Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Slinger
I think that was probably one of the step-changes in the evolution of conservatism in America.
At it's heart, the US has always embraced cultural chauvinism; wealth and power is the goal no matter the consequences. The first step was slavery, which helped to make America a financial powerhouse. Other step changes include: - post WW2 military industrial complex which led to American imperialism around the globe
- the Culture Wars that escalated in the 50's with the Red Scare and then the 60's with Nixon
- the removal of financial and political safeguards by Reagan, including the removal of rules that enabled conservative talk-radio and Fox News
- the neo-liberalism of the Bush II era
- the pseudo-facsism of the Trump era
In a way, I think the US would be much farther down the path to fascism if it wasn't for Hitler. Fascism and Nazism became 3rd rails in the US during and after the war. But before the war there was a lot of support for Hitler in the US and they even had rallies in Madison Square Garden.
The ethos of the US is sick and always has been. It's only because of dedicated public and private citizens that the country hasn't collapsed into a full-on right-wing autocracy. |
Yes, I constantly have to remind myself when I think 'my God the US is about to stop being a democracy' that the US has never been a democracy except for a brief 40 or 50 year period I happen to be alive for, that all is happening is it is reverting to it's mean