Memes

Yep, you're referring to the "labor aristocracy." The working classes in the imperial core are bribed by the spoils of imperialism into complacency. What's causing the rise in radicalization is a decline in imperialism, due to global south development (largely due to projects like BRI and trade with China). This is why the US Empire is surging to the right, as imperialism is being brought inward and austerity forced on the labor aristocracy. This is causing radicalization:

So it's important not just to look at the local, but also the international aspects of class. There's also the fact that the US is a settler-colony, and this is the primary contradiction within Statesian society.