Neolib Zombies

Neoliberalism had a pacemaker implanted in its chest long ago. It’s also on a state-of-the-art ventilator. But it hangs on. 

Let’s stipulate, for purposes of discussion, that “neoliberalism” denotes a set of economic policies that includes globalization and the privatization of what used to be the provinces of government.

In the 20th century, especially after Reagan’s presidency, neoliberalism transformed individual identities. We went from citizens and producers to consumers and investors. Neoliberalism replaced pragmatic union concerns about wages and social programs with almost occult concerns about markets and inflation, to be addressed (or aggravated) by the powers that be.