It’s been reported that in the German elections, a far right party has made ‘significant gains’.
In the UK (at least before the scandals) Reform UK seems to have had a significant boost and has even surpassed the right-wing Conservative Party in some polls/predictions.
Even France, one or two years ago, was threatened with a far-right government due to the French far right party gaining a lot of support.
It feels like in the last few years, the far-right has exceeded itself and had a surge in popularity. Is this the case? And if so, wtf is fuelling it?
The failure of neoliberal capitalism to deliver freedom and equity.
We were told that’s what it would bring. But there is an inherent tension between the freedom to grow capital and the freedom of an individual. The wealthy and our legislators chose the former.
And so, people get left behind. They grow bitter and selfish and angry (just as capitalists intend.) Combine that with a lack of education that teaches critical thinking and healthy skepticism (again, purposefully defunded by capitalists, educated proletariat and all that), and you get people primed to hate. Individuals who care nothing for others and a community, only about themselves and how they’re affected. And taking on an abstract entity like a corporation or government is much harder for an individual to comprehend. But hating Muhammed next door? Or Hasan? Or Abdul? Or Devonte? Or Reshawn? That’s easy, especially when the news networks or their chosen news sources or influencers tell them to. They already look different and speak differently. And the unknown scares the uneducated. (I.e. see the creation of religions.)
There’s a lot more to it, but that’s a big one.