<
https://theconversation.com/look-to-the-mainstream-to-explain-the-rise-of-the-far-right-218536>
"Javier Milei in Argentina. Geert Wilders in the Netherlands. These are the two
latest “populist shocks” – the tip of the “populist wave” that comes crashing
against the weakened defences of liberal democracies.
At the same time, former UKIP leader Nigel Farage benefits from the same
“funwashing” on
I’m a Celebrity Get me out of Here! as Pauline Hanson, leader
of the most successful extreme right party in Australia in recent years, did
when she was invited on
Dancing with the Stars just a moment after her
political career plummeted.
The contradiction in addressing the rise of far-right politics in public
discourse could not be starker. And yet, it goes far deeper.
It should be obvious to anyone concerned about these politics and the threat
they pose to democracy and certain communities, that humanising their leaders
through fun reality TV shows or coverage of their hobbies rather than politics
only serves to normalise them.
What is less obvious and yet just as damaging is the hyped coverage of the
threat. Milei and Wilders are not “shocks”. The resurgence of reactionary
politics is entirely predictable and has been traced for a long time. Yet every
victory or rise is analysed as new and unexpected rather than part of a longer,
wider process in which we are all implicated.
The same goes for “populism”. All serious research on the matter points to the
populist nature of these parties being secondary at best, compared to their
far-right qualities. Yet, whether in the media or academia, populism is
generally used carelessly as a key defining feature.
Using “populist” instead of more accurate but also stigmatising terms such as
“far-right” or “racist” acts as a key legitimiser of far-right politics. It
lends these parties and politicians a veneer of democratic support through the
etymological link to the people and erases their deeply elitist nature – what
my co-author Aaron Winter and I have termed “reactionary democracy”.
What this points to is that the processes of mainstreaming and normalisation of
far-right politics have much to do with the mainstream itself, if not more than
with the far right. Indeed, there can be no mainstreaming without the
mainstream accepting such ideas in its fold.
In this case, the mainstreaming process has involved platforming, hyping and
legitimising far-right ideas while seemingly opposing them and denying
responsibility in the process."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
