As I skim the media to see how people, institutions, and networks are reacting to Trump’s mayhem, the striking thing isn’t that so many are capitulating — it’s how many outlets and people express shock that <pearl_clutch> even elites are capitulating </pearl_clutch>.
It’s understandable that lots of people would see things this way. For the last few decades, the media has increasingly fallen back on a perverse way of presenting ideas that relies on the worst offenders (because of their name value) and casts them as seasoned experts. The first time I recognized that routine as such was in 1995 when George magazine (brought to you by RFK Jr’s cousin JFK Jr) put George Wallace on the cover of its inaugural issue. GEORGE WALLACE. As if he were an elder statesman who’d spent his life meditating on our differences rather than a provincial thug who’s only achievement was attacking African Americans. Since then, that pomo-in-the-dumbest-way moment — EVEN HUGH HEFNER SAYS THIS IS TOO RACY! EVEN ED GEIN WAS DISGUSTED BY THIS MEAL!! EVEN HITLER THINKS THIS IS TOO EVIL!!! — has become standard fare. And do I really need to point out how intimately it’s related to Trump’s cabinet is a freakshow of Fox celebrities? No, I really don’t.
So here we are: even the WSJ is reporting that even elite law firms are “in retreat.” Of course they are. Political savvy is how they became elite! That kind of attentive responsiveness to power is what “elite” is, does, and means. (Or did you think that Jeff Bezos came by his sprawling empire of tangled interests by taking one idealistic stand after another?)
As we’re seeing, elites are the first to buckle, not the last. Thet’s how they became elite, and it’s how they’ll stay that way. So if you’re looking for examples of how to capitulate to the fascists, look up to “elites” and anyone else who wears the mantle of superiority. But if you’re looking for ways to fight them, you’ll probably need to look down.