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In neoliberal ideology, the capitalist is a worker ("CEOs deserves their salaries for hard work and rare skills") and the worker is a capitalist ("enhance and maximize your human capital").
Perhaps part of Trumpism's attraction lies in its rejection of this schema, its refusal to ground power in "expertise and hard work", and its refusal of the idea that already "hardworking people" must constantly thrive to improve themselves.
This may help to understand the class alliance implicit in Trumpism: Wealthy people who see no need to legitimate their wealth and working people who refuse to be told there's anything improvable about themselves.
A critique of neoliberalism alright, but a reactionary one.
A critique of neoliberalism alright, but a reactionary one.
The dilemma for the left:
It cannot tell white working people they need to improve without turning them off, and it cannot tell them they have nothing to improve without sacrifizing class unity in a multiracial working class
It cannot tell white working people they need to improve without turning them off, and it cannot tell them they have nothing to improve without sacrifizing class unity in a multiracial working class
The solution isn't telling people they need to change, nor accepting none of them can (although some clearly can't). It's rather to awaken a desire for transformation among as many of them as possible.
Biden marks the return of the ideology of "hardworking CEOs" and workers maximizing their human capital - the latter of which includes a commitment to HR diversity training. In short, on a subjective level, it will do nothing to disorganize the base of trumpism.
Since many more than expected are reading this thread, I probably need to clarify:
1. These are just hypotheses, which need to be specified, and tested through inquiry and political experimentation.
1. These are just hypotheses, which need to be specified, and tested through inquiry and political experimentation.
1.1. Specification: neoliberalism is broader than the kind I suggest many Trump supporters reject. The kind I'm referring to, in the context of the inauguration, is the one represented by Biden-Harris and their core political and social base.
1.2 So I'm not suggesting that a. Trump-supports don't embrace other aspects of neoliberalism (discourse of private responsibility, familiarism and individualism as obvious examples), and b. other kinds of self-improvement (e.g. of a religious or martial kind)...
