Lecture 3 - Liberalism

What is meritocracy and why is it bad

The belief that hard work and talent alone determines success. Hence, those who fail are blamed for their own failures. This encourages shame and moral judgement of the poor

What is classical liberalism

Founded on personal freedom, limited government, equality of rights, and consent of the governed. It defines freedom as being left alone by the government

What is modern liberalism?

Redefines freedom as capacity - reconizing that inequality limits real freedom. Argues that the government needs to provide welfare measures such as education, healthcare, and pensions to enable equal opportunities

Neoliberalism

Neoliberalism revived indualism and market based responsbilities. 

According to Sandel, what is the moral narrative of neoliberalism?

Meritocracy

How has neoliberalism affected the US

Welfare states are restructed to emphasize self reliance and deservingness. Person choice and resposibility become moral imperatives

How does neoliberalism refram social problems?

Individual failures. Problems such as poverty, obesity, illness, and unemployent are seen as a personal choice, not the outcomes of structural issues

Does the media and politics reinforce the ideas of neoliberalism?

Yes, for example, Obama’s NAACP speech calls for personal responsibility

What is an heath example?

Chronic illness, which is framed as a lifestyle failure. However, this view ignore the structural inequities such as poverty, food deserts, and pollution. This framing individualizes social suffering instead of addressing injustices

what are the core tensions of liberalism (and neoliberalism)?

empowers the individual but obscures collective responsibility. Neoliberaism extends this logic to blame individuals for structural inequality

What is the main argument of the article by Wiedemann and Wise

The idea of “personal responsibility” is a racialized political dog whistle

What does Wiedemann and Wise’s argument mean?

It’s coded language that appears neutral but signals opposition to welfare programs by implying that undeserving (black) people relies on the government. When combined with easy access to credit, this rhetoric fuels a shift from public welfare to private, debt based welfare (credit)