If You Can’t Spot a Demagogue, You’re the Mark

If you claim to study history but can’t spot a demagogue, you’re part of the problem.

The algorithm keeps feeding me “History” pages, reels, and accounts. Most are fine, some great, but I’m astonished how many claim to study conflict and strife (surprise, a lot of them are Civil War stans, but not all) yet this week fell over themselves to praise a literal demagogue whose positions and tactics are the same as those that caused much of the conflict they claim to study. Weepy videos, odd tributes, and at least one seemingly heartfelt vlog that led off their tribute with absolutely unrelated footage of the bus stabbing in Charlotte. Yeah. Weird as hell.

Demagogues caused some of the ugliest conflicts in our history. Rosewood burned because of them. Tulsa was left in ashes. Stonewall was sparked by them. World War II was fueled by them. And yep, so was the U.S. Civil War, driven by fire-eaters and demagogues stoking fear that sound just like the ones today. Lincoln never left that theater because of the words of demagogues driving the man behind the gun.

At this point demagoguery should be the easiest thing in the world to spot.

If you can’t see how the murder of a pretty white girl gets televised, amplified, and twisted into scapegoating, if you can’t see how false narratives about immigrants and trans people get weaponized, if you think “civil debate” is possible when the whole premise is lies and moral panic about vulnerable communities, and the 'debate' is being staged by a demagogue for outrage farming and clicks… then you’re not studying history.

You’re a sucker. You’ve just got a weird hobby and a war fetish.

Oh, and for those that need it the telltale elements of a demagogue, in a nifty list:

Scapegoats vulnerable groups & “others"
Intentionally stokes fear and moral panic under false pretense
Appeals to prejudice, not reason – while claiming to be rational
Leverages patriotism, religion, or tradition to hijack the debate
Promises quick fixes to complex problems
Brands critics as enemies, evil, and morally corrupt

Does any of that sound like someone today? No? See the fetish line above, and fuck off. Or better yet, read a couple of my favorite books on the subject and get smarter:

Patricia Roberts-Miller, Demagoguery and Democracy
Michael Signer, Demagogue: The Fight to Save Democracy from Its Worst Enemies