THE RISE OF 'POLITAINMENT'

Contemporary populism is not a rebellion of the downtrodden but a power struggle between rival elites who weaponise moral rhetoric and algorithmic crowds in order to become political brands

- BY NADEEM F. PARACHA

“More than a spontaneous eruption of the ‘masses’, the rise of contemporary ‘messianic’ leaders in politics is largely about the transformation of politics into what the American political scientist David Schultz called “politainment”.

Modern-day populism is rarely a struggle for resources by the poor. Instead, it functions as a clash between rival elites, especially via social media, thus turning political parties into digital fan clubs. Although populist rhetoric frequently invokes the people against a ‘corrupt elite’, most modern uprisings are not exactly driven by the underprivileged. These movements represent what the American historian Christopher Lasch famously described as the “revolt of the elites.”

Whereas the 20th century was defined by the revolt of the masses through labour unions and peasant movements, the 21st century has been about a tussle between the mainstream elite and an “alternative elite.” And within these elites lie all forms of contemporary politics: leftist, liberal and rightist. Lasch described the alternative elite as a class mainly comprising urban middle-class professionals and entrepreneurs who have gained significant economic clout but find the path to institutional power blocked by traditional politics and processes.

Rather than seeking to dismantle the system, these alternative elites aim to force a system readjustment, so they can enter what they believe is blocked to them. That’s why they are sometimes also called the “blocked elite.” They cloak their ‘activism’ in the language of a ‘people's struggle’, even though their core aim is to transform their class-specific economic and political desires into a broader moral mission.