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from the no-one's-leaving-until-we-have-unanimous-agreement dept.
The rise of populism has rattled the global political establishment. Brexit came as a shock, as did the victory of Donald Trump. Much head-scratching has resulted as leaders seek to work out why large chunks of their electorates are so cross.
...
The answer seems pretty simple. Populism is the result of economic failure. The 10 years since the financial crisis have shown that the system of economic governance which has held sway for the past four decades is broken. Some call this approach neoliberalism. Perhaps a better description would be unpopulism.Unpopulism meant tilting the balance of power in the workplace in favour of management and treating people like wage slaves. Unpopulism was rigged to ensure that the fruits of growth went to the few not to the many. Unpopulism decreed that those responsible for the global financial crisis got away with it while those who were innocent bore the brunt of austerity.
2017 Davos says: The 99% should just try harder.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday March 29 2017, @03:31PM (10 children)
"What's always struck me about populism is that the corporate-funded media routinely treat the term like a pejorative."
To be honest, the term has always sounded a little fishy to me. I can't think of a good reason why it should, but all the same, populism has always seemed to lack some legitimacy. Only in recent weeks and months has the term seemed to assume some legitimacy, in my mind. In Europe, as well as the US, are standing up to say "enough is more than enough", and shooting down politicians with proven crappy records. "Alt-right" is what the left has chosen to call it, but it is a populist thing.
When you get right down to basics, democracy is little more than a popularity poll every couple years.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Wednesday March 29 2017, @05:41PM (1 child)
That's only because you guys don't understand what the term actually means...
"Populism" is promising and/or giving to the people whatever sounds good to them, disregarding the consequences. Examples:
- Republicans decry handouts.
- Democrats decry high-pollution jobs.
- Everybody is happy blaming the minorities for their problems
- Everybody is safer if you jail bad guys forever
If you're systematically buying support with decisions that will bite [the people] over the long term, that's populist.
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Friday March 31 2017, @02:31AM
That viewpoint is based on the assumption that the people who are guessing at the consequences for political actions have a more accurate picture than the population at large. I think that's at a minimum open to challenge, especially when the people who society has decided have a right to an opinion that matters have seriously screwed up (e.g. failing to stop the terrorist attack on 9/11, failing to prevent the crash in 2008, wasting military resources on a country that didn't attack them, etc).
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by aristarchus on Wednesday March 29 2017, @08:03PM (7 children)
"Alt-right" is what the left has chosen to call it, but it is a populist thing.
My Gawd, Runaway! How can you just throw something so obviously "not-even-wrong" like this out there? Alt-right is just rebranded Nazism. It's got the racism, got the misogyny, it's got the subtext of repressed authoritarian homosexuality: what's not to like, if you are the complete opposite of a populist? No, alt-right is a "fake populism" or fascism. You need to take Steve Bannon seriously.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 29 2017, @08:26PM
And "the left" didn't coin the term. The "alt right" called themselves that. I mean, for fuck's sake...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 29 2017, @10:05PM (2 children)
Alt-right is just rebranded Nazism. It's got the racism, got the misogyny, it's got the subtext of repressed authoritarian homosexuality
Nazism is not misogynist (sexist, that is, it accepts humans have two sexes, yes). Nor is it any kind of sexuality, be it hetero or homo (not everything is related to sex, you pervert :). National Socialism follows nature, and therefore accepts the fact women and men have different roles. But neither is considered more important than the other:
"The two [man's and woman's] worlds are not antagonistic. They complement each other. They belong together just as man and woman belong together."
Alt-right is just rebranded Nazism
alt-right is a "fake populism" or fascism.
So which is it? The two (three) are not the same. Well, at least you didn't mix up corporatism too (spoiler: unions count as corporations in corporatism).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 29 2017, @11:00PM (1 child)
Steve Bannon, Jeff Gannon, Karl Rove, Peter Thiel. No to mention that Milo guy, and Spencer. No sexuality associated with the alt-right? Nazis? Are you sure? And why are you defending Nazis, AC?
(Score: 2) by butthurt on Thursday March 30 2017, @05:12AM
Messrs. Bannon, Rove, and Spencer are probably straight.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_B._Spencer#Personal_life [wikipedia.org]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Rove#Personal_life [wikipedia.org]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Bannon#Personal_life [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday March 30 2017, @02:17AM (2 children)
Like the talking heads at the various demonstrations, you regurgitate any number of foul-sounding names, as if they were all synonyms. My favorite talk show has a guy (Ken) who attends various demonstrations, and interviews demonstrators. At least 70% of the interviewees are so vacuous, you wonder who attends to their personal hygiene and body functions. They will blather on and on, using terms like "literally Hitler", along with your fascism, racism, misogyny, and they usually throw in a couple green phrases.
That empty headed parroting of terms and phrases they don't understand gives away the useful idiots quickly.
(Score: 2) by aristarchus on Thursday March 30 2017, @02:22AM (1 child)
That empty headed parroting of terms and phrases they don't understand gives away the useful idiots quickly.
My point, exactly, Runaway! Tu quoque!
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday March 30 2017, @04:01PM
Don't even THINK about my quoque! I don't swing that way.