just turned up to 11, like the stereo.
 

I think it's due to a lot of different compounding factors (many of which highlighted/addressed in prior comments), but your observation is certainly true.. Here are the factors I believe are at play (this is my opinion): 

- colleges are leftist echo chambers. this has been the case for decades, but it's certainly gotten worse. and thus you think of the avg student body at a "target school," they're probably more left leaning than historically

- virtue signaling / "woke" culture amongst youth that is pretty politically one-sided (probably due to the rise of social media)

- related to this^, politics have become a loooot more personal in this trump derangement syndrome era. most boomers agreed to disagree and didn't really think less of anyone based on their political views, whereas libs in our generation tend to correlate one's moral worth and intelligence to their politics. 

- fake news everywhere (i genuinely believe that almost everything we read from most sources has its own twist / isn't purely objective.. also intertwined with social media) but most people our age get their news from tik tok so that should tell you everything you need to know lmao.. 

- in ~2016, i believe the political parties did a bit of a switcheroo. trump won over a lot more blue-collar worker types who have historically been dem and in turn, this pushed away more of the "suburban" type voters

- also corporations are pushing down a lot more woke lib shit onto its employees than ever before i think.. i feel like before you'd never hear your corporation comment on political matters of any sort but now every company has to virtue signal too. so a lot of the themes above have transcended a personal level and have become corporate if that makes sense 

 
anthro123

- colleges are leftist echo chambers.

- virtue signaling / "woke" culture 

 trump derangement syndrome era. 

- fake news everywhere .. 

I suggest you stay from conservative news sources or use ones that are more objective and those that don't use these antagonistic terms.

 

I suggest you attempt to disprove any of my points/observations (oh wait, you can't so you go for semantics lmao). I was pretty upfront in the fact that the above were my own opinions, but I'd love to see you try to disprove that:

1) colleges are incredibly left leaning and typically the birthplace of many subversive ideas and overall not a conducive environment for diversity of thought,

2) people, particularly those on the left and who are younger, tend to post infographics and black squares and whatnot on social media to signal how righteous they are (and if you don't partake in this, then you're a bad person /s),

3) bringing up President Trump invokes an irrational, emotional response in many people.. such response is not grounded in logic and goes way deeper than a simple disliking of him, and

4) many "news" sources are twisted, biased, written by lobby/special interest groups, and even simply untrue (e.g. fake whistleblowers) 

 
sneed and feed

I would say that anyone who is a "white liberal male" and not Jewish should be culled from the population by a powerful state, but they're probably doing that on their own already. 

I am not entirely sure what this means but I guess you giving Jews a break, haha. I guess you mean all of other liberals should be removed from society.  There is a reason why the vast majority of non orthodox Jews have liberal views. It is mainly because Jews have a history of persecution and because of that, they typically have empathy for people who struggle for whatever reason.   Orthodox Jews tend to be very conservative. 

 

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