There is certainly an entrenchment of an American and global oligarchy. What oligarchs historically fear the most is growing resentment among the masses, whethe

There is certainly an entrenchment of an American and global oligarchy. What oligarchs historically fear the most is growing resentment among the masses, whether justified or not (i.e., disliking rampant exploitative practices like usury vs. your run-of-the-mill envy). When that happens, distraction, _unwarranted_ suspicion, and confusion are excellent tools. Distraction and _baseless_ suspicion can refocus resentment by whipping up conflicts among the masses themselves. This has the secondary benefit of dividing the masses and rendering them harmless. Confusion about basic facts and weakening the level-headed exercise of reason can render people blind, inert, and ineffectual, often producing self-absorption. There are lot of ways to do this. Pornography ("sexual liberation as political control"), fear mongering, racial conflict, prurient and stupefying film, sensationalist news. Even COVID, which is very much a real virus, became an instrument of political control (the senseless prolonging of undiscriminating lockdowns and social distancing limits social contact and communication). Censorship is another symptom because if you censor discussion that says too much, again, a dangerous consensus might result that will destabilize the status quo that those in power rely on. But such tactics don't last. Either the society in question self-destructs because such a state of affairs is never sustainable, or people realize what's being done anyway. This is a dangerous situation to be in. Those in power rarely wish to change, and the mob can itself impose the most terrifying tyranny. All this would explain the emerging interest in socialism. Ties between private interests and government are extremely fuzzy, with revolving doors between industries like Big Tech and Washington. Growing resentment among the masses poses a threat. Socialism would seem to both secure oligarchic power by completing the merger of corporate interest and government while also pacifying the resentment of the mob with state-funded services and UBI or whatever else. Not all oligarchs agree on the precise means, which is where power struggles can come into play, but the general trajectory is thus.