America is in the lower bounds for first world countries. Australia is fundamentally a better society than America.

The oligarch's took over when nobody was paying attention. Citizens United destroyed US democracy and legalized bribery of politician's. Congress is owned by the billionaires and corporations. As a Canadian who has watched it happen to you I have great sympathy. We used to look up to the USA. Now it's just sad to watch your leaders destroy your Democracy for their insatiable greed. I'm surprised that you continue to elect these corrupt politicians from both parties.

Splitting “working class” in to white- and blue-collar is distinction without a difference. Both wear collars. Both collars have leashes attached. Both put half+ of working effort into supporting elites within arbitrary hierarchical system. White collar = house slave Blue collar = field slave No arbitrary hierarchical system serves human flourishing. Hierarchical systems are a maladaptive dead end and humans in year 2500 will be living more like 1500 than 2000. And most, the vast majority, of humans will be better for it.

The Fragility of Prosperity and the Roots of Nationalist Anxiety For much of American history, the national narrative has been defined by a peculiar optimism-a belief in boundless opportunity, endless growth, and the righteous fruits of industry. This ethos has guided generations, shaping what we now recognize as the American middle class, itself a construct of the mid-20th century. Yet beneath this glowing veneer lies a more complex, less flattering history, one that helps illuminate the discontent that permeates much of today’s nationalist, xenophobic political movements. To understand the currents reshaping American politics, one must confront an uncomfortable truth about the origins of much of the white population in the United States. The great migrations of the 19th century, which brought waves of Europeans to these shores, were not composed of Europe’s best and brightest. They were the displaced underclass: criminals, debtors, transients, and indentured servants-the “extra people” of Great Britain and Europe who could not be accommodated in the rigidly hierarchical societies of their homelands. Their voyage to America was not one of aspiration so much as desperation, an escape from poverty and dispossession. America, with its vast frontier and abundant resources, offered these settlers a temporary reprieve. The rapid industrialization of the 19th and 20th centuries, fueled by the exhaustion of 2+ billion years of stored solar energy in the form of fossil fuels, enabled lifestyles unimaginable to their ancestors. The great American experiment became one of unparalleled material abundance, sustained not by ingenuity alone but by a finite and rapidly depleting ecological windfall. This abundance created the American middle class-a social strata defined less by cultural refinement than by the spoils of industrial capitalism. With cheap energy, mass production, and expanding consumer markets, Americans of modest origins ascended into a lifestyle that became synonymous with the American Dream. For many, it was not just an economic achievement but an identity-a validation of the nation’s exceptionalism. Yet, as we have learned in the past several decades, prosperity built on unsustainable foundations cannot last. The post-war economic boom faltered in the 1970s, and successive generations of Americans have faced the stark reality of a shrinking middle class. The rise of globalization, automation, and environmental depletion has laid bare the fragile nature of this prosperity. For white Americans whose ancestors ascended from the dispossessed European underclass, this economic regression feels not like a correction but a betrayal. For three or four generations, many had escaped the grind of subsistence living, rising to what seemed like permanent middle-class security. Now, as their economic trajectory turns downward, they are forced to confront the fragility of their position and the uncomfortable reality that, for most of human history, their ancestors occupied the margins of society. The resulting stress and frustration have found expression in the rhetoric of grievance. Nationalist movements have seized on these anxieties, channeling economic fears into xenophobic and exclusionary policies. These movements promise a return to a mythologized past-a time when American prosperity was seemingly unchallenged and racial hierarchies unassailable. This nostalgia obscures the fact that the prosperity of the mid-20th century was an aberration, not a baseline, and that its benefits were never equitably distributed.

