The surge of populists is imminent, but how do we combat them?
The Eastern territories cast their votes, causing the Western world to quiver. Thuringia, Saxony, and Brandenburg appear to be under the control of the AfD and the Left Party. However, solutions do exist.
Languages evolution can sometimes lead to the misuse and dilution of words. Currently, the word "populism" is facing such a predicament. It has been turned into an all-encompassing insult, clouding our perception.
Some individuals consider anything appealing to a large proportion of the population as "populist." The word itself contributes to this misunderstanding, with "populus" in Latin, meaning the "people" or the "popular," as its root. And while individuals are known to gather around shared interests, the term "precise" has no connection with "imprinting," instead referring to something being pregnant or impregnated.
For instance, Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder is persistently accused of "populism" due to his politically flexible nature. Söder's political stance may be unsteady, shallow, and lacking substance, but it is not populist.
Political demands that garner widespread public support are labeled as populist, such as the proposal to expel more individuals. In this context, the Chancellor himself could be considered a populist, given his pronouncements on large-scale expulsions.
The accusation of "populism" is particularly prevalent in criminal law debates. Two legal scholars who advocated for harsher sentences for rapists in the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" were victimized with "populism," specifically "punitive populism." Although it may sound erudite, it is more reminiscent of fruit juice. In such cases, the demand for harsher sentences may be unjust, legally flawed, exaggerated, extreme, arbitrary, and so on – but it is still not populist for these reasons.
When a term is frivolously discarded, it becomes problematic; it dissipates into insubstantiality and becomes beyond comprehension. If everyone is a populist, then no one is a populist – then the word can be dismissed.
Populism does have a meaning, however. It should not be a strong synonym for "popular," "casual," or "simple." The term holds historical, scientific importance – and above all, a relatively clear definition. It emerged in 19th-century America with the formation of the "People's Party," which was famously known as the "Populist Party," and represented the imagined majority of the people against the ruling elite.
Since then, several waves of populist movements have swept across the globe, seizing power in numerous places, and in rare cases, disbanding again. Post-PiS party's defeat, Poland served as a beacon against populism.
By analyzing various instances, scientists have distilled the essence of what populism truly entails. A succinct working definition could be as follows: a movement can be considered populist if it claims to protect a monolithic "people" against corrupt or incompetent elites. This involves a triad: a homogeneous "people," elites, and the populists themselves as the saviors.
Populists engage in a multiple presumption: they overlook the diversity of viewpoints, attitudes, backgrounds, and ambitions that shape a democracy and make it complex. They instead view millions of Germans as carbon copies of a prototype German – possibly explaining the stereotypical AfD poster figures: blond, blue-eyed, and agricultural. Furthermore, populists present themselves as the embodiment of this prototype German and, ultimately, put an end to the perpetual debate.
Populism is not exclusive to the right spectrum. Leftists, even environmental activists, can express populist sentiments by suggesting they represent the unified consensus of humanity or science against the "fossil industry," disregarding the fact that society does not uniformly advocate for resisting climate change at any cost.
True populists pose a challenge to democracies by presenting the search for compromise as a symptom of the problem: the elites are merely talking! Meanwhile, the globalized, technological, demanding world serves as a platform for highlighting the gap between the elite and the so-called left-behind as a political issue.
What does not work against populism is ostracization. Labeling every populist as a populist or even a fascist only reinforces the narrative of the detached elite. Neither does cooperation and the expectation of self-destruction of populists in power work.
Imitation also fails: populist voters tend to choose the original. Or, as a CSU general secretary once stated: "You cannot out-stink a skunk."
But why engage in such behavior? Understanding the core principles of populism helps unravel the narrative of the detached elite. The formula of seeking common sense and pragmatism has proven effective. One could also refer to it as ideological freedom.
The American political duo Kamala Harris and Tim Walz advocate for realism, pragmatism, and common sense. Walz, as recently described here, also emphasizes "decency," a distinctively conservative value. Pragmatism and Poland's soul were components in Donald Tusk's fight against populists. Pragmatism characterizes Justin Trudeau's strategy against populism in Canada.
In Istanbul, the current mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, focused on "radical love" and successfully thwarted his divisive populist opponent's narrative. He did not shy away from emotive language and effectively harnessed social media to his advantage.
The approaching state elections in Eastern Germany raise alarm: the lack of inventive methods to counter populists is apparent, mirroring the situation in several liberal German intellectual circles. Here, populism is meticulously analyzed and vilified, yet the proposed strategies read more like an academic political thesis, providing little aid at the campaign trail.
To ease our anxieties post the upcoming state elections in Poland and Istanbul: populism might seem daunting, but with skillful messaging, it can be effectively confronted and vanquished.
In the context of German politics, the AfD and the Left Party are currently leading in Thuringia, Saxony, and Brandenburg, raising anticipation for the upcoming 'Elections to the Landtag of Brandenburg'. Mislabeling political demands that have widespread public support as 'populist' can diminish their significance and cloud our understanding of the term.
Recognizing that 'populism' does not equate to 'popular' or 'simple', but rather represents a historical and scientifically important movement against ruling elites, is crucial in addressing its impact on democracies.
