What Is Populism?
A political approach/ideology that claims to represent and appeal to “ordinary people” who feel that their concerns are ignored by the elite.
But wait, isn’t that really vague?
Yes.
And it’s vague on purpose.
Populism Defined
Populism is a concept where individuals are encouraged to confirm to the values of the “ordinary people” by making the other side seem beyond reasoning, relying on its vagueness to establish an “us” vs. “them” mentality.
…but who are these “ordinary people” that we speak of?
You guessed it: typically the common values promoted are those of white, cishet met and systems which maintain their power, despite general claims of being ‘for the people.’
Historically vs Now
While historically populism movements have given rise to anti-elitist laws that have helped working classes, like with the Populists - the political movement largely responsible for improving conditions for America’s farmers and agrarian workers in the 1890s - the concept and idealization of appealing to “the people” has become more of a political tool used for rallying the unheard masses, rather than an actual stance.
Uniting people under the false pretenses of promising to address their concerns without any intention of ever actually doing so…sounds a lot like political gaslighting.
Modern Populist Movements
Just like a manipulative relationships (see our blog post on gaslighting!), modern populist movements often rely on pretty words and empty promises - figureheads who say what they think the people want to hear without the actions or ability to back up their claims, because those in positions of power have realized that appealing to “The People” is powerful in and of itself.
That’s why it’s so important to look at who is leading these movements: is it really one of The People or just someone that knows how to manipulate their way into power and never had the people’s best interests at heart? Does anything they’ve done in the past suggest that they’re going to uphold their promises to The People?
Still confused? Here’s an example:
We’ve all seen the famous trope of the popular kid (popul…ism, get it?) running for school president on the platform of no more homework and all-day recess.
Is that feasible? Realistic? Practical? Ever gonna happen? No.
But does the entire student body population believe it? Yes.
But why?
The Allure of Populism
It’s not because every kid in the school is too stupid to realize that it’s not true, but it’s because they want some part of it to maybe be true.
We all want to believe that promises are possible and that even a fraction of our grandiose dreams can become reality. So often, they get caught leaning into populist politics because they don’t know any better than to hope for the best, without looking at the structural and systemic issues that need to be fixed for real change to happen.
Whether in school or in the political world, the pressure to conform and go along with what everyone on your “side” is doing can’t be underestimated, otherwise people might think that you’re one of “them”. People never really grow out of wanting to fit in.
So What Does All This Mean?
The sad and honest truth is that something that once started off with the good intentions of giving a platform to the concerns of the everyday person has since been mangled and twisted into yet another means for the elite to keep things operating exactly the way they have been.
And unlike the end of the movie when the popular kid ultimately realizes that their opponent has a platform with substance that could actually benefit everyone, having a grand change of heart in 127 minutes and stepping down so that their less popular opponent has a chance at enacting real change…
We can’t rely on those in power to suddenly wake up and want to help the rest of us because let’s face it: they’re happy with exactly the way things are.
It’s really up to us to make the distinction and not fall for the populist gaslighting, because now that we know better, we can do better.
