The rise of conservatism and fascism in the modern Western world has been a contentious topic for a long while. Fingers have been pointed every which way, with only one true nation to blame for this: America.
America has been the symbol of Western advancement since the Cold War. A country dedicated to economic, social, and political growth, it was the blueprint of freedom, where even someone on minimum wage could afford a nice house in the suburbs, a stay-at-home wife, and one and a half kids: the American Dream. This incentivised other Western countries to follow in its footsteps, leaning increasingly towards a capitalist economic system for their own societies.
The issues began when the Americans themselves forgot exactly what made their economy work. When people refer to the ‘Golden Age of Capitalism’, what they’re really talking about is a period when the American government adopted many socialist elements into its policies.
Most notably, this included prioritising the worker over all else, even the customer, and CEOs consistently using their own income to build the company rather than just watching their wealth grow.
This is largely ignored by most modern-day Americans, who would prefer to defend their unsustainable system rather than even consider incorporating anything remotely socialist.
As the American economy drifted further from its original values, the rich grew exponentially richer. With this growth came a hoarding mentality; they had earned this money through hard work, so why should they have to pay so much tax to those less successful?
In order to fix this incredible breach of justice these CEOs and directors gradually inserted themselves into politics, changing legislature over the course of many years, until they were barely paying any tax at all.
With this, people began to notice. The poverty gap was growing, with no sign of closing anytime soon. They wanted livable wages so they could afford housing, bills, and basic necessities, which the rich couldn’t stand.
Using the influence they had over the media and government, the public’s anger was redirected at groups far more deserving, like immigrants, people of colour, and members of the LGBTG+ community.
An ‘Us VS Them’ mentality was created through strategic propaganda by right-wing media outlets. American citizens were told that these people were the real enemy, here to steal jobs or brainwash your children.
This narrative has been perpetuated to the present day, and given the massive influence the country exerts on the social climate of the rest of the Western world, it’s unsurprising that a significant number of nations have begun to imitate this change.
Thankfully, more have been travelling in the opposite direction, renouncing America as a state they want anything to do with, giving hope for the future of our world.
