America’s social order has changed. There is a growing amount of economic and financial precarity, and previously marginalized groups are no longer confined to the margins of society. Future shock has left many members of American and global society feeling unmoored and increasingly confused and uncertain about their role in the present. Existential obsolescence breeds anger, resentment, irrationality and violence. Societies and individuals who are experiencing such a crisis of meaning are often attracted to fascists, authoritarians and other such leaders who promise salvation and empowerment.
Male rage is misdirected at the wrong individuals and groups as it is processed through conspiracism and anti-intellectualism and manipulated by malign actors who are masters at gaming the algorithm and attention economy; facts and reality generally do not supersede or override the power of perception and emotions; joy and hope and calling people names such as “weird” are not effective strategies for stopping such destructive forces.
