Let us examine the mechanisms the liberal bourgeoisie use to maintain their stranglehold on the consciousness of the masses. The liberals, with their polished veneer of rationality and moderation, are masters of deception. They paint a picture of normalcy, a comforting illusion that everything is as it should be, that the system is fundamentally sound, and that the crises we face are but temporary aberrations. This is their their siren song: the promise that if we simply close our eyes and believe hard enough, we can return to a mythical past where the contradictions of capitalism were less acute, where the system appeared to function, and where the exploitation of the workers was masked by the glittering facade of consumerism and false prosperity.

But what is this past they so desperately cling to? It’s built on the backs of the working class, on the exploitation of the global South, on the plundering of the environment, and on the illusion of infinite growth. It is a past that was never sustainable, never just, and never truly stable. Yet the liberals, with their endless appeals to normalcy and stability, would have us yearn for this bygone era, to believe that the crumbling edifice of capitalism can be restored to its former glory. It’s a dangerous delusion that distracts the people from the urgent task of confronting the systemic failures all around us.

The liberals, with their soothing rhetoric and their promises of incremental reform, are not alone in this reactionary nostalgia. The right, too, peddles its own version of this backward-looking fantasy. They speak of a golden age of tradition, of hierarchy, of law and order, and of a return to some imagined purity. But both the liberals and the conservatives, despite their superficial differences, share a common goal: to preserve the capitalist system, to prevent the masses from awakening to the reality of their exploitation, and to stifle class consciousness from emerging.

The majority of people, weary and disoriented by the relentless crises of capitalism, are all too willing to believe these comforting lies. They do not wish to confront the harsh reality that the system is failing, that the contradictions of capitalism have reached a breaking point, and that there is no returning to the past. They cling to the hope that there is an easy fix, that the old order can be restored, and that they can once again enjoy the fleeting comforts of a system that was always built on their oppression. This desire for normalcy, for a return to the familiar, is a powerful force that the ruling class exploits to maintain its dominance.

But the normalcy they promise is one of exploitation, of inequality, of environmental destruction, and of endless war. It is the normalcy of a system that prioritizes profit over people, that sacrifices the many for the sake of the few, and that can only sustain itself through ever-deepening crises. To yearn for this normalcy is to yearn for our own chains.

It is important to break free from the illusions peddled by the liberals and the conservatives alike, to reject their backward-looking fantasies and confront the reality as it is. We must recognize that the system is not failing because of some temporary malfunction, but because it is fundamentally incapable of meeting the needs of the people or addressing the challenges of our time. We must look not to the past, but to the future built on the principles of socialism, on the collective ownership of the means of production, and on the liberation of all humanity from the yoke of capitalism.

The liberals will continue to sing their siren song, promising a return to normalcy. The right will continue to peddle their reactionary dreams of a mythical past. But we must see these comforting lies for what they are. We must awaken to the necessity of systemic change, and the possibility of a new world. It is only by confronting the failures of the present that we can build a future worth living in.