Having failed to thrive under those rules, they believe that power and prestige — posts in “universities, civil-service jobs, and roles in government and industry” — should not go to “the most industrious or the most capable.” Instead, they should be awarded to those who are “the most loyal” to a political cause, movement, or tribe — and to those most willing to deploy lies, deceptions, and conspiracies to advance it. It is above all “the true believers” who will most succeed under such an arrangement.

These beneficiaries also tend to reject the ideal of a neutral state that allows multiple parties to compete fairly for power. Why should there be more than one party if only one party consistently advances one’s own interests and rewards one’s own loyalty? Likewise with markets: Why support competition among businesses and industries within one’s own country, or competition with enterprises owned and run by foreigners, when doing so could result in the failure of my business, industry, and country? Doesn’t it make more sense — isn’t it more just — to put a thumb on the scale in one’s own favor?

This is a clarifying way to think about the changes going on around us, both at home and abroad — not least because it recognizes that, although there are very important reasons to worry about this shift, it’s not quite as bad as a return to fascism.