Sunshiny Profile picture
Jul 5, 2021 26 tweets 12 min read Read on X
Let’s talk about POPULISM.

What is it?

Who is using it?

How does it impact politics?

Is it dangerous?

Why are some using populist strategies?

How does populism impact democracy?
First let’s define representative democracy.

The vast majority of modern democracies use representative democracy.

The government is chosen by the people. The electorate chooses who governs by casting a vote. The winners then govern for all people, not just a subset.
Populism is inherently divisive. While it claims to be democratic, “The People” populism represents is a much narrower subset of the population. Populists mean the “good” people. Everyone else is an elite or an enemy.

Nuance ceases to exist. There is only black and white.
We have several populist politicians in Canadian politics. Left and right. They use anti-establishment “branding” presented as the “ordinary candidate.” Jagmeet Singh, Erin O’Toole, Annamie Paul, Elizabeth May, Charlie Angus, Jody Wilson Raybould, Jason Kenney & Doug Ford.
Their appeal is to specific segments of the population; the poor, the wealthy, whites, Christians, indigenous, the working class, BIPOC & LGBTQ, youth (18-35 year olds). They ignore and vilify everyone else. Only their “people” matter, only their people’s issues are important.
Populists emphasize how persecuted & victimized by the enemy their “people” are. Victimhood and immediate emancipation from oppression is the false promise made by populists.

Only socialism can save you. Only conservatism will fix the problems. False assurance & phoney concern.
The promise of utopia is alluring.

Politicians don’t promise utopia, they promise progress incrementally. Because that’s realistic.

Populists promise perfection, telling their followers what they want to hear; the enemy blocks your utopian fantasy from being realized.
Unsurprisingly, populist parties don’t garner large support. Because they’re geared towards a specific subset of the population. Resulting in claims of rigged electoral systems and illegitimate results.

In Canada every vote is counted in free & fair elections in a FPTP system.
Representatives are tasked with governing on behalf of every person in their riding, which encourages cooperation & compromise.

But not populists. They demand others cooperate & compromise. They shouldn’t need to.

And if they lie about opposition, it’s for a “greater good.”
Reason and logic are abandoned by populists. A levelling of all opinions means armchair critics have as much sway as educated experts. It’s ideology & loyalty, not facts and truth that matter.

Contempt and derisive griping about “Jurisdiction” or “Liberty” overrule reality.
It’s “common sense” that matters to the populist. Except logic and reason isn’t common in our current political environment.

Truth is relative and defined by “the People.”

Challenge a bad idea and you’re accused of being elitist, racist, sexist, homophobic. Labelled a bigot.
“Ruthlessly attacking the enemy in bad faith.”

That must be THE most populist strategy. Every populist is adept at false accusations, projection of their corrupt actions, smearing and character assassination.

It’s nauseating so many believe this gaslighting and grift.
Populists who have been elected and have the power of governance demonstrate with zero room for doubt how destructive putting trust in a populist is.
And that’s on both ends of the political spectrum. It’s not just far right populism that is destructive, divisive and fails miserably at the expense of “the people” who elected them. The centrist and far left populists are just as terrible, corrupt and ineffective as leaders.
And that’s the kicker. Those who fall for populists are way too excited about instant relief from misery or fear to bother determining whether populists are pandering. They just lap up the fantasy and adopt a new alternate reality. Where facts and truth no longer matter.
These people are the same ones who fall for “get rich quick” schemes, outlandish conspiracy theories, and lotto tickets.

Promise jobs, cheap housing or free education, immediate O&G end or boom, or instant poverty relief & zero wait times for healthcare. Hook, line and sinker.
Are these people dumb or lazy? No!

They’re fearful, desperate, angry, apathetic and anti-intellectual, & maybe a bit greedy.

But mostly, they’re emotionally agitated, cynical, and self righteous. They believe they deserve their just rewards.
Roughly, it’s about 20-25% of the electorate on either side of the political spectrum that are easily susceptible to populism and populist rhetoric.

Convinced that authoritarian means justify their desires ends.
So caught up in their new found political agency, relevance and power, they willingly sacrifice democracy, rule of law, national security, and every institution that provides and protects their rights and freedoms, for a quick fix.
Happily practicing cancel culture in mobs that provide security in numbers and affirmation that their beliefs and values are absolutely superior, righteous and excuse all their behaviours.
So. What’s the solution?

We “cancel” populist behaviour and call out populist rhetoric; on both sides of the political spectrum.

Because if we don’t, democracy is done.

Demagoguery is populism; the appeal to emotionally fuelled desires and prejudices threatens us all.
But we don’t shame or blame people for being afraid, disgusted, apathetic, demoralized, traumatized, desperate, or poor. They’ve been manipulated by populists. And their emotional state is what keeps their support for populist leaders.
We cancel the populists. We expose their grift. Ignoring those who have fallen under their spell.

