Elitism versus populism is a false dichotomy imposed by neoliberalism

Evidence

The opposition that sets elitism against populism is one that neoliberalism has put in place, which is why it’s a mistake to fall either side of it. The neoliberal attack on cultural “elites” has gone alongside the consolidation and extension of the power of an economic elite. But there’s nothing “elitist” about assuming intelligence on the part of an audience (just as there is nothing admirable about “giving people what they want”, as if that desire were a natural given rather than something that is mediated on multiple levels). — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk, 648

Categorization

• DEEPTHINKING: Dense, paradigm-framing claim: the elitist-populist polarity itself is an artifact of the neoliberal conjuncture that also consolidated economic elites
• XREF: connects to: Neoliberals deliberately combined elite scholarship with populist simplification — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin: The Making…, 87

Broader Connections

• Neoliberals deliberately combined elite scholarship with populist simplification #expands (0.78) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 87