Reread a flawed but personal favorite time travel novel called Time on my Hands, and at one point the protagonist is trying to explain his world-- 1994--to someone in 1938 and it occurred to me that it might be more difficult to explain 2025 to someone in 1994.
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With exponential progress, the present world becomes increasingly more bizarre and incomprehensible to the more and more recent past.
https://youtu.be/IEaNTLA_zgY?si=RiXn29ivHW4gldWU
https://youtu.be/TcmpqeIcbAw?si=uPutvoDkQBNbolH6
For the record, had someone I trusted somehow explained now to me back then? I’d have definitely made sure now could not have happened.
1994 Dan: Wait, people are paying for a digital drawing?
2025: They had weird ape art, and even President trump sold them.
1994 Dan: Wait! President who? Are you screwing with me?
Sounds like it was at least partly inspired by Jack Finney's lovely Time and Again.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Rohmer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YHC5KPVUqM
But it would take a good bit of time to sketch out the course of events and the forces at work.
A lot of it is as you say, Rush++. Reagan getting rid of the Fairness Doctrine is part of it too.
By 2008 and Obama, it was clearly out of anyone's ability to control and it just got more insane from there.
It is an insane time to live.