Hypocrisy requires pretending, a disconnect between one’s claimed values and actual behavior.
But once you start unpacking the intentional and strategic nature of how our systems, institutions are built and designed to protect power, not distribute it, you realize something deeper:
They’re not hypocrites.
They just never believed in those values to begin with.
What you’re seeing isn’t a breakdown of the system.
You’re seeing it work exactly as intended.