The revolt against the political “establishment” in Western democracies has been variously attributed to the electorate’s perception that things aren’t going well.
Sure, we might be moving in the right direction globally by pursuing “trivial” things like multiculturalism, a globalized economy, a shared human destiny, and stuff we might all one day benefit from like the discovery of a whole solar system full of planets that could potentially sustain life, but at the end of the day, it’s apparently a “what have you done for me lately” type deal. So utilitarianism be damned, what we need is more nationalism, less integration, and a “healthy” dose of bigoted xenophobia.
But cynicism aside, some folks have legitimate grievances. That is, gripes with their government that don’t revolve around this exceedingly ridiculous notion that centrist parties are perpetuating what Barack Obama sarcastically called “a conspiracy of global elites.”
Examples of legitimate grievances would include things like: “hey, it seems like drug cartels control our country,” (ahem.. Mexico) or “hey, it kind of seems like maybe subsidizing my cost of living doesn’t quite cut it in terms of why I should accept the fact that you and your family live in golden palaces and I’m still for all intents and purposes poor and oppressed,” (ahem… Saudi Arabia) or, “hey, we should by many accounts be the most powerful and prosperous nation on the face of the earth but it kind of feels like we’ve been stuck in neutral for about 30 years” (ahem… Russia).
So with all of that in mind, I bring you the Ipsos “Country Comparison Right/Wrong Track Index”. Somehow I suspect America may be moving lower in the not-so-distant future…
Is the country you live in on the right track?
If your answer is no, then you’re in good company. Nearly two thirds of people around the world believe their country is heading in the wrong direction.
This is according to Ipsos/Mori’s ‘What Worries the World’ survey, which questions thousands of people in 25 nations.
