Identity Politics and Neoliberalism

As discussed previously, promoters of neoliberal ideas use personal and relational social identities to create fragmentations in society. The promotion of individualism forces people to accept their shortcomings as a result of their own faults. As Wren explains, “An individual is identified or labeled as defective if she specifically lacks the ambition or means of achieving financial success. It would then stand to reason that having been other-identified as a failure that an individual will seek another means of identity outside the scope or critical of the process and those deemed responsible for the marginalization or the pejorative label assigned to her” (Wren, 503). This kind of rhetoric causes the individual to think that competition is the only way to financial liberty. The reason that they are not successful is because they don’t work as hard, they’re not as smart, or they don’t make the right decisions as others within their society. By focusing on the individual, neoliberalists are ensuring that the individual will not seek help from others because others do not have any responsibility to the individual. Everyone is responsible for their own success, so, by helping others, you are directly undermining your own success. Furthermore, the will of the people becomes directly subservient to the will of the market. As Wren states, “The institutionalization of the market fundamentally changes the  structures of society and the socialization process, which becomes increasingly accommodating to the intensifying market place, while the transference of knowledge, tradition, and culture via the social structure all become increasingly tinged by and assimilated into the values of the market”  and “it creates a vacuum in the lives of individuals left by the social dislocation and discontinuity created by the disembedded economy and the subordination of social life to the dictates of the market” (Wren, 506). Moreover, these identities are cultivated and utilized to benefit cooperation when it benefits business, and divide and isolate groups that are trying to effect change. One such example that can be seen in our recent lives is the Black Lives Matter movement. During the protests, a number of individuals decided to take advantage of the chaos by looting local stores. These activities were portrayed by certain media outlets as characteristic of the movement, even though the vast majority of protests took place peacefully. The movement became further politicized as standing with Black Lives Matter was synonymous with standing against the police, even though the goal of the movement was to incite police reform, not abolition. Another example is Trump’s use of religion in both of his elections. We saw many more examples of this in 2020, but, in 2016, the large volume of support that he received by painting himself as a ‘god fearing’ and ‘honest family man’ caused him to do extremely well among religious groups in America. In 2020, there was a great deal of rhetoric that painted Donald Trump as the messiah, sent to deliver us from the evils of liberalism. 

In Mary Wrenn’s essay, she talks about how neoliberalism is all about competition and personal success to indicate individuals' worth. This shows that people should rely on their own abilities in order to succeed, and in the meanwhile, the state takes a step back, leaving the "free market" role. "There is no such thing (as society)! There are individual men and women and there are families... People look to themselves first" There’s also examples in our daily lives with companies like Apple and Tesla trying to promote the idea that hard work and innovation lead to personal and financial rewards, pushing the idea that anyone can "make it" if they just try hard enough. These stories about successful individuals try to cover up all barriers that may exist in the system, and only focus on individual effort in order to succeed. Neoliberalism supports and pushes individuals to talk about their identity through their consumption choices. It is something that Wrenn discusses in her work. It’s the idea that personal identity is being shaped by products and services an individual buys, which makes the individual's role stronger as a consumer. Brands like Nike, Apple, and well-known car companies like Mercedes-Benz market their products not just for the way they function, but also as personal status and identity. "The increasing momentum of market intensification catalyzes the extraction of the market from the other spheres of social life, essentially disembedding the economic sphere." Wrenn mentioned that the capitalist focus on consumerism shapes how people define themselves, and she suggested that their choices are a reflection of their true selves, instead of acknowledging the pressures on the outside that drive these decisions. The growing market for personal branding on social media platforms like Instagram shows how individual identity became a big factor in the neoliberal framework. Wrenn points out how the media keeps going with the neoliberal ideals of individualism by making up and spreading stories of personal achievement and the success of these people. Reality TV shows like The Apprentice or Shark Tank Glorify the idea that anyone, no matter what their background is, can become successful through lots of determination. These platforms focus on individual stories and ignore the bigger factors, like class, race, or access to the right resources. "Neoliberal man is accountable only to himself for no matter what he does, in serving his best interests he serves the common good." In real life, these media portrayals are often shown in advertisements and social media, where we can see that influencers put out personal stories that line up with neoliberal ideals of self-reliance if we look closely and pay more attention to these details.