Populist rhetoric plays with emotions

If we look at the speeches of the populist parties, which have been on the rise in many European countries for several years, we can see that these parties place strongly emotional language at the center of their communication strategies with the aim of convincing and seducing voters. .

The analyzes presented in the collective work Emotions, political strategies and citizen engagement that we co-publish highlight the affective structures mobilized by these ideologies and their instrumentalization in a changing media landscape.

To what extent does the use of this emotional rhetoric explain the current wave of populism? What are the political and cultural contexts that favor the expression of emotions? And what is the influence of digital tools in the propagation of arguments based on emotions and the formation of emotional communities?

Internet: a catalyst of affections

The generalization of digital tools and social networks has had a great impact on political and civic debate. By materializing the (intangible) power relations between, on the one hand, “an elite distanced from the world” and, on the other, “a people anchored in reality”, these new practices feed a process of social identity that favors emotional support to the nationalist values ​​carried by certain political formations.

The influence capacity of digital devices is thus favored by populist leaders who seek direct and personal communication with their public. For many of them, it is about promoting their ideological references in a context of identity anxiety, through topics that arouse emotions such as fear, anger or resentment.

The emphasis on shared values, combined with the virality of new information technologies, makes it possible to create imaginary populist moral communities. These, relying on symbolic referents and affections, try to erase the differences within the group and focus on common interests and objectives.

In the rhetoric and image of the far-right Spanish party Vox, these logics of community belonging are found, for example, in the exaltation of a ruralist theme that is based both on patriotic symbols such as the Spanish flag and on the defense of certain traditions. such as bullfighting or hunting.

The digital debate space allows new formats, with more immediate and spontaneous interactions than the traditional gatherings and television interviews. The impact of new technologies on public discourse is significant. Digital media drive new forms of media influence and redefine the relationships and interdependencies between the political sphere and civil society. Emotions become a mobilization tool, through the stigmatization or delegitimization of certain minority groups, for example, illegal immigrants.

During the last electoral campaigns in several European countries such as France, Spain or Italy, emotional rhetoric was used, amplified through social networks, to convince voters of the dangers of immigration, an issue that had not had electoral weight in Spain until 2017.

In other countries, social networks have facilitated the dissemination of this type of argument that appeals to emotions. This has translated into an increase in votes in the last elections (which, of course, can also be explained by other factors, such as feelings of decline, the health crisis, economic difficulties, etc.).

In the alarmist discourse, disseminated in the form of short videos, spots elections or short messages such as hashtags or tweets, we observe that the identity issue is placed in the center. The objective is to build logics of exclusion based on fear of foreigners and the rejection of cosmopolitan values, presented as a threat to the nation.

This warlike-ideological manipulation exacerbates fears and, by dividing the political space, fuels a radicalization in the public and media space favorable to populism. The affective involvement that characterizes the fabrication of these conflicts is used to feed frustrations and act in the construction of the ideological positions of citizens.

Emotions and electoral strategies

Basing their arguments on identity anxiety, several populist leaders have been able to rise to power – as in Italy, where Giorgia Meloni, leader of the Fratelli d’Italia party, became president of the Council of Ministers – or gain greater parliamentary representation.

This is the case, in particular, of the Rassemblement National in France or Vox in Spain, which, after the general elections of November 2019, became the third political force in the country. Since the end of the democratic transition process, in 1982, no formation of the extreme right had sat in the Madrid Congress of Deputies.

In that electoral campaign, Vox excessively used the “anti-immigration” theme, associating it with an exaltation of the nation and patriotic values. On its official Twitter account, the party released numerous videos that appealed to this controversial argument in a vehement tone and accompanied by lively music, exploiting the mechanisms of virality through hashtags flashy.

Building a friend/foe opposition

The register of emotion also aims to exploit social discontent and resentment of populations declassed due to economic difficulties. In a European political context marked by a crisis of representation and a disaffection of the citizens towards the State and the traditional parties, the speeches of the populist formations are based on attacks aimed at discrediting the functioning of the institutions and appointing scapegoats.

The affective vocabulary is embodied in anti-elite rhetoric and in the use of diatribes designed to feed the resentment of the population towards those elites. In addition, the emotional devices used seek to promote forms of collective identification by proposing a Manichean vision of society.

Thus, Vox presents itself as “the party of common sense” and feeds on a democratic disenchantment by opposing the people to the elite. He also distances himself from ideologies, as demonstrated by his slogan: “Common sense does not need ideologies.” The aim is to transcribe a feeling of indignation towards the traditional party system which, according to this argument, no longer seems to meet society’s expectations.

As is the case with many nationalist populisms, this issue, which systematically divides the public space, has become a central element of Vox’s communication device. The use of simple and very often binary language that opposes a “they” (the elite) to a “we” (the people) stands out, as well as a rejection of complexity.

The images and stories posted online are intended to show a party listening to “real people” and their difficulties. A video entitled “Asphalt workers, forgotten Spain” focuses, with careful aesthetics, on the precarious working conditions of certain professions. Thus, for example, the distributors of digital platforms appear as if they had been abandoned by political leaders.

Through the portrait of a 31-year-old delivery man, Vox punishes the decisions made by companies, the government and unions. The accusatory logic is characteristic of this rhetoric, which privileges the use of emotions and the presentation of simple solutions over rational arguments.

In the current context of political, social and economic uncertainty, emotions are an essential political communication tool for populist formations. The study of these mechanisms opens new perspectives to analyze not only the strategies applied and their electoral impact, but also the elements that underlie the construction of an identity discourse.

Alexandra Palau, Lecturer in Civilization of Contemporary Spain, University of Burgundy – UBFC and David Bousquet, Lecturer in Cultural Studies, University of Burgundy – UBFC

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original.