Not that economic collapse is good or anything, but I REAAAALLLY wish nice librull folks would be a little more understanding of how easy it is to propagandize struggling people into thinking it is…
“But our retirements” means nothing to people who don’t have access to those types of accounts.
“But prices will go up for struggling people” means almost nothing to people who have been in crisis mode for years and years anyways
“But my mom might have to move in with me” means nothing to people who have never had a nuclear family structure or reliable benefits to begin with (it’s actually kinda bonkers how many elderly folks just live…alone…in giant houses…sadly)
“But our position as a global leader” means nothing to people who may not have ever one time left the *zip code* they were born in (this is way more people than you think)
I am NOT an online commie edgelord kinda person that’s gonna go on rants about neoliberals or whatever – I promise. Even when I’m values aligned with that perspective (I’m values aligned with a diverse field of perspectives) I find that communication style insufferable and culturally inappropriate for most suburban spaces.
But I will say this – the average centrist to progressive person who is *housed* and becoming concerned about the prices of cars and what their retirement accounts look like needs to do some deep work to reflect on the facade of economic stability they were hanging onto in the face of what to many people is completely unsurprising and even somewhat of a welcome “I told you so.” Whether it’s righties who are still Team Trompy Tromp, or lefties who are still team Why Bother Vote, it really doesn’t matter. Your retirement account is numbers on a screen – it always has been. It’s not REAL.
Propaganda works because it always has a little nugget of truth to it – and the nugget here is that “Well I don’t have that shit anyways, and it’s kinda dumb to boot. Let it burn.”
And burn we will, until the people with the economic power and the emotional energy to actually *change behavior* do so.
This only lasts as long as we continue to identify ourselves collectively as “consumers” who can be controlled by markets full of new shiny products we load into our big houses for momentary joy.
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PS this is best meme of the day. #STONKS