Conflicts in Western societies have been on the rise, and not just since the financial crisis of 2008. This is generally explained in economic terms - with growing disparities in wealth and income. The left should benefit from this with its redistribution philosophy. However, the right is on the upswing, even though its neoliberalism is fueling social conflicts. How is that? Behind the economic tensions lies a deep crisis of meaning. The right is exploiting this by offering simplistic set pieces of meaning. With success, because people strive for nothing so much as meaning in their own lives. The example of the USA shows how neoliberalism destroys people and societies. Possible solutions also come from there.