"How in the year 2026 can racism, sexism, even fascism be ascendant?"

Capitalism is in crisis. Climate pressures, mature markets, and rival economies are making growth harder to come by so capitalism is leaning harder into its levers of exploitation and division.

At the same time the emphasis is shifting from growth to consolidation. As the pie gets increasingly difficult to enlarge, the oligarchs want to secure as much of that pie for themselves as they can.