While the 1960s progressive ethos was built on the belief that poverty and inequality were caused by structural failures like systemic racism, lack of opportunity, and poor schools, in the late 1970s and 1980s, a powerful counter-narrative emerged.
It reframed poverty as a personal moral failure, arguing that generous social welfare programs did not solve poverty, but instead created a culture of dependency as government assistance incentivized unemployment, broke apart families, and eroded the American work ethic.
This anti-progressive view also closely mirrored the rise of conservative Christianity.