I don’t mean only the US but in much of the world: in many European countries the populist far right is unseating Christian-Democratic parties (conservative parties), like in Hungary, Slovakia or Czechia. In others like Germany or France the far right is at the gates of power, in the UK, Reform UK is running high in the polls. In Turkey autocratic Erdogan is copying the Putin playbook to systematically dismantle the social-democratic opposition. In Japan, a neo Thatcherite that doesn’t hide she honors Japanese war criminals is about to become the new PM.
Something common I see in all these parties is strong disaffection with the current state of their countries and a longing to an idealized past they promise to bring back, to make countries great again…
Except that societies have changed beyond recognition in the last 40 years, emerging China, India, Mexico and a myriad of south east Asian countries can produce cheaper than us in the developed countries, so called first world democracies are now much older and indebted than 40 years ago (no wonder societies have shifted so hard to the right), buying a house is now waaaay more expensive than 40 years ago, you cannot earn a livable wage just assembling toasters like 40 years ago, you just cannot roll automation and digitization back, no matter how much you complain…
The past cannot come back, neither will it come back just because some people want it to. It’s completely futile, but people are not rational about this, they’re completely emotional and tribal.
It’s like a huge, collective effort in denial: denying that we in the developed world are older, not the first ones in the world anymore, that other countries we always considered inferior to us are even surpassing us technologically while we complain and hope for a savior that brings us 40 years back when we, the white guys, ruled all over.
I don’t see it happening: being angry and voting the far right may make some people feel good, it may make them feel they’re somehow taking their country back, but it’s not going to stop China, India and other countries from developing, investing in new technologies and even creating trade alliances that bypass the US or the EU.
My question: was there a moment in history where societies were so shifted to the right like today? How long did it last?
This is how I feel about todays politics.
I had to look at this three times to figure out whether it was a troll or not, and I’m still not sure. But ok, I’ll bite.
I’m an American citizen, and while I was a pretty angry neocon as a college student in the early 2000s, I settled down into a much more open, responsive, empathetic conservatism by 2008-2010 or so. And for about ten years, my politics didn’t change a bit. I still voted for smaller government, I still voted against wars (super funny in retrospect), I still voted in favor of my values (which also didn’t change).
But in that timespan, the far right worked themselves into a lather about Obama, a fury that I didn’t (and still don’t) quite understand apart from cable news stoking the fire; yeah, I disagreed with a lot of his policies, but I certainly never wished him dead. To everyone else, though, he was the antichrist. And so I watched as friends of mine went down the rabbit hole, getting more and more worked up and rabid. When Trump came down the escalator in 2015, I thought it was a blip, and we (conservatives) would collectively realize how far off the rails we had gone.
Instead, I got death threats. My kids got death threats. From people who used to be my friends, all because I dared say that I didn’t think Trump was a good choice. And, remember, my opinions and values hadn’t changed over the previous decade or so.
Since then, it’s gotten much, much worse. And, in fairness, I’ve seen how much I had been lied to, even before Trump, and moved over to the left as a result; but the right wing has gone so far over the edge that some of the posts I made on Facebook in 2005-2006—at the peak of my conservative rage, the stuff that was basically just Sean Hannity talking points—I’m seeing MAGAs pillorying Democrats making those same points for being “radical woke communists.” I’m not talking about similar viewpoints. I’m talking about nearly identical wording, in some cases.
So, no. This meme is absolutely bonkers, in a way that’s so obviously backwards as to bewilder, and the best way to prove it is to point out that George W(MDs in Iraq) Bush opposed Trump. MAGA has moved the window of acceptable political thought so far to the right that today’s Democrats sound like 2008’s Republicans, yet they’re being called socialists. Some of MAGA’s “centrists” are actively looking to rehabilitate the words “nationalist” and “Nazi.” “Small government,” “personal liberty,” and “values voters” are considered left-of-center ideals. At this point even Ronald Reagan would’ve been considered a “lefty” to this new-look GOP.
