Re: decline 2025 06

<https://tinyurl.com/27we5xh4> dailykos.com
A dominant myth of the Gilded Age was that of the "self-made man," ..
Many .. indeed came from modest beginnings, but their success was not
simply the result of grit and ingenuity. It was built on systems of
exploitation - of workers, immigrants, women, and children - alongside
suppression of unions, violent strike-breaking, predatory pricing,
insider access to capital and government, and corporate consolidation.
They used secret rebates, bribery, and monopolistic practices to
consolidate power and crush competitors. Despite their ruthless
tactics, these men were celebrated as "captains of industry" and
helped to shape the mythology of American capitalism .. Immense wealth
accumulation by the few was seen as both deserved and necessary ..
Industrial growth was underpinned by widespread labor abuse. Child
labor was rampant. Workdays ranged from 10 to 16 hours, six days a
week .. Workplaces were frequently unsafe, resulting in countless
injuries and deaths. Wages were kept low .. Housing conditions were
grim .. There were virtually no labor protections .. The illusion
that U.S. capitalism was uniquely moral, fair, and merit-based became
embedded in the national consciousness. Inequality wasn't just
tolerated; it was rebranded as a form of justice. The most extreme
conditions of the industrial age were cloaked in myths that portrayed
suffering as the result of personal failure .. Intellectual
justifications for inequality gained traction .. The concept of
"Social Darwinism" .. Pseudo-scientific rationalization .. The result
was a society in which illusion became expectation ..
...
Right-libertarian concepts (cognate to "social-darwinist" attitudes)
imply that social development is hindered by pro-social-security
regulations. And the latter is "automatically" associated with "big
government", so that libertarian preference is to "small government".
Meanwhile, the recent rapid economic growth in Asia give examples
where right-libertarian(-like) order for regular people is combined
well with "big" (strong paternalist) governance/regulation, and since
it doesn't fit well into typal conceptual framework, here's a field
for ambiguity and controversy.