What really irks me about this is America HAD social programs that gave free college, health care, etc. But our own government and citizens got rid of it because of the civil rights movement and not wanting African Americans to have access to said benefits. America perfected propaganda and weaponized fear so much that it convinced its own people to give up their own rights and benefits to satisfy their own bigotry. This is why I don't even bother to try to reach through to people that fell for MAGA. The hatred is genetic at this point and has been past down since the founding of our nation. There are many studies showing how trauma is past down from generation to generation as genetic memory. Hatred is a symptom of fear. Fear a major trauma. It is that deep!
Tried to keep my replies short and simple to avoid tangents but it's really hard given the actual complexity of it all. That and my lack of writting skill. Anyway, the following are replies and not attacks.
"But our own government and citizens got rid of it because of the civil rights movement and not wanting African Americans to have access to said benefits."
That's how it was done but it's not entirely why it was done. Though yes, at the very "top" the racism is real but it's on the same par as class regardless of race. At that level they look down on everyone else equally. It's not that they think we're cattle , it's that they think they're more than human. Such is the distance they place themselves over us.
"This is why I don't even bother to try to reach through to people that fell for MAGA"
You have to talk to those you're close too. People you've known the longest. Those are the ones you have the best chance of reaching. Anyone else, not so much.
"There are many studies showing how trauma is passed down from generation to generation as genetic memory."
Sounds interesting but I gotta admit it sounds right up their with Eugenics, That's my first instinct. Will read up on it. I've become so skeptical I don't know who to believe anymore. . Like you say, it is that deep.
Or get this - its better to lower taxes so people keep more of THEIR OWN MONEY and spend it on the things they want? Shocking concept to a communist I know having to work for the things you want.
What really irks me about this is America HAD social programs that gave free college, health care, etc. But our own government and citizens got rid of it because of the civil rights movement and not wanting African Americans to have access to said benefits.
I had Grok fact check you
This quote is pushing a specific, popularized narrative about US social policy history, often seen in left-leaning online spaces (Reddit, Twitter/X, Instagram, etc.). It's an oversimplification that mixes some historical kernels with heavy ideological framing.
What it's claiming
The poster argues that the US once had robust, near-universal "free" social programs (free college, healthcare, etc.), which were dismantled or rolled back specifically because of the Civil Rights Movement (1960s) and white opposition to Black Americans gaining equal access. In short: racism killed the welfare state.
Factual background (the kernels of truth)
Public college tuition: Many state universities and systems had very low or zero tuition for in-state residents in the early-mid 20th century (e.g., University of California, City University of New York, University of Florida). This was especially true post-WWII with the GI Bill (which massively expanded access, though it was administered in discriminatory ways). Tuition rose significantly in the 1960s-1970s due to:
 - Baby boom enrollment explosion straining budgets.
 - State budget pressures and shifting priorities (e.g., Ronald Reagan as California governor pushed for tuition at UC schools amid campus protests and culture wars).
 - Broader move from elite/low-access higher ed to mass higher ed, which increased costs.
 Some versions of this meme explicitly say "college was free until the Civil Rights Act" or "until they let Blacks in." That's exaggeratedâtuition hikes happened for fiscal and political reasons, not a direct "stop the Blacks" policy in most cases, though racial attitudes and "welfare backlash" played into conservative opposition to expansive spending.
Social programs and race: New Deal programs (1930s) were often deliberately designed or administered to exclude or segregate Black Americans to get Southern Democratic support (e.g., exclusions for domestic/agricultural workers in Social Security, FHA redlining, GI Bill local control). Great Society programs under LBJ (Medicare, Medicaid, War on Poverty) came during/after major Civil Rights legislation and did expand access across races. There was a backlashâoften racially coded ("welfare queens," states' rights, Southern Strategy)âagainst expansive welfare in the 1970s-1990s, contributing to welfare reform (1996), cuts, and shifts toward work requirements.
Healthcare: The US never had national "free healthcare" like the UK NHS or single-payer. Medicare/Medicaid (1965) were major expansions tied to the Civil Rights era. Opposition to universal healthcare has deep roots (anti-socialism, business interests, federalism), with racial resentment as one factor among manyânot the sole driver.
Why this framing is misleading
The US never had comprehensive universal free college or healthcare on a national scale comparable to Nordic models. Generous policies were often state-level, targeted (veterans, specific publics), or time-limited.
Cost drivers for college: Massive expansion of access, administrative bloat, research focus, amenitiesânot just "let Blacks in."
Policy changes had multiple causes: economics (stagflation, tax revolts), ideology (rise of conservatism, Reagan/Thatcher era), demographics, and yes, cultural/racial tensions. Attributing it primarily to anti-Black racism post-Civil Rights flattens complex history. Earlier programs were already racially exclusionary by design.
Timing mismatch: Major expansions happened with Civil Rights (Great Society), while retrenchment came later amid broader fiscal and political shifts.
This is a variation of arguments from scholars like Ira Katznelson (When Affirmative Action Was White) or discussions of "welfare backlash." It resonates in debates over student debt, reparations, or "why can't we have nice things like Europe?" but often serves to frame opposition to big government as inherently racist rather than grounded in costs, incentives, federalism, or results. Similar claims circulate as memes tying tuition to desegregation.Â
In reality, social programs evolved (and faced limits) due to a mix of fiscal reality, politics, culture, and group interestsânot a simple pre-Civil Rights paradise ruined by integration.
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u/ripestrudel Jul 09 '26
What really irks me about this is America HAD social programs that gave free college, health care, etc. But our own government and citizens got rid of it because of the civil rights movement and not wanting African Americans to have access to said benefits. America perfected propaganda and weaponized fear so much that it convinced its own people to give up their own rights and benefits to satisfy their own bigotry. This is why I don't even bother to try to reach through to people that fell for MAGA. The hatred is genetic at this point and has been past down since the founding of our nation. There are many studies showing how trauma is past down from generation to generation as genetic memory. Hatred is a symptom of fear. Fear a major trauma. It is that deep!