Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) is known for her sharp wit, unapologetic authenticity, and willingness to speak truth to power.
But in a recent Instagram video, the New York congresswoman turned the lens inward — admitting she once overestimated the intelligence and sophistication of those threatening democracy.
“The mistake that I made — and I made this early on — was that I thought fascist takeover attempts were going to be architected by evil geniuses,” Ocasio-Cortez said in the candid clip, later reshared by journalist @pablo.manriquez. “I was not expecting how unearned, nepotistic, mediocre and just dumb so many of the people architecting this were going to be.”
Ocasio-Cortez, who once worked as a bartender and waitress before her historic 2018 election to Congress, used the moment to reflect on how class bias and elitism shape political discourse.
“I Did Something”
The congresswoman also addressed a recurring criticism often lobbed by her political opponents — her working-class background.
“That’s why the right is like, ‘You were a bartender, you were a bartender,’” she said. “Yeah, I did something. I did something a lot of these people never did.”
She went on to draw a sharp contrast between those who worked their way up and those who inherited privilege:
“A lot of these people had their mommies or daddies or their little benefactors or billionaire friends place them places because they didn’t earn nothing. They can’t do it without crutches and silver spoons and billionaire ass they’re kissing.”
Her words struck a chord across social media, especially among people from working-class backgrounds who saw in AOC a mirror of their own struggles and pride. Many praised her for reaffirming the dignity of labor and rejecting the notion that power and pedigree define worth.
“They have a visceral reaction to DEI because they know how far the rest of us could get with just a fraction of their privilege,” one commenter chimed.
A Broader Reflection on Power and Privilege
Since she arrived in Washington, Ocasio-Cortez has remained a lightning rod in U.S. politics — both celebrated by progressives for her authenticity and vilified by conservatives for her bold rhetoric. Yet in this latest reflection, she seemed less focused on partisan battles and more on a sociological truth: that systems of privilege often mask mediocrity.
“It works because of brute force,” she explained. “You can do anything through brute force. But it’s not sophisticated, and it does not merit my intellectual respect.”
Her remarks reflect a central theme in her political philosophy — that competence and intelligence are not confined to elite institutions or inherited wealth, but often emerge from lived experience and hard work.
As she put it in her closing message: “They are mad that someone from a lesser class is outclassing them.”
