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The Most Dangerous Rhetoric of 2022
Reviewing the “best” in demagoguery
2022 was another banner year for demagoguery: Ron DeSantis, Vladimir Putin, Justice Samuel Alito, and Kanye West displayed demagoguery in all its glory and horror.
Demagoguery affects our lives and well-being, roils society with turmoil, and threatens democracy as we know it, yet most people don’t recognize — much less understand — demagoguery when they encounter it.
Demagogues use rhetoric to manipulate people’s emotions, biases, and prejudices, short-circuiting their rational minds. Such rhetoric includes “us vs. them” framing, confirmation bias, and motivated reasoning.
Using demagoguery and its rhetorical strategies, leaders can persuade their followers to fervently support and practice the worst of ideas.
Example: Everyone teaches children to cover their coughs and sneezes. Then Donald Trump politicized face masks, and half of America refused to cover their coughs and sneezes during the height of a global pandemic.
That’s the power of rhetoric.
What Is Rhetoric?
According to Aristotle, “rhetoric is knowing in each case the available means of persuasion.”
