I found that this week’s readings, podcasts, and video really demystified the word “populism” for me. I found that populism became a buzzword during the 2016 US elections. After learning the meaning of populism, I noticed it in this week’s documents. I noticed in both Eva and Juan Péron’s words and actions. I first noticed it when Eva said “as General Péron says, we will do what the people want”. It is clear that her and Juan were keen on appealing to the masses. When I first heard about populism, I thought it would be regarded in a positive manner. To me, it seemed good that politicians were speaking in a simpler way in order to be easily understood by all people. It also seemed good that these so called populist politicians wanted to vouch for the interests of the working classes. The definition of populism is the concern for ordinary people.

I remember watching Obama’s speech at the summer 2016 North American summit where he explained that he is a populist unlike Trump who has no real regard for the working class. Obama questioned why a man who has always shown little regard for the working class, was suddenly being referred to as a populist. I really liked how in this rant, Obama explained the definition of populism and how Trump did NOT fit this definition at all. After reading the actual definition of populism, I was perplexed as to why in many people’s eyes, this word is used in a negative manner. Politicians seldom like to identify as populists. I believe that the word now carries a negative connotations because of leaders who rose to power by claiming to be populists and then went on the become dictators who did little for the working class. Presently, this is evident in the United States. Trump appealed to the working class with his simplistic language, and promises of “bringing back jobs” yet during his presidency, he has only further marginalized the working class. A true populist is one who is genuinely concerned and involved in improving  the lives of ordinary people. For this reason, I believe that the word populist should stop being used in a negative manner.

I really enjoyed reading Evita’s Final Response. This speech brought insight into her character. It became more clear to me why the working class loved Evita so much. The way she appeals to them and repeats her devotion to the Argentine working class throughout the speech explains why she was so well-regarded among the masses. I did not know much about Evita Péron before this week. I have become very interested in learning about Evita’s life and so I will continue to do my own research on the topic. My question for this class is why do we think the word populism has a negative connotation for many people?