Power to the People
This week, I listened to the student’s video to reflect upon how populism became so popular and how it won Latin American people’s heart.
Populism: A political doctrine appeals to the interest and the ideas of the general people, especially contrasting those interest with the one with the elites. It is also characterised by having a charismatic leader who emphasizes with the public using colloquial language. Populist leaders respond quick and easier response to particular situations. Leader’s proposals or goals are usually non-rhetoric and unrealistic. This ideology works in a condition where the majority of the public is satisfied, but only in theory. Populism became a political phenomenon in the 20th century in Latin America, I wonder why.
After the detailed definition of populism, the video continued by introducing Juan Perón who was an Argentine politician who studied fascism and pursued it in the country.
Peronism is defined as:
- Equality for everybody and redistributing the wealth in the country
- Incorporates socialist ideas opposed to Catholicism
Peron appealed to the public that himself was same as the spectators of his speech, resonated and saught for the lower class’ support which made the majority of the country.
Then they make a comparison with Perón and the current president (at the time until 2015), Cristina Kirchner who was a Peronist and a first female to become the head of Argentina. Unions existed during the Perón regime but diminished during the Kirchner’s time. Kirchner alleviated poverty and lowered the debt, but criticised for weakening the ties with other Latin American nations.
Thinking about the fact that Argentina suffered from the financial crisis in 1989, I believe she was among the presidents in Argentina who followed Perón’s idea. Followed by Perón, Evita, who was the first lady of Argentina, also shared similar characteristics with her husband. Rather than Perón, Kirchner’s true model was Evita, who impacted Argentine society as a woman.
Towards the conclusion, the commentator questions if Perón was able to achieve democracy in the country. Perón only addressed to the people who have a voting power, and to lower class lowered Argentina’s political presence in the world.
Media, a cheap means of communication was one way that helped spread populist leader’s words to the people. Sure, Trump may be a populist who aims to bring jobs in the United States (sympathizing low-class Americans), and known for his colloquial and offensive language. But rather than criticizing Trump for what you hear over the media, why don’t we do more of our individual research and avoid from being influenced by the media who control our mind?