Populism is the only game in town now that politician have eroded the trust for fair and balanced rule of law based policies. The continual erosion of social safety nets, the complete lack of political will to push back against naked profiteering and gouging of the working families. The average punter now sees that the lobbyists and corporations have bought and paid for, at best a centrist come conservative autocracy, at worst a wilfully corporate capture of policy; promotion of negative outcomes for the environment and a move towards a future permanent underclass. Yet conservative messaging and fear mongering about immigration seems to be getting more traction than ever.
There is no denying that the average person is hurting economically these days, with price hikes during covid that of course never went down. And now, yet another American war in West Asia driving oil prices, and by extension everything else, through the roof. But some people are not doing it tough, some people are posting about the insane amount of money they are spending on accommodation alone to go to a music festival like Coachella.
People who aren’t part of the 1% move to the right for reasons such as: they either want to be part of the 1% and think that anything goes as long as they get theirs, or they are given a very simple “other” that they don’t want to join. Or, the alternative has a predominant cultural entitlement laced with our way or the highway. The left is pointing at the wealthy and the people who have things and saying “that’s bad” while the average normie wants to be rich! Even if people aren’t put off by that rhetoric, it’s often trying to bring people to the party rather than meeting them where they’re at.
Each quadrant of the political spectrum creates an out group. Conservatives on the right try to limit the inclusivity and shrink the acceptable “normal” person perception. Liberals and centrists try to other the bigots to their right and the “radical” progressives to their left. On the other hand, true progressives and leftists need to include as many people to the “in” group as possible pointing to the other as the bourgeoisie and the corruption of the ultra wealthy. But here is the friction, how can you say look at that life that seems so tantalising so lavish and care free, that is wrong and aspiring to it is the root of most evil in the modern world? It’s a very hard sell for those that are struggling and looking at the very simple “work hard and this could be yours” messaging that’s been touted for decades.
The trick now is that the cracks are starting to show. The paradoxes of capitalism are being dragged kicking and screaming into the light. Even the staunchly obstinate are seeing the lies of meritocracy don’t really hold. The old adage of the tech CEO who earns 100x in an hour what a teacher who works Uber as a side gig will make in their entire year wages really shows the obscene fallacy of “working hard” paying off.
The real messaging problem is about being the woke scold, the purity testing and using shame as a cudgel rather than building community. As someone very wise once said, “Just be normal. Let the system show it’s true colours. Provide guidance if and when people are ready for it.” We need to provide a vision of what helps bring people together. Critiquing the system helps us know what and how the bonds of policy bind us. We need to simply and with conviction detail how we maintain the modern luxuries while ensuring none is being exploited or coerced to achieve it. Socialism has been the boogie man of neo-liberal thought since the red scare, the facade is starting to slip as Scandinavian countries consistently top happiness charts and Mayor Mamdani transforms New York in record time. Momentum is building, it’s about how we convey the message of better things that defines our future.