As I noted about ten days ago, the Reactionaries were a fairly placid lot until the 2008 election. My, how things have changed! But why?
In the previous post, I indicated that the principal changing circumstances were the election of an African-American president and the rise of Fox News, which reminded the Reactionaries that they were the new oppressed class on an hourly basis. I would also like to add the following items:
- The Great Recession and the bailouts: Steve Bannon’s theory, of course, is that 2008 ultimately resulted in the election of Donald Trump. You don’t have to accept every part of his reasoning (and I don’t) to agree that the Reactionaries thought they were getting screwed from both the top and the bottom.
- The Iraq War: Reactionaries make up a disproportionate percentage of the military and its most active supporters. The failures of the Bush administration in Iraq consequently fell hardest on them, and they became more vocally skeptical of the “establishment.”
- Gay marriage: Suddenly, beliefs that had been completely orthodox for thousands of years became evidence of bigotry. That had to be a terrible blow for the Reactionaries, and it made them feel like victims.
- Publicity given to the notion that white Americans will be a minority in the foreseeable future: No elaboration is necessary.