In Argentina, Mauricio Macri succeeded Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in 2015. In Brazil, Vice President Michel Temer came to power in 2016, and later in 2018 far-right congressman Jair Bolsonaro became the President. In Peru, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski succeeded Ollanta Humala and in Chile, in 2018, the conservative Sebastián Piñera succeeded Michelle Bachelet. In Bolivia, Jeanine Áñez succeeded Evo Morales during the 2019 political crisis. Subsequently, in Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, a right-wing banker, succeeded Lenín Moreno, and became the first conservative President of Ecuador in 14 years. In 2017, Donald Trump succeeded Barack Obama as President of the United States and at the same time, a string of conservative Prime Ministers was witnessed by Britain, starting from Theresa May (2016) to Boris Johnson (2019) to Lizz Truss (2022) and now Rishi Sunak (2022).
Although political parties seem to have already aligned themselves with conservative values in South Asia, there is still evidence of a desire for conservatism in these countries within that time frame. Pakistan elected Imran Khan in 2018 (whose victory is still likely by popular vote should he stand election at any given time) whereas India’s Modi is serving his third consecutive term in what is often described as a democratic country with a flourishing economy, while China’s one-party system has Xi Jinping as President forevermore. Hence, an overarching conclusion can be drawn that from 2015 onwards, there was a retraction from liberal values and a divorce from the Left across the world (with exceptions, as they exist in any other case).
To a New Leftist, this may seem as a completely conservative approach. However, that is precisely where the problem lies
This grand wave that began in Latin America may have had many factors but can be attributed to a core issue that many people feel resonates with them: an utter distaste for the New Left. Although the rise of the New Left has been a redemptive moment for many democratic, liberal individualists, it is also the reason why there seems to be a retraction from all liberal values that has led many to elect conservative leaders across the world.
For starters, we must understand the additional factors that have shifted the Left to the New Left and the liberal to the Neo-Liberal within this time frame.
A major issue with the New Left is the shift in its values. Popular media and the uber-acceptance of ‘anything goes’ has transcended the Left’s fight for social equality and egalitarianism, turning it into a struggle for redefining gender and endorsing hyper-individualism. New Leftists and neo-liberals seem to have adopted a narcissistic political approach with a strong defiance of core communal values that traditionally bonded societies. Socially and politically, their belief system has divided people and threatens shame towards individuals who hold conventional values stemming from a communal hierarchy that has existed for centuries.
There is a sharp intolerance that comes with the Left – an unspoken rule that a conflict with their values is a threat to freedom and liberation. Religion, tradition, culture and all practices that endorse collectivism are seen regressive and forceful— even so much so that calling oneself a conservative and aligning with the values of a specific group is seen backwards. Any sort of dependence on anyone, whether it be society, community, people or even God is seen as a threat to individualism that has become a core narcissistic value of the Left.
Major shifts that challenge the natural progression of societies such as gay marriage, transgenderism, surrogacy, sexual promiscuity and abortion have created an atmosphere of hyper-individualism that champions a divorce from society in capitalistic economies. In and of itself, the New Left is polishing the already existing selfish behaviour that exists within individuals to market a life that carries an abundance of loneliness and a lack of contemplation. An emerging antithesis is the complete failure to recognise Leftism and the liberation it so profoundly promised in its early years that now seems to have forgone its very own nature. It is, in fact, not at all liberating.
A major issue with the New Left is the shift in its values. Popular media and the uber-acceptance of ‘anything goes’ has transcended the Left’s fight for social equality and egalitarianism, turning it into a struggle for redefining gender and endorsing hyper-individualism
At this moment in time, we are witnessing a shift where instead of giving grace to the Left, people are speaking their truth against it. Its abundant threat to traditional masculinity, conservative values and most importantly nature has polarised people across social groups. Additionally, its positive affirmation with the objectification of women has distorted gender roles and its absolute negligence of gender itself has created an identity crisis that will further do its damage in the coming years. In a span of a decade, it seems the New Left has contaminated conservative societies with excessive neo-liberal values and expected people to conform accordingly. However, in the past few years, people have started to retract and speak against Leftism as a whole—the election of the multiple conservative leaders mentioned above is a stark indicator of this retraction within the last eight years.
Clearly, there is a major pull away from liberal policies and a desire to conform to tradition – for, people ask themselves, how is a society that cannot even establish gender going to determine policy? How will it understand the true human experience of different genders? What is its gauge for morality? In a world that is facing political crises, natural disasters and a scarcity of resources, Leftist values seem to be a product of privilege rather than critical thinking.
To a New Leftist, this may seem as a completely conservative approach. However, that is precisely where the problem lies. To engage in a discussion that does not endorse leftist values is to be “backward” - but what is happening across the world is a clear indicator of this self-checking. People have slowly begun to take precautions before adopting the values of the Left. Indoctrinating the idea of expressive individualism within your children and friends to normalise mental health problems is to alienate ourselves from how our societies were initially formed and how these groups came to be.
The prevailing mood among many populations today is that when you allow men and women to do “whatever they want,” you create an environment of chaos, where anything goes. It is in fact a shared value and belief in something, from religion to legislation, that has conventionally affirmed and supervised people to keep them in check and behave.
This is not to say that things should go back to how they were before modernity – but that hyper individualism, which has become far too associated with New Leftism, is beginning to create chaos in settled societies that have historically thrived in being socio-legal.
The reason younger people are beginning to leave the Left may not have anything to do with some fault in its original values. Rather, it’s the New Left’s non-negotiable attitude towards nature and history that seems to alienate itself from the very group it intends to pull.