Episode 4: Populism, a Drug for Ourselves & our Societies

To escape this torture, I must turn myself to lethe. So, distract me, please! Anything but that is madness, who cares to seek answers, I am merely a mortal attempting to avoid sadness. You, the bystander, claim responsibility for what I could not and give me something to believe in. Never did I claim to be a pilot, who placed me in the cockpit but didn't teach me how to fly? No, I must decline! Degrade me to a passenger instead.

Kalispera, Good evening, Buenas Tardes, Dobry Wieczór.

You’re listening to the 'After the Dragon' podcast, episode 4. Nice to have you back!

A non-predetermined tale of navigating life changes after I, your host & patient zero, Michalis, started a journey towards the unknown, hoping to be freed of my past shackles.

A story of a human, for other humans, inspired by the world around us. Hoping to bring you, the listener, inspiration. To concern you and trouble you about things around you.

So, let us begin.

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Do you feel heard in today’s society? Do you feel represented?

It’s a question seemingly detached from the previous episodes’ storyline - as well as today’s episode will have a slightly different tone, at least in the beginning - but I hope you will trust today’s train of thought equally as with the previous episodes.

For context, I've written most of these lines in mid-November 2024 from Vienna.

That now previous circle around our solar system was nicknamed “a super year for elections” by the UN, given the sheer number of people that were called to vote for their new governments, half of the world’s population, elected in a single year.

The result of such elections? Plenty. But there was a worrying trend, one that is all around us.

Populism.

Populism isn't new by any stretch of the imagination. It’s a return, with a vengeance - a more experienced, more complex recipe for disaster.

After Republicans won the U.S. Elections, I decided to invest some time learning more about Trump and his cabinet, J.D. Vance, even Elon Musk. And I did this by actually going to watch whole interviews on them; on Joe Rogan, on Fox, on mediums that the Republican Narrative would not consider as anti-Trump, but as anti-establishment, true, colorless representations of their opinions.

I analyzed the origin of their arguments: plenty of hearsay, personal opinions, stories, and anecdotes. Rumors, even, to throw mud on their opponents.

Even so, to give props where due, J.D. Vance’s speaking skills are noteworthy, balancing a simple narrative with strong articulation, clearer ideas & thought processes, and traditional values with a veil of modernism (ex. he voiced pre-election that the “normal gay vote” can be won by the Republicans).

But, for Trump; I struggle. I honestly do.

I know that he is an extremely successful person - and that I can't take away from him. I could make a case that he grew to become one of the most well-equipped people to thrive in the modern-day U.S. A tall, intimidating man with a winner's mentality, strong determination, and incapable business acumen.

But, in terms of his speeches, he sounds like a repetitive, simple-minded speaker of grandiose promises. As a character, he has a track record of criminal cases, failed businesses, and close bankruptcies.

Nevertheless, that became the cult of personality the US chose to back up.

Why?

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No matter your stance on the above, let me ask you:

How lonely do you feel in today’s society? How… isolated?

Social creatures, we are wired to be. A conclusion that was consensually reached even in antiquity; Marcus Aurelius even mentions that in Book 5 of his meditations.

And in recent years, we seem to be more connected than ever before, on a global scale.

But with numbers that are so abstract, we were never built to comprehend, that today’s society can feel so daunting and draining.

What does it matter if you can be connected with 8 billion people globally when you cannot envision such a number in your head?

While, at the same time, we live in enormous concrete jungles with an unprecedented amount of people, yet with no clear communities to belong in.

In a period where information is so readily available, while even twenty years ago it was scarce and invaluable?

Where people watch the AI rise in terror, fearing they spent years developing skills that a computer can surpass in speed & precision?

Do any of these questions hit a bit too close to home? Do they feel relevant to you?

If yes - you're not alone. You're not the exception; you're in the majority.

And, is it not normal?

People become frustrated in ways we never had before. Alienated like we were never created to be. Unrepresented by a faux democracy that is supposed to represent them, yet it does not.

It is in these times that populism seeds sprout, a societal weed that opportunists can take advantage of.

With leaders who seem to be behaving like "the common people". Having the interests of the simple people, against the elites. Being against the corrupted establishment that drove everything into ruins.

And in these times... these easy solutions to pick, seem so, so easy. So simply logical to take.

To trust someone to make these desperately needed changes for you. Because they say the right things. They hate the people you hate. They give simple answers to complex problems in a way you can now understand.

To trust a concept. An idea. To put your hope in something else.

Have you ever done that, dear listener?

To put your faith blindly to a person, for all the wrong reasons?

How did that turn out for you?

This episode is not about politics. It's about us, living in turbulent, uncertain times. It's about us, constantly fighting our demons.

Next time you hear a ‘simple solution’ to a complex issue, pause. Ask questions. Challenge it.

Next time a person, an idea, or an -ism tries to convey you to believe it, in a promise to make the world a simpler, easier place, think of what you're giving away in return.

Because life, ain't that simple, sadly.

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Thank you for reaching the end of the fourth episode - and, I know, it might have been a weird one.

As I've explained in the first episodes, it's important to draw inspiration from each aspect of life. Given the recent events, and inspired by my time in Vienna, spent in training about Conflict Transformation, with so many other talented participants in the sphere of politics, law, and beyond, I became inspired to give this one a go.

For sources, I was heavily inspired by Cas Mudde and Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser's "Populism", a book I suggest you at least read a summary of, no matter your interests in life.

Especially curious to hear your feedback this time, so please drop a message @After the Dragon on Social Media. Links are in the description.

And, as always - drop a like or a review, follow the show on the platforms of choice, and recommend it to anyone who might enjoy the podcast.

The next episode - returning to the more recognized format - is on February 6th. See you there!