[pp.int.general] My thoughts at present

[carlo von lynX]

On Mon, Oct 24, 2016 at 04:24:36AM -0700, Paul Tidwell wrote:
> Part of the problem with populism though is that even using that word in
> the modern political world is weaponize d and charged in a way that's
> highly misleading.

Hum, my guess would be that recovering the word "populism" for
a good purpose is a bit of a lost cause. Until recently I didn't
even know there is a positive way to define it. I always thought
it means the same as demagoguery.

Based on the thinking I described in the previous mail, I see
difficulty in connecting "populism" with a "rational" and fact-
based approach to participatory politics. But, if populism
remains the exercise of selling simplified solutions to complex
problems to the populace, then I don't see how doing it from
"the left" is conceptually so much better than doing it from
the right. I'm afraid it actually reduces the chances of doing
"good" politics altogether.

I think in 2012 we had a real chance of making the process of
democracy the topic of conversation rather than simplifications
of the complexity of reality. The idea that we should upgrade the
operating system of democracy really stuck with a lot of people,
driving our popularity in surveys up to some 13% in Germany. I
hope this is actually the driving force behind the popularity
of Pirates in Iceland.

I don't think it is actually helpful in the "migration crisis"
to have a public debate about varying symptoms of migration
when the issue is complex enough to actually deserve a deep
and competent debate on the reform of our economic system. But
if that is over the top of the general population, it is better
to focus on *how* our democratic processus works and have that
be a subject of public discourse rather than the symptoms of a
broken economic system, the symptoms of a complex reality
rather than the reality underneath.

Then again, all the documentaries that have come out in the
last few years are being very helpful to educate the popula-
tion on how in detail our economic system is broken. They
*are* getting more competent at comprehending the complexity
behind the symptoms. But still it is a minority doing so. The
majority will insist on enjoying lazy prejudices and then
there is also the continous work of manipulatory forces
spreading stupid thinking like "Yes, robots will steal our 
jobs, but don’t worry, we’ll get new ones"

Making the rationality and quality of the legislational
process the topic of discourse rather than the treatment
of symptoms of bad legislation, that would also keep
the methods of manipulation in people's focus rather
than allowing it to effect.


-- 
  E-mail is public! Talk to me in private using encryption:
         http://loupsycedyglgamf.onion/LynX/
          irc://loupsycedyglgamf.onion:67/lynX
         https://psyced.org:34443/LynX/