The US election is a complex and unpredictable spectacle. Broadly speaking, almost 30 years of conservatism and political radicalism in the era of globalisation have intensified polarised competition. From an outside perspective, this competition can seem entertaining, even comedic, but it reflects a global political structure increasingly inclined toward conservatism, local protectionism, and an inability to respond meaningfully to global challenges.
Whatever the election’s outcome had been, the US is moving steadily towards a decline in its global political and economic influence. This downturn reflects not only a diminishing hold on global economic, political and military power but also a lack of spiritual and moral values. For the US, a nation historically known for its political and cultural dominance, this absence resembles a loss of inspirational leadership. After the election, the repair of civilisation and humanitarian values will be a long-term endeavour, requiring renewed awareness and commitment from individuals.
Amid the political theatre of US party competition, the stage is rife with sarcasm, insult, political manipulation, legal manoeuvres, defamation — and even physical violence and gunshots. There’s ceaseless shouting, positioning, provocation, ridicule and cursing coming. This spectacle has consumed American talents and economic might, with vast displays of economic, capitalist and technological power.
As this prolonged farce unfolds, we witness a continuous performance by those who uphold the “traditional” US narrative, and the tech and capitalist tycoons. The noise has reached an unsettling crescendo. When the curtain falls and the coin of fate lands, only one side will face up, revealing the winner, while the image on the other side fades into temporary obscurity. Yet, the winner’s victory does not stem from courage or confidence but from something that feels closer to destiny, intangible and undecipherable. What we are truly witnessing is the fate of the US and its identity.
A ghostly mirror
Less than a week ago, I was in New York for two of my exhibitions during Halloween. I had experienced this holiday annually during my 10 years there in my youth. But this time, as I watched people frantically prepare and dress up, I was not interested at all. In fact, since I moved to the US in 1981 to study art, more than 40 years have passed.
This time allowed me to detach from authoritarian rule in China, shaping my fundamental philosophies during my years in the US. Today, we can see that the so-called competition between the two parties mirrors Halloween’s ghostly essence. All the words are familiar, yet their roots in sarcasm and grotesque imagery are intended to shock the world, all marching together in lockstep.
Can the election winner truly “make America great again”? The US has profited more than any other country from capitalism and globalisation, amassing a crazy amount of wealth yet creating ideological, productive and financial imbalances. This monopoly on capital and obsession with dominance reveals itself in both parties’ power dynamics, symbolising the iron grip of pragmatism.
This supremacy was sustained by rapid technological advancements and the abandonment of localism in favour of globalisation. Now, we are witnessing the characteristics of US conservatism and the pragmatism of big capital, which will shape domestic and international policies in this term and possibly future ones. This is the
US reaction to the fallout of globalisation, consumerism and the pursuit of pleasure, along with technological and scientific advances. The US will likely, as expected by the victors, reinforce local protectionism, military dominance, corporate interests and hostility toward outsiders; such practices have always existed in some form but will now become more blatant.
A dream unravelling
Capitalism’s monopolistic pursuit of wealth and profit means it faces an unpredictable, frenetic future — a Halloween-like performance that will grow increasingly surreal. Can the US revert to an isolationist stance, rejecting immigrants and outsiders while holding on to the monopoly of regional benefits? This seems a distant dream. Capital globalisation has cemented China as a formidable competitor, and there is also competition coming from Europe and Asia. The US notion of being the unrivalled superpower with all its advantages is a dream from which it now must awaken.
For the election’s losing side, defeat stems not only from an inherent tendency toward self-indulgence but also from a reliance on political rhetoric that feels increasingly disconnected from pragmatic American values and detached from the very soil that could have secured victory.
This pragmatism of capital has, in both American and global politics, become sharp-tongued and ruthless. Both parties, frankly, expose humanity’s flaws of greed and selfishness, and what’s reflected in this display is the decayed moral ground of humanitarianism and civilisation — a frightening image of unchecked corporate, military and technological power.
Halloween, it seems, is far from over. We will live with this masquerade for a long time, both inside and outside its illusion. Regardless of the costumes, we can no longer appear as our true selves. The identity of the individual has been obscured by economic disputes, political stances and wars.
Today, real human identities have long been eclipsed. In the Ukraine-Russia and Israel-Gaza conflicts, for example, the US influence looms large. Whether considering the conflicts’ origins or developments, the hand of US involvement is clear. And regardless of these wars’ outcomes, the political and economic contradictions that fuel them are unlikely to disappear.
Ai Weiwei is a Chinese contemporary artist, documentarian and activist
