I agree, it's not Calvinism. It's American Conservatism. American conservatives fundamentally buy into the just-world hypothesis [0]. They believe that the wor

I agree, it's not Calvinism. It's American Conservatism. American conservatives fundamentally buy into the just-world hypothesis [0]. They believe that the world is so strongly a meritocracy (itself a dubious assertion) that it affects basically all aspects of life. It's why conservatives often champion "personal responsibility," while simultaneously excusing their own irresponsibility. They believe that when bad things happen to others, it's because they deserve it so they should be responsible for what they did. When bad things happen to them, it's just bad luck. That leads to cliches like "the only moral abortion is my abortion" and other such hypocritical nonsense. I'm sure you can trace this idea back to one of the series of evangelical or fundamentalist movements in the United States, but personally I believe that it's almost always tied to the simple fact that many people manage to reach middle-age without having failed or suffered due to circumstances beyond their control while absorbing pro-American propaganda all their lives. It leads you to a mistaken understanding about how much power and control you have over your own life and about what the real causes of success are. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just-world_hypothesis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just-world_hypothesis