The Moral Decay of the American State The numbers are stark and undeniable — a damning indictment of the moral and institutional rot at the heart of the American political system. In 1958, a full 73% of Americans expressed trust in their government to “do what’s right”. Today, that figure has plummeted to a mere 20%
To me this reads as "American propaganda was more powerful in the fifties than it is today."
Which actually gives me a little hope. I wonder if the international nature of modern life has helped fight the American brainwashing giant that is the US propaganda machine?
It's probably that, and constant "invading other countries and committing war crimes" thing the US has been doing since WW2.
I think it's mostly just the rapidly eroding quality of life where most people no longer believe their children will do better than them while corporations are allowed to pillage the coffers for everyone to see. Most Americans still don't really give a shit about anything beyond their borders.
Certainly that, but also in the 50s “the machine” was humming along well. By “the machine”, I’m specifically talking about the process of capital buying off the white working and middle classes with houses, cars, and consumer goods; and allowing them to feel the privilege of being settlers i.e. getting to feel superior to non-white people. Both parties operated on keeping this white supremacist process going. The 50s were amazing if you were white. Neoliberalism and the Civil Rights Act (one bad, one good) brought an end to “the machine” and now white people are sad they don’t get as much settled privilege as they used to.
And it’s never coming back. That was a monopoly capital/imperial moment that’s impossible to repeat.
Not to mention that the rate of profit reached it's height during that time, and it's not reaching that again (unless ww3 comes around)
I would argue it isn't that media has become less effective, but that the role of media has changed from placating an agitated public to agitating a complacent one.
yep.
hard to hide the truth when their war crimes are posted live on twitter
Honestly, it is more powerful today. Most of these people who think the government can't be trusted just want their kind of liberal government in power. They believe in American exceptionalism and that everywhere is worse, especially the evil gommulism countries.