"conservatism" — not really, radical neofeudalism / fascism — ate the hippies and, um, traditional counterculture by appropriating transgressiveness during a period when the 'new left', under the banner of affluent professionals of the hippie generation, became the new establishment. 1/

that left an opening. those affluent professionals had tolerated, really celebrated, a growing class gap. but most ex-hippies were not comfortable liberal professionals. 2/

most were people who felt like losers left behind while the arc of history barreled forward, and who still romanticized their youths and transgression, sticking it to the man. 3/

so the fascists appropriated transgression, attached it to (well deserved!) resentment of the then "liberal" establishment with its grating self-celebration as vanguard of virtue and progress. 4/

Now we have boomer MAGA / MAHA at all the classic rock tiki bars in Florida, persuaded that progress and public virtue are frauds, false consciousness, an ideology of the ruling class intended to reconcile them to their own oppression. 5/

The best you can do is stick it to the man by smoking a joint and having some beers and wearing MAGA hat 'cuz fuck 'em. 6/

And then there's the tech right, who are rich as fuck, and need an ideology that justifies that, but who fancy themselves disruptors, rebels, who've been on 'shrooms and at burning man for years. They switched to MAGA as soon as there was a hint the liberals might embrace some (tepid) leftism. 7/

One side from resentment of its lack of privilege, the other for protection of its privilege, went to war with a liberal establishment and found common ground in icons of transgression. /fin