Economic Reality, Cultural Perception, and the Shrinking American Pie As America grapples with profound economic and cultural transitions, it is tempting to ascribe the tensions of our time to the most visible fault lines-race, identity, and ideology. To be sure, these factors are not irrelevant, but they can obscure deeper, structural realities. One such reality, often overlooked, is the end of the era of broad prosperity-the foundation upon which America built its sprawling middle class. This development is reshaping the country in ways that are not well understood, and the consequences of this economic reckoning are being misinterpreted through the lens of identity politics. The mid-20th century marked a unique moment in human history. Fueled by a glut of cheap energy-coal, oil, and natural gas-America became a land of abundance. This energy boom drove industrial expansion, elevated standards of living, and allowed millions of Americans to join the middle class. This was not the product of any singular cultural superiority or innate merit, but rather the consequence of exploiting 2+ billion years of stored solar energy. For a time, it seemed the American Dream-prosperity for anyone willing to work hard-was a promise fulfilled. But this prosperity was finite, and its foundations unsustainable. Over the past few decades, the world has begun to grapple with the limits of energy, growth, and the environment. As these realities collide with globalization, automation, and economic restructuring, the American middle class-the supposed backbone of the nation-is shrinking. What was once thought to be an enduring feature of American life now looks more like a historical anomaly. This economic reckoning is being felt acutely by many white Americans, particularly those whose ancestors ascended from poverty and dispossession only a few generations ago. For much of the 20th century, this group benefited disproportionately from the nation’s prosperity, aided by policies and practices that explicitly privileged them over others. But now, as the pie shrinks, the line between the haves and the have-nots is being drawn above their heads. The anxiety and frustration this produces are palpable. Here, we must tread carefully. It is easy to frame this frustration solely as a reactionary response to cultural change-a backlash against racial progress, immigration, and diversity. And yes, for some, this is part of the story. But it would be a mistake to reduce it entirely to racism or xenophobia. What we are witnessing is a broader reckoning with the collapse of economic security. For white Americans who believed in the permanence of middle-class comfort, the realization that this was never guaranteed-that it was always contingent on a finite energy boom-is profoundly destabilizing. At the same time, America’s Black and non-white populations are seeing doors that were once firmly shut begin to open. Structural barriers, though far from eradicated, are being challenged in ways unimaginable even a few decades ago. This is a moment of immense promise, but it coincides with the larger economic contraction. For many, the perception that progress for one group comes at the expense of another is hard to avoid. The shrinking pie reinforces a zero-sum mindset, where cultural shifts are seen not as progress but as threats. This dynamic produces an unfortunate and dangerous conflation. For Black Americans and other historically marginalized groups, the reactionary rhetoric and behavior of some whites seem like clear evidence of racial animus. And to be fair, some of it is. But much of what is happening is not driven primarily by bigotry. It is driven by the recognition that the material comfort many white Americans have taken for granted is eroding-and fast. When economic security evaporates, people seek scapegoats, and cultural changes become convenient targets. This is not to excuse or minimize the harm caused by racism or to suggest that structural inequalities no longer matter. Rather, it is to argue for a more nuanced understanding of what is happening in America today. Economic realities are shifting beneath our feet, and those shifts are driving much of the anxiety and discord we see.

Oh come on?!?? What dream??. It was con-job the whole time.

I miss this show

Hope this means you guys are coming back to KZbin!

Janet Yellon though every thing was good on the economy!😮

I've been wondering what happened to Jacobin on KZbin. All my vids are many years old and feature very long discussions between two or three people. This video is an improvement. It's not 2hours+ long and goes right to the point. Jacobin needs to make many more like this.

"See you in the FEMA camps." If there's a FEMA...

neoliberal capitalism is in decay Shouldn’t have fucked over everyone lol

Many good points are made here. Thanks!

Huh......where have YOU been? It's been DEAD for a long time. Greed and corruption kill EVERYTHING in the US. It's an intolerable shithole of a place. Beware

Леваки...

Get that Ana Kasparian off the internet. She's worthless.

