1. CAUTION:
POPULISM IS COMING!
May 16, 2013
On February 2nd, 2014, presidential elections will be held in El Salvador.
As is expected, some proposals have already arrived, and with them, a series of emotional arguments, devoid of content
or principles. This phenomenon is known as populism and is highly dangerous for countries like ours.
In any electoral season, identifying and combating populism are not easy tasks. In this newsletter, CREO offers you a
simple guide of the main symptoms of populism and some risks of falling into it.
21.6%Emotions over reason: For a populist to succeed, they must
appeal to the heart, not the brains, of citizens. They must ma-
ke them feel good instead of incentivizing critical thinking.
“Us and them” A very effective emotional resource is to crea-
te opposing sides. Populists will say that those who oppose
their plans are against the entire nation, thus deserving “fewer
rights” than their supporters.
To blindly delegate the fate of our country to a politician with these characteristics, and expect the country
to improve, is like commissioning a wolf to look after the sheep and expect them to be safe!
How to defeat populism? By asking questions, demanding explanations and understanding that it
is not a politician, but YOURSELF, the architect of your own success.
Words lose their true meaning: Liberty, democracy, republic,
equality. Such important concepts lose their essence when they
are abused by populists.
Concepts are key: If we misunderstand the essence of liberty,
how can we defend it?
Populism is expensive: Promises aren’t miracles. They have a
price tag, paid by each and every one of us.
Dependence on the State: The more it gives you, the more it
can tell you how to live your life. Patronage and blackmail are
sons of populism.
You have the right to remain silent! A populist will try to
hold on to power and in many cases, is willing to silence those
who question their plan. Intolerance becomes systemic.
We don’t know who is who: Populism does not belong to the
left or the right. For a populist, principles are worthless and will
jump on any bandwagon to reach power!
SYMPTOMS OF POPULISM WHY IS IT DANGEROUS?
Money is not an issue: For a populist, actions don’t carry
costs or consequences. They are not afraid of proposing
anything because in their scheme, resources are not scarce.
“Sounds good is better than makes sense”: For a populist,
it doesn’t matter if proposals are coherent. What matters is
that they sound thrilling, even if they cannot be carried out.
“I am the State!” There are no
institutions worth the respect of a
populist. Institutions meant to ser-
ve you, will serve their political
purposes.
As George Orwell said in Animal
Farm, “all are equal, but some are
more equal than others.”
“First person-itis” A populist
won’t talk about institutions or
teamwork. They will single-
handedly solve every single issue!