Explain Nation: Why and how bad politicians entice people with low self-esteem

A psychoanalyst named Roger Money-Kyrle attended a political meeting in which both Adolf Hitler and his chief propagandist Joseph Goebbels gave a speech. He observed that the speakers first made the audience feel depressed and humiliated. He wrote, “The monster seemed to indulge in an orgy of self-pity.” 

Then Hitler vented on the scapegoat: the Jews. “Self-pity gave place to hate, and the monster seemed on the point of becoming homicidal.” Finally, they turned to self-praise, a call for unity, and a promise of paradise but “only for true Germans and true Nazis.”

Hitler’s rise to power was actually bolstered by the German people’s desire to bring back the national pride they lost after the defeat in World War 1. So, Hitler promised a new world order in which the Germans would be superior to all.

This was also pointed out by Jean Lipman-Blumen, a professor of public policy and an expert in leadership, in her book The Allure of Toxic Leaders. She said there are always people who think they don’t meet society’s achievement ethic. People naturally measure themselves against cultural norms of accomplishment and status, and their failures may leave a long-lasting sting. 

Bad politicians, like cult leaders, will give them an alternative reality, a world where they are the special and privileged ones.

According to Lipman-Blumen, toxic leaders make their followers feel good by making them belong to a circle of “the chosen.” They feel part of “something bigger than themselves” as they look down upon, and make fun of, the outsiders. That was probably the kind of revenge the Nazis felt over the Jews who were more affluent. So, these people who have been bitter and “victimized by elite society” enjoy basking in the leader’s limelight as a way of sharing the upper hand they didn’t have before.

Lipman-Blumen wrote, “Because our self-esteem has suffered a blow, we are particularly vulnerable to leaders who claim that the norms of their group are far more meaningful…The leader promotes alternative standards, justifying behavior that is countercultural, anticultural, and sometimes even criminal.”

Populist politicians have this in their playbook.  Cass Mudde and Kristobal Rovira Kaltwasser, in Populism: A Very Short Introduction, wrote that one kind of populism “alludes to amateurish and unprofessional political behavior…disrespecting the dress code and language manners, populist actors are able to present themselves…as courageous leaders who ‘stand with the people’ in opposition to ‘the elite.’”

The rebellion against decorum is obviously a vengeful middle finger to society’s “elite.” 

That is essential to provoking hate and stirring the class war. Of course, they would “stand with” the masses because the masses bring more votes.

To be clear, I never think of the masses as ill-mannered. They are people with good traditional values and with respect for God and other people. Toxic politicians just instill in them a belief that pretentious rules of behavior belong to the classes that oppress them.

Venezuela’s dictator Hugo Chavez played it well. He attacked his critics as “oligarchs” as he spoke with vulgarity and vigor. He even played up his dark skin tone as the color of victims of racist imperialism and capitalism. Eventually, Chavez brought his country to a state of the highest inflation rate in the world, high criminality, excessive corruption, repressed media, food and water shortages, among many other ills.

Like Lipman-Blumen who said her book does not intend to blame the victims, I would also say that many people who support the wrong politicians are not entirely at fault. For sure, their economic condition deprived them of higher education. In fake democracies, the masses don’t have enough access to the right information because the media is often repressed or intimidated. Fake news is another one of their tools. In 2019, the New York Times reported that at least 70 countries have had disinformation campaigns.

Of course, every political leader needs to raise the self-respect and dignity of his nation, but such duty should always be above his personal gain and political agenda.

Read More:

Are Race and Class at the Root of Venezuela’s Political Crisis by Cecily Hilleary on voanews.com

At Least 70 Countries Have Had Disinformation Campaigns, Study Finds on The New York Times website

Populism: A Very Short Introduction by Cass Mudde and Cristobal Rovira Kaltwasser 

President Hugo Chavez and race: the shift from avoidance to inclusion by Janvive Wiliams Comrie on aljazzera.com

The Allure of Toxic Leaders: Why We Follow Destructive Bosses and Corrupt Politicians – and

How We can Survive Them by Jean Lipman-Blumen

The Dictator’s Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith

The Dictator’s Learning Curve: Inside the Global Battle for Democracy by William J. Dobson

Why Do People Follow Bad Leaders by Ronald E. Riggio, PhD on the Psychology Today website

Why we love tyrants by Jonathan Livingstone Smith edited by Pam Wintraub on aeon.co

75 Years later, why did Germans follow The Nazis into Holocaust by Craig Chamberlain on the Illinois News Bureau website

Watch :

How to Become a Tyrant on Netflix