Populism and Conspiracies in Western Politics
Populism and conspiracies are related, surprised?
“New research provides evidence that a generalized disposition of distrust towards others and society is a central factor contributing to both populist attitudes and conspiratorial mindsets.”
The above quotation is from a 2023 article in Psychology Today. It turns out that populism and conspiracies often go hand in hand. Those more susceptible to conspiracies are also more vulnerable to populist politics.
Over the past few years, the argument has persisted: seemingly ordinary people are railing against 'elites,' despite many supporters of this argument qualifying as elites themselves. This, of course, does not matter in the great echo chamber of our time.
What causes populism? A study by German economists revealed a precarious reality: most financial crises were followed by a surge in populist politics. It's safe to say that outside of normal recessions, significant financial breakdowns spurred populist uprisings.
There is a chance that the global financial crisis of 2007 triggered the rise of populism in the West. However, the rise in populism can also be correlated with late 20th-century globalization and, more recently, COVID-19.
Much of the populism we have seen has been attributed to far-right political sentiment, such as Q-Anon. While it's true that a large majority of populism circled the far-right during the Trump era, and even recently with Taylor Swift, it's not entirely accurate to solely attribute it to the far-right.
The rise in anti-Semitism on the left is a form of populism. This recurrent relation is reminiscent of historical instances, from the Black Plague originating from Jews allegedly poisoning water wells to Nazi-era propaganda about a Jewish cabal of bankers controlling the world.
The rise in illiberalism is also part of left-wing populism, evident when Palestine supporters claim Israel is genocidal, despite Hamas using Palestinians as human shields, or massacring innocent people at a concert. This is also apparent in the ongoing discussions about gender, structural racism, and the refusal to quantify Western nations’ carbon emissions with developing nations’ carbon emissions (one would think if emissions are bad, then they are bad no matter where they occur).
Cause and Effect: Despite the rise in populism and conspiracy beliefs, there have always been conspiracies and conspirators. Here are some prominent, modern-day examples:
Social media censorship (which spurred the Twitter takeover by Elon Musk), which also includes the WEF and its campaign against disinformation. The First Amendment declares that Congress is prohibited from creating any law that limits the freedom of speech. This did not stop scores of left-leaning types from lamenting the Twitter takeover as the end of democracy.
There is also the example of left-wing media labeling January 6th as an attempted 'coup' and charging former President Trump as an insurrectionist. A five-day trial ensued, only to have a Colorado court agree that while “Trump engaged in insurrection…Section 3 does not apply to the president.”
Election law expert Hans von Spakovsky has pointed out that 'Section 3 of the 14 Amendment strictly applies to individuals who were previously members of Congress, officers of the United States, or state officials. Elected individuals, such as the President and Vice President, do not fall under the ambit of Section 3.'
This law, in theory, nullifies Trump's liability to Jan. 6th, but has not stopped prominent leftists like Ibram X. Kendi from stating: “If the SCOTUS refuses to disqualify Donald Trump from running for POTUS after leading an insurrection on January 6, 2021, then it will be the latest indication that the Confederates lost the military battles but won the legal war.”
Mr. Kendi is obviously an educated man, you have to wonder why he is spreading such disinformation.
I think it is quite obvious to look at 'Jan. 6th' and see that while it was an unfortunate event that few Americans wanted to see, it was hardly an organized attempt at a coup. Coups usually require the cooperation of the military, etc. As an example: Augusto Pinochet and the 1973 coup.
A career military officer, Augusto Pinochet was named head of the Chilean army around the same time he joined a CIA-backed coup plot against the man who had promoted him, President Salvador Allende. On September 11, 1973, the Chilean navy took over the port city of Valparaiso while tanks and troops advanced on the presidential palace in downtown Santiago. Directing the attack from a suburban command post, Pinochet ordered two fighter jets to fire rockets at the palace. As flames burst skyward, soldiers then stormed the building. (Source)
Later, in 1976, Pinochet’s henchmen killed one of his ambassadors on U.S. soil. Pinochet directly ordered the killings. Heavy-handed, to say the least!
I mention Jan. 6th, not as an apologist, but because it is an excellent example of left-leaning mainstream media embracing a narrative and continuing to push that narrative, with some even calling Jan. 6th a new 9/11, despite the obvious gaps in such an argument.
The confusion continues about the pipe bombs placed outside the DNC and RNC headquarters on January 6th, whether or not they were active, as described by some law enforcement officials, or if they were decoys, as shared by other law enforcement officials. It is quite easy to see how such arguments against whether or not a bomb is an actual bomb or a decoy could sow seeds of division. Again, these are merely modern-day examples, and not attempts to be a Trump apologist.
Back to Taylor Swift, recently the far right has labeled her a psyops (psychological operation) for the ”deep state.” Some have gone as far to claim the romance with Travis Kelsey is a sham, and that together they are planning to sway the upcoming election by influencing the voting public in favor of Biden.
Regardless, it seems the true mix of populism and conspiracy has been made much worse by the growing strength of tribalism, which affects left, right, and center.
I have actual real-time experience with such, being a moderate conservative who spent years as a centrist. A podcast I host recently had a mayoral candidate on, and we’ve received unreal messages on social media from leftists, sharing the most depraved images and comments one can think of, all in retaliation for a discussion about San Francisco’s well-noted issues.
If you are unable to detach yourself from leftist politics to observe the reality that plagues SF, then you are certainly a tribalist, and potentially a propagandist. If you believe Taylor Swift is a psychological operation of the deep state, you also are probably a tribalist and a conspiracy theorist.
Onward!