Part 9/15:
This demographic upheaval was partly fueled by the benefit-rich policies of the elite—favoring cheap labor, exploiting minority votes, and displacing old communities. It led to a society where social ties, shared heritage, and collective identity have disintegrated, replaced instead by atomization and individualism. The rise of income inequality and the proliferation of unaffordable housing exemplify how elites have betrayed their own populations—building wealth on the backs of a fractured middle class and impoverished communities.