Contemporary Fascism as Elite Counterrevolution Against Accountability Movements
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/by/the-ezra-klein-show. "Opinion | Naomi Klein on the Fascism of Elite Backlash - The New York Times." March 20, 2026. www.nytimes.com
The Gist
Klein argues that what we're seeing today is fascism, but it's not fascism of the oppressed - it's fascism of the powerful who feel threatened. Rich and powerful people got scared when movements like #MeToo started holding them accountable, so they're using far-right politics to protect themselves.
Conclusion
The current political moment represents a fascist counterrevolution by elites who are revolting against emerging accountability movements that threatened their traditional impunity
Premises
- Fascism is fundamentally a pathology of injured power - it emerges when powerful people feel hurt or threatened, not when powerless people are oppressed
- Historical fascism arose from powerful groups (soldiers, generals, industrialists) who were injured by events like WWI sanctions, not from the truly powerless
- Contemporary elites have experienced threats to their impunity through accountability movements like #MeToo
- Evidence from the Epstein files shows elites seeking advice from a known sex criminal about protecting themselves from accountability movements
- The unleashing of far-right movements serves as a protective mechanism for threatened elites
- Trumpism exhibits aesthetic and behavioral connections to 20th century fascist movements
Assumptions
- The term 'fascism' can be meaningfully applied to contemporary political movements without requiring exact historical parallels
- Elite behavior patterns revealed in the Epstein files are representative of broader elite attitudes
- Accountability movements like #MeToo posed a genuine threat to elite impunity
- There is a causal relationship between elite fear of accountability and support for far-right movements
- Aesthetic and stylistic similarities between movements indicate deeper structural connections