Paradoxes of populism during the pandemic

Abstract

Populist protests against Coronavirus-related restrictions in the US appear paradoxical in three respects. Populism is generally hostile to expertise, yet it has flourished at a moment when expertise has seemed more indispensable than ever. Populism thrives on crisis and indeed often depends on fabricating a sense of crisis, yet it has accused mainstream politicians and media of overblowing and even inventing the Corona crisis. Populism, finally, is ordinarily protectionist, yet it has turned anti-protectionist during the pandemic and challenged the allegedly overprotective restrictions of the nanny-state. I address each apparent paradox in turn before speculating in conclusion about how populist distrust of expertise, antipathy to government regulation, and skepticism toward elite overprotectiveness may come together – in the context of intersecting medical, economic, political, and epistemic crises – in a potent and potentially dangerous mix.

Pseudo-Media Sites, Polarization, and Pandemic Skepticism in Spain

“…The three-fold rejection of politics, expertize (including the WHO), and the mainstream media allows for a plethora of pandemic disinformation, bolstered by pseudo-information that even rejects the very existence of covid-19, thereby confronting these populist outlets with a paradox. Ordinarily protectionist, they are challenging the restrictions and promoting skepticism toward the preventive measures (Brubaker, 2020), while polarizing audiences. Even more importantly, some of these pseudo-media are capitalizing on the complex scenario to fuel emotional responses by means of calling people to action and protest, and prognostic frames that encourage military intervention.…”

“…The pandemic has fomented a wave of conspiracy theories (Boberg et al, 2020), as well as skepticism (Brubaker, 2020) regarding preventive measures and the vaccination program against Covid-19. From the outset, authorities warned of the dangers of disinformation, including the General Director of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on February 15th, 2020, when he made the following statement: "We're not just fighting an epidemic; we're fighting an infodemic."…”

PANDEMİ POPÜLİZMİN SONUNU GETİREBİLİR Mİ? Batı Avrupa’daki Popülist Radikal Sağ Partiler Üzerine Bir Değerlendirme

“…Ancak, kısa bir süre sonra bu partilerin büyük çoğunluğu hükümet politikalarını açıkça eleştirmeye, protesto etmeye girişmişlerdir. Normalde krizlerden beslenen popülistler bu kez farklı bir tutum izleyip, pandeminin yarattığı sağlık krizinin abartıldığını iddia etmeye yönelmişlerdir (Brubaker, 2021). Hükümetlerin aldıkları önlemlerin şeffaf olmadığını, kişisel özgürlüklere zarar verdiğini ve ekonomik yıkım yarattığını savunmaya başlamışlardır (Meyer, 2021).…”

Populism and the crisis of expertise : A commentary on Rogers Brubaker’s essay

“…Rogers Brubaker took up the challenge in his recently published essay, 'Paradoxes of Populism During the Pandemic, ' by initiating a discussion about what lessons we can learn about populism from the 2020 coronavirus anti-restriction protests in the United States (Brubaker, 2020). Since the 1990s, Brubaker has published pioneering work on social theory, always focusing on big questions and calling on scholars to think critically about their theoretical and analytical tools.…”