Trivialization against the Victims of Neoliberalism

Mocking or belittling the human cost of neoliberal policies as the complaints of the “uncompetitive,” the “resistant to change,” or those who “can’t keep up.” It portrays the gig economy, student debt, and housing insecurity as lifestyle choices or youthful struggles, not structural traps.

Trivialization against the Victims of Neoliberalism Example: Calling millennials struggling with debt and rent “the avocado latte generation,” suggesting their precarity is a result of frivolous spending, not stagnant wages and asset inflation. This trivialization turns a systemic economic condition into a moral failing and a punchline.

by Abzugal February 8, 2026

Trivialization against the Victims of Late-Stage Capitalism

The mocking, aestheticized dismissal of the system's most grotesque outcomes as lifestyle quirks, generational memes, or personal brand opportunities. It turns systemic despair into a series of ironic jokes ("I can't afford to retire, lol"), viral challenges, or content about "quiet quitting" and "bed rotting," thereby dissolving collective rage into atomized, consumable experiences. The violence of the system is trivialized into a mood.

Trivialization against the Victims of Late-Stage Capitalism Example: A viral TikTok trend where users humorously list their "five side hustles" while showing their maxed-out credit cards, set to an upbeat song. The trivialization converts the brutal reality of wage stagnation and the need to work multiple jobs to survive into a relatable, funny personality trait, deflecting anger toward the system into a performance of resilient irony for likes.

by Abzugal February 8, 2026

Trivialization against the Victims of Anti-communism

The rhetorical minimization of anti-communist persecution, either by mocking its severity, reducing it to a historical curiosity, or treating its contemporary legacy as a joke. It dismisses the lasting trauma of blacklists, ruined lives, and state violence as "ancient history," "political correctness," or the over-sensitive whining of "tankies" and losers, thereby preventing serious moral reckoning.

Trivialization against the Victims of Anti-communism *Example: Responding to a discussion about the millions killed in the anti-communist massacres in Indonesia in 1965-66 with a comment like, "Old news. Should we also cry about every medieval war? Move on." Or, making light of the McCarthy era with a meme about "naming names" at a Hollywood party. This trivialization treats genocide and political terror as trivial footnotes or edgy humor, actively stripping them of their gravity and ongoing political relevance.*

by Abzugal February 8, 2026