We target their lies, their false promises, their gaslighting, their disinformation.

We make it obvious to all who still possess their critical thinking skills who populists are.
We become the campaign team that brags about accomplishments of democracy in action. We ratio utopian fantasies offered by populists with realism, not ad hominem attacks.

We drop animosity. Emotional turmoil is what populists count on. Deep wedges & divisive identity politics.
Welcome inquiry, access to research & expertise, truth, facts & rational discourse.

Democracy works. We have 70 years of democratic peaceful coexistence to prove it. Populists destroy democracy.

Don’t permit populists to cancel democracy. Let’s cancel the populists instead.
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More from @sunnshiiny

Jul 1
It’s interesting that so many switch allegiances with every utterance.

If you’re observant you can see who among your follows is unable to trust what’s happening is in their best interests.

“There is nothing to fear but fear itself” is good advice about now.
FDR was judged harshly when he shut down banks immediately after being elected.

In fact most of the sentiments being expressed now are not new. Similar sentiments were echoed across the US and Canada against FDR and Hoover & R.J. Bennett and Mackenzie King.
History doesn’t repeat, but it rhymes and right now it’s rhyming.

Past fascists didn’t have modern technology, but they did have memes and political cartoons.

Most are the very same rhetoric we hear today.

So I’m going to do a cartoon essay to prove it. Image
Image
Image
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Read 41 tweets
Jun 22
It amazes me how easily people respond to radical left & right propaganda.

The radical left declares PMMC to be worse than Harper and people believe it without question.

Why?

These radicalized extremist assholes are no different than the far right. They play on your fears.
However, this incident does indicate PMMC may require the assistance of professional comms team to emphasize what he is saying. I’m not a professional comms expert, but I can read bureaucratic speak. And that’s what this post is; clear concise bureaucratic language. Image
PMMC probably believes it is difficult to misinterpret. But there is a major discrediting campaign being conducted against him. And I don’t believe he has much experience with this level of disinformation.

So he requires an experienced professional counter propagandist’s help.
Read 11 tweets
Jun 21
As an unrecognized Métis indigenous person, it has been my burden to endure discrimination and oppression by the mainstream white community as well as First Nations.

This is a burden of which most Canadians remain ignorant. But I’m going to set that straight, now!
I’m Métis. I’m not white and I’m not First Nations. I’m something in between. Métis have their own culture. It is not exactly like First Nations and is made up of elements of both sides of our ancestors. Not just the FN side.
In Canada, it’s FN and the Inuit who have suffered the most oppression. Their way of life was targeted for elimination. But so too were the Métis. Just in different ways.

Inuit & FN were oppressed thru apartheid type communities that treated people like second class citizens.
Read 29 tweets
Jun 18
A very difficult question to answer. Not because it’s complicated. It’s not. It’s rather simple.

But most people aren’t aware of these issues because the far right and radical left work so hard to distract from actual issues and agreed upon solutions. @Vanessa_Sarges
With that caveat now in place, the answer is as follows:

During Trump’s first term, he arranged for Mike Pompeo, former DCI, to meet with Russia to develop “cooperation” for cyber crime investigations.

That’s probably what people remember and immediately think of irt the 2AP. Image
But that is not what the Second Additional Protocol is about.

The 2AP is an international agreement that enables signatory nations to access information while conducting investigations involving cybercrime.

It was discussed in 2022, when Biden was president. Not Trump.
Read 26 tweets
Jun 1
Anyone notice the First Nation Chief interviewed is negotiating in public, right out in the open?

aptnnews.ca/national-news/…
He indicates some First Nations actually support secession from Canada.

The plan for Treaty 6 chiefs was to get assurance that Treaty would be recognized & honoured. Not block the referendum.

The article acknowledges language changes, but it serves secessionists interests. Image
Image
It does not serve Treaty 6 chiefs’ interests of preserving the established legal treaty status and rights.

But treaties don’t transfer from one state to another when secession or annexation occurs.

Just like passports and pensions. They are not automatically transferred.
Read 22 tweets
May 27
@sqirlgirly I don’t care how devastated Americans are feeling right now.

I’m enraged that so many are sorry now that the evil has been unleashed. But they had a viable alternative that 90 million chose to stay home and not elect.

They weren’t bothered to help themselves.
@sqirlgirly Now that Canada is under threat of losing sovereignty from a madman and a large number of American Nazis and white supremacists who were cited into power by masquerading as Christians, they want absolution.

Fuck that.
@sqirlgirly They couldn’t be bothered to think of anyone but themselves and their “cost of living” worries when it mattered.

Why should Canadians forgive those who recognize now what has been unleashed? No.

Fight to regain control of their own govt.

Then I might have some empathy.
Read 5 tweets

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