The 1980s represent a shift in American politics with many ongoing connections to historical patterns of racial/social control. The 1980s were marked by a "new era of conservatism" (Jazeera), embodied by "an alliance of white workers, business elites, and social conservatives" (Jazeera). Ronald Reagan rode this red wave to defeat Jimmy Carter by campaigning on themes of "National Decline" . We see this sort of rhetoric used by Donald Trump's campaign slogans like 'MAGA'. These strategies are racially coded to incentivize white voters to maintain their social power. Although these segments do not use explicitly racist language, they decided to target social welfare programs that directly benefit citizens of diverse backgrounds. Reagan also pursued an agenda he called 'Reaganomics', which essentially cut taxes for the rich corporations, reducing government spending (specifically on social programs), and deregulation. This strategy was attempting to encourage private investments while promoting inequality. Some argued it would "trickle down", while mainly benefiting capitalists and wealthy individuals. Reagan also took (what I believe to be) an evil stance on organized labor, targeting unions as an opposition to his policies.
Another instance of inequality in this era is crime control. "Law and order" rhetoric is still used to sow political discourse and separate the masses. Reagan declared the War on Drugs, which was primarily a war on African Americans and Latinos. Mandatory minimum policy settings and disparities between crack and cocaine prove that these policies are meant to target ethnically diverse backgrounds. These pursuits skyrocketed the prison population, which also paved the way for the plague of the prison-industrial complex. Incarceration is now monetized by private industry, a terrible thing for the political landscape. Now that everyone is in the prisons, America has actual slave labor (prison labor). Where corporations and the general public benefit from almost free labor to this day.
Jim Crow laws, Slavery, and political tactics fueled by fear have long stood in America. Racist policy and negative stereotypes have been long-standing issues since the country was founded, far before the scope of our class. The 1980s in no way whatsoever created racist, capitalist policies, but instead built on top of existing structures of racial control, inequality, and economic disparities.
Jazeera, Al. “1980s.” Interactive.aljazeera.com, interactive.aljazeera.com/aje/2017/the-people-vs-america/1980s.html.