Episode Details

For many of us growing up, “Christian” was synonymous with “Republican.” It was a given that we followers of Christ supported a political party that was not only anti-abortion, but pro-free market capitalism. Even long after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the menace of godless communists and their authoritarian regimes loom large in our collective imagination.

I was raised to believe in government incompetence as much as the American Dream. America was the great meritocracy, and a comfortable, middle-class life was available to anyone with the gumption to work for it.

In my young life, this proved true, again and again. Hard work and honesty pleased God and guaranteed to lead to material abundance under God’s preferred economic system: capitalism. Wasn’t my life proof of this? My parents worked hard and we had enough money for everything we needed. I worked hard in school and got good grades. If I wanted a spot in advanced choir or an afterschool job, my efforts always yielded results.

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I was born towards the end of Ronald Reagan’s first term, a time when Neoliberalism was ascendent at home as well as in the UK under Margaret Thatcher. Neoliberal politicians emphasized deregulation, privatization, free markets, and free trade, along with paring back social welfare programs.

“So what?” You may be asking. “I’m not an economist, why should I care about Neoliberalism?” Economics seems like one of those abstract topics only tenured nerds care about.

But Neoliberalism’s impacts go way beyond academia and politics. By shaping our economy, Neoliberalism has altered our incentives and our sense of security. In “The Cultural Contradictions of Neoliberalism,” a paper out of the progressive think tank The Roosevelt Institute, the authors argue that “The key tenets of neoliberalism…have shaped and been supported by a range of cultural practices, beliefs, and worldviews.”

In other words, Neoliberalism isn’t just an economic system, it’s a culture and a worldview.

What are these Neoliberal beliefs that shape our culture?

* The individual is the primary unit. This individual is rational and self-interested. Thatcher said, “there’s no such thing as society. There are individual men and women and there are families. And no government can do anything except through people, and people must look after themselves first.”

* Free markets will solve all our problems. Once government regulations are removed, market efficiency will give us all the products and services we need. Reagan famously said, “Government is not a solution to our problem government is the problem.”

* Self-reliance and personal responsibility are the ultimate virtues. If the meritocracy is real, then the only thing standing between you and your dreams is hard work. Any obstacle, be it racism, sexism, poverty, or disability, just means you have to work harder. Fairness is not assured, nor should it be.

And how do we see these beliefs showing up in our culture?

* Everyone for themselves. If everything is a competition and there’s no social safety net, then you better look out for you and yours above everyone else. Intensive parenting is a direct response to Neoliberalism and the shrinking middle class. To paraphrase Nikole Hannah-Jones, even nice, Liberal parents want their children to have “every advantage.” Rarely do they stop to ask, “advantage over whom?”

This competition-over-cooperation mind