Today's populist leaders employ a series of strategies contained in a sort of script, a "script" or "story", like those in a movie, yes, a real script written by him or someone beforehand. In addition, it is a script that repeats itself. That is why those of us who have suffered from this system for almost two decades in Venezuela can anticipate many events before they happen or become public knowledge. So the measures and actions that Mr. Trump has taken are familiar to us and, since we saw him on the election campaign, his actions have not come as a surprise to us. The surprise is that these things can happen in the world's leading power.
It is good to remember that almost all politicians and presidents use populist methods to win elections. To differentiate the populist that is the object of this study, I will call it a radical-populist, meaning that when I speak of populists I mean them, who come to power with a preconceived, radical plan that is not fully disclosed to the electorate or at least hidden in some of its parts. The radical populist uses the mechanisms offered by democracy to achieve power, but over time he enters into an ambiguous relationship with it in order to remain in government forever, as is happening in several Latin American countries. These leaders screwed to the presidential chair continue to mention the vote, although de facto the regimes they represent are no longer democratic.
Returning to the "story" of the populist ruler, I already said it in the previous article, he bases his success on his gift of communication, he is aware of his ability to stir up large crowds, he is irreverent, authoritarian, impudent and he knows how to inflame the masses with your verb. Some of these traits are innate and others are acquired as an actor does when he studies his role to perform a performance on stage. The populist also learns his role and acquires some histrionic characteristics that he repeats throughout his tenure, using oral, body and facial language, aimed at both internal and external audiences. Its objective is to attract sympathy and empathy from its followers and above all to make the "script" credible to the audience, keeping its narrative on an emotional level,since what is affirmed is almost always easily refutable on the rational plane, which he fears and shuns, taking refuge in his comfort zone, as his role imposes. This is easy to observe in press conferences in which he does not give the answers required by the communicators, replacing them with excesses of adjectives, empty phrases or directly with the disqualification and offense of the questioner.
The caudillo builds the emotional relationship with his followers through a rhetoric that appeals to nationalist, economic, racial or religious resentment, delving into the collective unconscious, as we will see in more depth in a future article. The emotional relationship ensures the leader's dependence on his followers, and if we add to this the divisive techniques, whose effects invariably lead to the fanaticization of the followers, and by reaction that of his opponents, generating a hatred that can penetrate the bosom. family. Fanaticism will make a good number of followers maintain their loyalty to the leader even in the greatest adversities and in the face of the wildest results of his management, which, from the perspective of rational analysis, is impossible to understand.
Among the key actions of the libretto we find the rejection of politicians and old politics, in order to distance themselves from them, who are in frank discredit upon the arrival of the new messiah. In his speech against politicians, the caudillo, who in a short time is attributed metahuman characteristics, skillfully introduces "bad" and "good" with all their intermediate nuances into the same bag. Something similar also happens against existing public institutions and even national history itself, which it will try to deconstruct in the minds of the population, either with gadgets, coercive measures, censorship, threats, or simple gimmicks such as changing names, logos, images,.But what does change in truth and in a radical way is the elite that is installed in power, to the detriment of the old displaced elite, but not what was promised to change, which in its essence remains the same or worse as it found it the charismatic leader. Gatopardismo, as well as permanent communication, are used to make up for the lack of action and maintain the illusion that all the time you are working in favor of the minions. The success of the relationship between the radical ruler and his followers is also given by their mobilization in order to put them into action and empower them, or at least create that illusion. Everything is part of the script or "story".which in its essence remains the same or worse as the charismatic leader found it. Gatopardismo, as well as permanent communication, are used to make up for the lack of action and maintain the illusion that all the time you are working in favor of the minions. The success of the relationship between the radical ruler and his followers is also given by their mobilization in order to put them into action and empower them, or at least create that illusion. Everything is part of the script or "story".which in its essence remains the same or worse as the charismatic leader found it. Gatopardismo, as well as permanent communication, are used to make up for the lack of action and maintain the illusion that all the time you are working in favor of the minions. The success of the relationship between the radical ruler and his followers is also given by their mobilization in order to put them into action and empower them, or at least create that illusion. Everything is part of the script or "story".The success of the relationship between the radical ruler and his followers is also given by their mobilization in order to put them into action and empower them, or at least create that illusion. Everything is part of the script or "story".The success of the relationship between the radical ruler and his followers is also given by their mobilization in order to put them into action and empower them, or at least create that illusion. Everything is part of the script or "story".
Winds of populism are blowing across the planet, which is why the issue acquires special relevance, since it is easier to fight against something that is known than against something that is imagined.
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