The anti-establishment vs global elite

There seems to be a phase of life for every generation when they consider themselves “anti-establishment.” It’s generally young people just coming to adulthood that always take up the cross of challenging the previous guard’s powers in society. Boomers had rock and roll and free love, X-ers had latch-key childhoods and MTV, millennials have a score of rebellious and internet-related counterculture tendencies, and don’t even get me started on digital native zoomers whose skepticism of institutions and existential dread birthed loss memes and resurrected The Sopranos.

But in an ever-globalized society, the “global elite” and “the establishment” are coming to the fore of everyone’s minds, not just the youngsters waking up to their own independence for the first time. The idea that the majority of average people are frustrated with and standing against the establishment is thrown around fairly regularly by everyone these days. If you want to take a skeptical view of the billionaire CEOs, power-hungry politicians, and financial oligarchs of the world, you can probably find a sympathetic ear in 8 out of 10 people.

So, why is it that when everyone seems to be anti-establishment, we simultaneously feel more tribalistic and divided than ever? Who even are the establishment and can we be anti-them together?

Understanding anti-establishment perspectives

As always, we need some context and to define the conversation. Every memester on the internet fancies himself anti-establishment but there are gradations to what that means. Here are a few concepts that will be useful.

Populism

The term “populism” got a lot of mileage during the Trump administration because, like a good populist, his rhetoric portrayed him as standing against the elites on the side of the average citizen. But, whatever connotations it has gathered in the last five years, populism has long been a movement of the people against the establishment.

Plutocracy

A plutocracy is rulership and control by the wealthy. It’s similar to an oligarchy where a small ruling class of rich and powerful people dictate the governing of a society. The idea that the US, in reality, low-key operates more as a plutocracy than a constitutional republic is a growing sentiment among skeptics and the anti-establishment.

Anarchism

One of the ultimate kinds of anti-establishment philosophy is anarchism. Colloquially, when we talk about anarchy, it means pure chaos and everything lurching out of control. As a movement, however, anarchy is more like hyper-individualism, placing moral and civic responsibility on the individual to the degree that government is completely rejected on the basis that, at its core, any established power is coercive and violates individual rights. 

Collectivism 

There’s also a flavor of anti-establishment thought that places the needs of a group or society as a higher priority than the individual. Collectivism can be somewhat like populism in the sense that individuals or small groups that gain power and authority are rejected and the interests of the collective are prioritized. Collectivists tend to push back on plutocracies that can sometimes arise in capitalist markets. 

Anti-establishment populism over time

Anti-establishment sentiment has historically been rather political. The idea first came into public consciousness in the 1950s and 60s when people grew disillusioned with the establishment political parties and partisanship. “The establishment” became a buzzword that the young and the everyman vigorously rejected. Again, in 2016, anti-establishment rhetoric became an important part of the political discussion as politicians tried to distance themselves from any connection to an elite ruling class in order to appeal to the average person and glom onto populism.

Since then, an awareness of the global elite as a controlling plutocracy has only grown and expanded in everyone’s minds. To be anti-establishment is not purely political anymore, it’s cultural and social. To grouse about the Harvey Weitnsteins, Jeffrey Epstiens, Rupert Murdochs, and Bernie Madoffs of the world who seem to fancy themselves above the common person and even the law is a pretty mainstream take nowadays.

The “everyone” that is populism

Of course, if populism refers to the majority of average people, the anti-establishment would necessarily consist of more people than not. The majority is juxtaposed with a smaller group of global elite in the privileged plutocracy. Here are some of the groups that consider themselves anti-establishment.

Politically left

On this side of the political aisle, the left-wing anti-establishment tends to be skeptical of capitalism and the extremely wealthy. Proponents of equality and progressivism participate in things like Occupy Wall Street and call for large corporations to be regulated or broken up. At the extremes, there are self-proclaimed communists and Marxists who feel collectivist populism can level the playing field socially and economically.

Politically right

There are also flavors of anti-establishment sentiment that span across the political aisle. On the right wing, ideas run the gamut from libertarianism, which prefers smaller government and decentralization, all the way to full anarchy or anarcho-capitalism, which provide a robust skepticism of formal government to the point of wanting to abolish it completely. The right-leaning anti-establishment values individual liberty and free markets, tending to oppose governments and centralized powers.

Demographic groups

Another kind of anti-establishment coalition is found in various demographic and identity groups. Banding together, the collective that feels excluded from the global elite seeks to oppose any concentration of power in a white, male plutocracy. This anti-establishment movement values diversity, equity, and inclusion. Desiring more diversity and representation in entertainment, including the Oscars, is one way that demographic groups pressure the establishment.

Economic classes

Because wealth and power are often intertwined, the global elite establishment consists of the top economic classes—think Gossip Girl characters and richer. This creates an anti-establishment majority in the lower economic classes who are not in the very highest percentiles of wealth. Retail investors who use Robinhood to stick it to Wall Street and, oh, I don’t know, crypto hodlers, are part of the financial anti-establishment.

The everyone that’s the “global elite”

Politicians

It probably goes without saying that those who literally govern the population are part of the establishment elite. There are popuist politicians who position themselves to advocate for the anti-establishment majority but then, at the end of the day, that’s a bit of a contradiction isn’t it? More and more people describe themselves as nonpartisan or apolitical because of how poorly “establishment” democrats and republicans are perceived. 

News media and entertainment

The news media and entertainment is driven mostly by plutocratic interests rather than a mission to deliver news and information. Political leanings matter less and less when it becomes clear that media outlets are largely owned and controlled by a small group of powerful corporations. And all you have to do is watch Succession to have the scales fall from your eyes about how pop culture views the people versus the global elite when it comes to media and financial markets. 

Finance and corporations

Speaking of the financial elite, it’s not just corporate CEOs and Wall Street that form the monetary plutocracy. The fiat currency system itself is inherently protective of the establishment. Private banks and the Fed collude like a money cartel to control who really gains in dollars from the value created by the economy. The fact that Bernie Madoff’s ponzi scheme wasn’t revealed until 2008 requires quite the suspension of disbelief for anyone who holds an ounce of distrust towards the global elite’s self-preservation instincts. CEOs of big corporations are no friend to the little guy, either.

Academia

The academy is also part of the establishment that shelters elitism and draws ire from populists. When an ivy league degree is a requirement for coveted jobs but you need wealth and inside connections to attend elite schools, the average person is quickly cut out. There are also questions about whether academia intentionally shapes narratives and uses the peer review system as a way to influence pedagogy.