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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Article
Living in Neoliberal America: Extremism, Pauperization, and Negative Solidarity
Author(s)
Barbara Franz
Full-Text PDF
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DOI:10.17265/2328-2134/2021.12.001
Affiliation(s)
Rider University, Lawrenceville, USA
ABSTRACT
This paper illuminates some of the main effects that neoliberalism has on the psychological and socio-economic profile of Americans. It outlines the structural processes that produced the groundwork for today’s enormous popularity of right-wing extremism in the USA. America’s middle-class has turned right-wing extremist during the Trump years and this trend has continued to dominate American politics today. While populism mobilizes feelings of injustice and grievances, the source and commencement of these grievances is the centerpiece of this article. The paper does so by applying Rodrigo Nunes’ (2020a) analysis of the effects of Bolsenarismo in Brazil to the American society. The paper differentiates between the effects of individualism, punitivism, and the valorization of order above the law and shows how these trends have influenced preponderant identity traits of Baby Boomers and Generation X. Secondly, the paper focuses on the concept of “negative solidarity” which is one direct consequence of the worldview produced by successful indoctrination of neoliberal values and goes hand in hand with the consequent pauperization of the American worker. The preponderance of negative solidarity remains a key handicap for a democratic future and for any social mobilization efforts within the USA.
KEYWORDS
neoliberalism, right-wing extremism, USA, pauperization, negative solidarity
Cite this paper
Barbara Franz. (2021). Living in Neoliberal America: Extremism, Pauperization, and Negative Solidarity. International Relations and Diplomacy, December 2021, Vol. 9, No. 12, 501-514.
References