It never existed. Why is anybody surprised? The USA is a divide-and-rule Mecca for the ultra-rich who practice it. "Divide and rule" (or "divide and conquer") is a political or strategic strategy used to gain or maintain control over a region of the planet by causing division and fostering internal conflict. The idea is to weaken opponents or rival factions, preventing them from uniting against the DIVIDING power. The strategy is based on the principle that a divided people are easier to manage, control, defeat or destroy. Lies (incl. "lying by omission") is an integral part of the strategy. Here’s how the strategy typically works: *Creating Divisions:* Those in power may intentionally exploit existing differences or create new ones-such as between ethnic groups, social classes, religions, political factions, or other groups within a population. By emphasizing these differences, the leadership makes it harder for these groups to cooperate or form alliances. *Fostering Competition and Distrust:* The ruling power might manipulate one group to distrust another, using propaganda, misinformation, or manipulation of resources to create rivalries or tensions. *Maintaining Control:* With internal divisions, the groups are less likely to pose a unified threat to the ruling power. Any resistance is weakened by competing priorities, distrust, or fragmentation. *Not every single group or power involved necessarily has to understand their role within the divide-and-rule strategy, which is why it persists eternally.* The effectiveness of divide and rule lies in its ability to prevent the emergence of collective opposition by exploiting or manufacturing internal conflicts, making it a powerful tactic for maintaining control over diverse populations or competitors.

lol.

Maybe the American Dream is an unrealistic expectation if you do not have hegemonic control over other nations. The leads we had in WWII were eventually squandered by hubris and ignorance. This is the fault of all US citizens.

Well done. Better music this time!

In Europe doing similar higher end manufacturing work I was never ever ever drug tested….. in America every industry drug test you…. ..

Oh Jacobin, I never thought this was the way things would go 😢

Its been dead. Trump and his oligarch buddies are graping the corpse.

It came true. You're living in it.

Really good video! Really puts in perspective that America is far from alone to showing bigotry towards migrants from the global south.

Been subscribed to Jacobin for the last few years, I'm a bit surprised at how surface level this video commentary is. You have articles and contributors who have written much more comprehensive articles on Donald Trump's Movement, the limits of social democracy, and the role religion plays in this political moment. A video on the article "The Right Without Wrong" would be a much more interesting video to spend editing resources on. I think Jacobin is an important voice, there is no shortage of socialist content on KZbin, what makes you all different is the amount of resources and academic rigor you have access to, use it!

Tightly produced video and on point. Great job with this yall!

Omg.........these old Commerce white people only 😂......... it looks like .....Trump dreams....... Black people built this Country.........Until America give reparation to Black American....... Curse will continue........ I mean, every thing is Mess right now .........Dpary is to blame?? They become Oligarchy??....... I wrote songs "Oligarchy "........ Oligarchy left home Oligarchy is in house....... Thanks guys.......... American dream is to building 3 or 4 party..... Left .......they got change right now....... Oligarchy...... No dreams.......yo

Before watching, off the cuff; Reagan/Clinton.

If you want to live the American Dream, you'd have to move to China.

Dear Jacobin, your token criticism of the Democrats ring hollow. Please do not confuse the democrats with the left. In this, you seem to agree with Trump who calls right of centre fundamentalists in the democratic party "Left" The world is watching! US needs socialism and the young Americans are NOT averse to it! Why don't you see the elephant in your room: capitalism in its most decadent phase. US could show the way and time is running out for the US, and the planet as well.

Capitalists Have Never Been More Incompetent? Elon Musk have successfully launch 6,994 satellites, all working, allowing internet all over the world... that look very competent to me...

Late stage capitalism and corporate greed happened. The 3 richest men in America have over 50% of the country’s wealth.

Remember the old adage, Democrats and Republicans are two wings of the same bird. Thank you, Professor Wolff, for your commonsense widom.

The "garden" is a deadly surveillance project run by the lunatic called VDL. It's not only the immigrants they re after but also Europeans who don't agree.

The American delusion.

We’re no longer living the American Dream. We’re now living the American Nightmare‼️

