Bokanovsky
Master Don Juan
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2012
- Messages
- 4,700
- Reaction score
- 4,317
What we are seeing in America (and to a lesser extent Europe) right now is the early stages of a culture war the likes of which we have not seen since the 1960's. Back then, the assault on the status quo came from the left (i.e. anti-war protests, civil rights movement, feminism, etc.) The left won, and the right was defeated so soundly that it didn't put up much of a fight over the next 50 years as the left consolidated its victory and radically changed society in the process.
It seems that we have now reached a point where the pendulum is finally starting to swing the other way. It's hard to put your finger on the precise galvanizing event that has lead to this. I think it's more of a combination of factors, like the excessively liberal social policies of the Obama administration, disenchantment with the neocon wing of the Republican party, the spread of radical islam, unchecked illegal immigration and outsourcing of jobs due to globalization and ill-conceived trade deals. What started out as the Tea Party movement against big government has been co-opted by Trump and evolved into something entirely different.
What happens next will depend on a) whether Trump is truly committed to delivering on his election promises and b) whether the people who voted for Trump have the stamina and inclination to become an organized movement like the left has been since the 60’s. On the first point, Trump has really surprised me. I had a suspicion that once elected, he would water down his policies quite a bit and become much more mainstream. However, his first 11 days in office suggest that he really is serious about doing most if not all of the things that he promised on the campaign trail. This is almost unprecedented in modern politics. So now the question is whether “the people”, as Trump calls them, will be committed enough to back him all the way in the looming showdown with the so-called "progressive left". Interesting times ahead.
It seems that we have now reached a point where the pendulum is finally starting to swing the other way. It's hard to put your finger on the precise galvanizing event that has lead to this. I think it's more of a combination of factors, like the excessively liberal social policies of the Obama administration, disenchantment with the neocon wing of the Republican party, the spread of radical islam, unchecked illegal immigration and outsourcing of jobs due to globalization and ill-conceived trade deals. What started out as the Tea Party movement against big government has been co-opted by Trump and evolved into something entirely different.
What happens next will depend on a) whether Trump is truly committed to delivering on his election promises and b) whether the people who voted for Trump have the stamina and inclination to become an organized movement like the left has been since the 60’s. On the first point, Trump has really surprised me. I had a suspicion that once elected, he would water down his policies quite a bit and become much more mainstream. However, his first 11 days in office suggest that he really is serious about doing most if not all of the things that he promised on the campaign trail. This is almost unprecedented in modern politics. So now the question is whether “the people”, as Trump calls them, will be committed enough to back him all the way in the looming showdown with the so-called "progressive left". Interesting times ahead.
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