by He Xiao, University of Bristol Law School,
Starting from the 1970s, journalist, novelist, and playwright, George Packer portrayed four facets of America and four ways of narrating the American story in his magazine article How America Fractured into Four Parts. The term ‘Free America’ refers to the rise of neoliberalism stemming from the conservative movement of the 1970s, incorporating elements of elitist traditionalism and anti-communism theories. Riding on the dissatisfaction with stagflation in the 1970s, it became the mainstream of the Republican Party, securing dominance with Reagan’s charismatic leadership. On the other hand, the narrative of ‘Smart America’, prevalent among the top ten percent of salaried professionals in the America, is characterized by being beneficiaries of information technology, modernization, and globalization. Despite sharing common interests in elitism and embracing capitalism, the attitude of Smart America towards government intervention is more flexible, aiming for government to ensure equal opportunities for everyone to achieve social mobility.
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