A trend that has lasted decades? Try at least centuries.

Egalitarianism and tolerance is a cornerstone of Enlightenment thinking. Constitutions gave power to the people over kings. Capitalism gave individuals a chance to rival the power of vassals who were determined by a caste system.

I’d argue it’s a trend that’s gone on much longer, but progress was much slower when access to information and ideas was not the same as the last century.

It’s not to say there aren’t setbacks, but those setbacks have always been temporary or localized.

Now can something completely prevent this progress? Yeah, but it leads to very dystopian futures that everyone should hope to avoid.