Oh fuck off already
It’s the exact opposite of what you’re showing here, and at this point you can’t be that naive to believe what you just posted. Stop trolling
No, that picture is pretty accurate. Im 48 years old. I live in Scotland, Im a left wing socialist. But to Americans, which is a fucking laugh considering they have no left wing party, Im pretty much a nazi. Even though, I havent moved my opinion on any issue in over 30 years.
Social media has made you all insane. You dont have opinions of your own, you the endless chase for up arrows. At best you get your opinions for talking heads on youtube, telling what you think, what to feel about whatever fucking nonsense is making the rounds to get your engaged and clicking. Make no mistake, if being an actual nazi was the popular thing, youd all be doing it. Thats how fucking sad you are.
Heres an example of how fucking exhausting you people are: https://www.gamereactor.eu/amazon-is-removing-all-the-guns-from-classic-james-bond-posters-1612643/
Prominent internet leftist: Amazon.
My dude if you’re upset with what Amazon is doing, nobody here is going to be able to help you and pretty much everybody here is in agreement that Amazon sucks.
How does this have anything to do with what you’re talking about?
I don’t remember deciding (as a member of the global progressive committee) that Amazon needed to censor James Bond posters. And the page you linked doesn’t indicate the censorship pressure came from any government agency.
It sounds like something a company did for their own reasons. Surely you know this, so why would you blame it on the left, especially in the context of the American left?
Jesus, dude? Really? Playing the dumb cunt? Is that really where youre taking this? Fuck it, have fun being purposefully obtuse, I guess.
I do believe you’re the one playing dumb cunt, but maybe it’s not an act.
You’re a lovely specimen aren’t you
I believe you’ve got the political spectrum confused. I’m not sure, as you’re going on about the woes of unregulated social media while actively posting memes as a form of discussion on a social media and then going on to complain about guns being removed from posters, so I’m not too entirely sure what you’re on about. I think I can understand that you’ve got things mixed up, however. The NSDAP, despite their name, was extremely far-right.
No, Im not talking about the woes of unregulated social media. Im talking about all the spoon eating cunts who cant think for themselves anymore, and repeat popular thing for up arrows. Regulation isnt going to stop dumb people from being dumb.
The connection between the two, is that you’ve all gone so far off the reservation, you associate the image of a gun on poster for a light hearted action adventure movie as condoning violence. Or worse, removed it because it might be triggering to some people.
I really didnt think it was that hard to follow, but here we are.
That can’t even be stupidity, no one is that stupid. I’m a 90’s conservative and give me a middle of the road democrat every day.
Edit: click on his name! I don’t feel bad for this guy, but I would like to offer pity to the local ubereats drivers.
What’s it like being afraid of everything except the police state?
Where did you get that I was afraid of anything?
Must be so weird looking at that meme, and not getting it. Be brave, little toaster, Be brave.
There’s a well understood psychological effect that conservatives are more afraid of things. They’re more driven by fear and disgust. The media uses this psychology to great effect to control conservative leaning people’s thoughts and opinions.
Is there… Well, Im not conservative. So, what else you got? Oh, thats right, fuck all. Because all this is American nonsense.
And not for nothing, but ALL of America is right wing/conservative. You can call yourself what you want, but at the end of the day and to the rest of the world, its just two right wing lunatics going after each other. Im a left wing socialist. You are no different to me than a MAGA fuckwit. You just say slightly different things.
Bro, you think corporations doing shit is leftism. And yeah you’ve displayed the disgust as a major motivator already. You’re really upset with what you view as online leftists. This is what’s motivating you to go on your current posting binge.
Just take 5 minutes and think about how upset you are about stupid bullshit you are linking people on the internet and how there’s literally no link between what’s upsetting you and the people you’re talking to.
You don’t need to be a conservative for the media psychological tricks to work on you, you just need disgust/fear to be a major motivator and you’ve become a tool to their media apparatus.
You sounds like such a a chud
Oh, a self own…
Meh now you’re just boring. 🥱 take care now
Dude, not once were you anything but boring. Try getting youre own come backs, and stop copy/pasting generic dog shit from reddit.