I believe the United States will soon enter a period defined by unprecedented amounts of domestic political violence. And it all ties back to the United States being a plutocracy, and artificial intelligence entering the economy.
I’m quite positive the United States is a plutocracy, governed in the interests of a small, wealthy elite rather than its citizens. Three weeks ago, I wrote an article probing whether the United States was more of a plutocracy than a democracy. Since then, I’ve gone deeper into literature on the topic— so much of it confirms that political and economic power belongs to one elite class. It’s logical. Many of my points in that very article, “Our Democracy is Slipping,” are emphasized by countless other political scientists.
As I see it, this elite class is willing to subordinate democracy and morality for power and profit. Even if their actions lead to political violence. The plutocracy’s greatest threat is the masses becoming aware of how power actually operates in this country. They have to keep people blind to it. Yet unlike China’s, America’s plutocracy can’t openly censor or silence those who expose it. America’s plutocrats are constrained by a constitutional democracy whose rules they can’t afford to break, because the moment they do, their power is exposed as corrupt and revolt will be likely. I believe this tension has pushed our plutocracy toward a sinister, but highly intelligent strategy: rather than suppress, they distract — dividing the nation over emotional politics and keeping the masses deliberately polarized. Consider how when the masses are consumed by abortion, gun rights, immigration, gender identity, or surface-level economic grievances like minimum wage debates, infighting with each other, the plutocracy remains invisible. In the grand scheme of things, all of these issues are nothing compared to the issue of wealth consolidation, which would be a unifying issue for the average citizen. I’m not entirely sure, but I think mass media conglomerates play the biggest part in manufacturing this internal division. The Roberts family — who owns Comcast, which owns MSNBC — and the Murdoch family — which owns Fox Corporation, which owns Fox News — are literally in the same elite circles. To me, that feels nefarious. The politicians funded by the ruling elites definitely play a part as well, as they too are intentionally polarizing.
This elite-activated polarization eventually leads to real political violence when individuals with predisposed psychological conditions become so consumed by it. When constantly fed narratives that foster fear, insecurity, and hatred of the other political side, they take violent action.
This cycle of manufactured polarization will only intensify as artificial intelligence reshapes the economy. With the advent of artificial intelligence, the plutocracy’s economic — and thus political — grip will only deepen. As that grip tightens, so too will the need to keep the masses polarized. With more power and wealth consolidation comes more vulnerability to being exposed. Ruling elites will begin taking whatever measures necessary to ensure polarization not only continues to exist, but intensifies. I have no idea what all of these specific plays will be—but I am quite positive they will be made in increasingly bold and dangerous ways. And that that will ultimately lead to more political violence, whether it’s intended or not.
Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter — now X — may be one of the earliest visible signs of a ruling elite finding more creative ways to manufacture polarization. This was a political play— not an economic one. As outlined by Jacob Silverman in Gilded Rage: Elon Musk and the Radicalization of Silicon Valley, Musk’s takeover of Twitter was a calculated move to control what information the public sees, what gets amplified, and what gets buried. Log onto X today and you’ll notice that Musk’s posts, intentionally polarizing, emotionally charged, and politically divisive, are almost always surfaced on your For You page, whether you follow him or not.
The plutocracy fears unity over its economic and political power. As we enter the next election cycle, I hope the masses can become more aware of how emotional politics and polarization of the other side is exactly what the plutocracy wants. I unfortunately find this to be unlikely, and expect polarization to reach unprecedented levels, leading to more frequency of political violence.
A friend recently told me my articles make sense but finish without a “what now.” He’s right. The brutal truth is that I don’t have an answer yet. I’m still trying to understand the forces at play well enough to eventually propose a real solution. The current situation, truthfully, makes me feel powerless.