And so, America's and the World's national nightmare begins! Convict Trump is the DEI "Poster Boy" for someone doing a job that he is totally unqualified to do! As he moves into the White House, very dark times are ahead for America and the west in 2025 and beyond. If they know what is best for them, Canada, Mexico and Europe, including the UK, should abandon the USA and join BRICS! Elon Musk should be deported along with anchor babies Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley! Convict Trump should have been in prison years before the 2024 election. He is a fool and will destroy the economies of the western world in a few short years or less. The stock market overvaluation has nothing to do with, and no connection to, reality and does not indicate the health of the economy. Gold and Silver is where you should be putting your money. Convict Trump's loyalist clown picks for his cabinet and policy announcements should lead to an economic collapse of the western economies, but China and BRICS will survive and thrive. Trump is going to push more tax cuts for the ultra-rich, Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies, which should come as no surprise to anyone, as his entire life has been devoted to grifting, selling brands and taking advantage of ignorant people to enrich himself and his friends and family. Bitcoin and all other crypto-currencies are just another huge scam being run on gullible people all over the world - It is a pyramid scheme based on nothing but people's blind faith in the fairy tale. It is far worse than the US Dollar and all other fiat currencies that are based on nothing but a lick and a promise, but at least with fiat currencies, you can hold it in your hand. With crypto, you get nothing but a password, and god forbid you should lose it, or the other end that verifies you password loses it. Just like you can't make a palatable chicken-salad from chicken-sh!t, you can't make nothing worth something by declaring a limited amount of it. "Cui bono", who benefits? A limited amount of nothing is still nothing, ANY WAY YOU SLICE IT! The only people who will benefit from the crypto pyramid scheme are those who cash out early, before the crash! You can watch your fiat dollars become less valuable as more and more of them are printed to pay interest on deficit spending and inflation rises. The government has already set up systems to tax your gains in crypto and you have to report it on your tax forms, or you become a criminal, just like our newly elected president. This year China will enjoy a Trillion Dollar trade surplus, while America will pay a Trillion Dollar interest payment on the 36 Trillion Dollar debt from deficit spending! What a world right? I can't believe American people are really this F'ing stupid! Don't be misled by China naysayer propagandists. China has never been stronger and its GDP growth will more than double that of the US this year. You already have EU members bucking the system. They are somewhat constrained by the EU rules, but many like Spain, Italy France and others are rebelling against EU control and threatening their own "Brexit". Germany, the industrial powerhouse of the EU is collapsing before our eyes, with others to follow soon. Germany's GDP will be in NEGATIVE numbers next year. Even Japan is collapsing. When I say Europe, I'm talking about all the countries of Europe including EU members and the other European countries including the UK. L@@K at the situation in the UK right now after the Brexit. Since BRICS started, dozens of countries have joined and dozens of others would like to join ASAP! BRICS already has surpassed the G7. Trump is an ignorant fool and he's senile.

What happened to the American dream? It came true! You’re lookin at it…

It's all ONE BIG FABRICATION. just accept it.

One very useful way the owners of capital have used to decimate union power is through race issues. American unions are weak partly because the white working class doesn't want to share resources with the black and latino working class. “Poor whites are still taught to hate-but not to hate those who are keeping them in line. Lyndon Johnson knew this when he quipped, “If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.”

In the 1960s we had 186 million people, now we have 340 million. We also had jobs and factories nationwide, then Bill Clinton and the Republicans pushed NAFTA and that giant sucking sound of massive factories leaving the US for Mexico. As Bill Clinton was leaving the White House (2000) he secretly signed the repeal of Glass Steagall which allowed Wall Street bankers open access to multiple banking shenanigans (that crashed the economy in 2008.) Then 9/11 and the impetus to start endless wars and 7 TRILLION in deficit spending/DEBT. Then Citizens United in 2010 allowed corporations to BUY public officials so we no longer have representation in D.C. Ronald Reagan cut corporate tax rates and replaced those revenue losses by taxing Social Security checks for the first time. Sellout CAREER politicians in D.C. are the problem. Ross Perot always said that you should make your fortune THEN go to D.C. to give back, to serve. Students had grants, loans and the GI Bill to educate themselves and the states covered most of that. No longer true, those loans are predatory with high interest rates and students deeply in debt. Government regulation of price gougers also flew away. Medicare was meant to be expanded to all - instead we have insurance companies and pharma dictating our medical outcomes, thus we are all sick and dying with medical bankruptcies nationwide and no generational wealth being pass on to the kids. We could go on and on and on ..... Venture capitol is buying all necessities.

This video is so well produced and edited! Love the animations too!

We, people in the third world, cat not bear your "American dream" anymore on our shoulders. That is the reason.

“You have to be asleep to believe in it.” George Carlin

Its going to get worse seeing that trump is Elon musk's puppet.

The working people have lost faith when both parties are chosen by the oligarchs

This was well made