Bezusko argues that the War on Welfare (1980-1996) was linked to the Cold War. Because welfare policies kept African-American families in a cycle of poverty, they “undercut America’s projected image as a land of success and freedom.” Are you persuaded by Bezusko’s argument about the linkages between U.S. welfare practices and Cold War ideology? Why or why not?
March 20, 2019 at 2:16 pm
The Presidency of Ronald Reagan and the image that America wanted to present of itself to the rest of the world throughout the 1980s is best exemplified by Reagan’s reelection campaign ad in 1984 titled “It’s morning again in America.” Reagan’s characterisation of the ideal American experience that he was describing and presenting in the ad was notably white, suburban, and middle class – meaning the existence of a black, urban-dwelling, ‘welfare class’ starkly contrasted with his narrative of American exceptionalism and what the country was about. Reagan’s vision of creating an America that supposedly worked for everyone was flawed from conception, because, in reality, the economic system he helped create, and the war on welfare he waged, disproportionately harmed lower-income people of colour by perpetuating and extending the systematic advantages enjoyed by middle-class white Americans.
The War on Welfare was rooted in the neoconservative and individualistic mentality of one needing to pick themselves up by the bootstraps (even when they are systematically disadvantaged) instead of relying on the government to help them. It shifted blame away from the faults of the system and implied laziness and selfishness of people who couldn’t work for any number of reasons. I buy into Bezusko’s argument regarding the reasons behind the War on Welfare because America was trying to prove to the world (and often continues to do so) that the communist system required the government to prop people up and that people should instead be rewarded for their hard work and innovation instead of being equally compensated and rewarded for different work. The welfare system was an example of the American government propping up its citizens, and was, therefore, a contradiction of the idea that capitalism meant individuals left by themselves could produce the best outcomes. However, I would also argue that the Cold War wasn’t the only reason for the war on welfare, but also Reagan’s desire to build a white voting coalition that believed they earned their opportunities because they were the most hardworking. Perhaps white Americans were afraid of confronting the convenience of the fact that they themselves were the most entitled people in the country, and sought to attack those who received formal welfare as less deserving. These white middle-class Americans fundamentally believed everyone had an equal chance to get ahead in life, and African Americans on welfare bothered them because they couldn’t come to terms with their own privilege.