The Dangers of Demagoguery

[Fightersword]

Something that I feel fits better in off topic by a mile. Aside from politics, which the idea of demagoguery is mostly associated with, we know that it's commonly found all around occult communities.

What exactly is demagoguery? A demagogue is someone that uses some sort of emotional appeal to win the masses, rather than rational argument. Demagogues sometimes are aware that they are demagogues, and sometimes are not aware of the fact. It's a common understanding that emotional appeal is normally more effective at gaining an audience, so demagoguery naturally runs rampant, especially in circles as nebulous as occult ones.

Here are some signs of demagoguery that I've personally noticed:

Emotional Appeals: The most obvious kind. These usually involve calls to action specifically. The demagogue urges people to action or to an opinion because of some injustice or wrong that is either the reason for doing the action, or the reason for taking the position against the 'evil' side.

Black and White Viewpoints: In some cases, black and white viewpoints are correct. In many others, however, they represent a simplified way of looking at the world, and are designed to create an us vs. them dichotomy. The black and white difference can be combative (i.e. the democrats are evil and the republicans are good, or vice versa), or it can be elitist (i.e. We are the real occultists, because we do X Y and Z, and everyone else does not do X Y and Z).

Flowery Diatribes with Little Substance: People who argue rationally tend to simplify things as much as they can, to make the rational expression easier to understand. While the demagogue will do this when the subject is surface level, when pressed on any issue or when explaining himself, he will prefer to use long winded and flowery language, with little substance. People who don't think critically will assume that large amounts of flowery text mean the person is knowledgeable in the subject, when the opposite is usually true.

Evasive on Definitions: There are many ways that someone can be evasive on a definition. In the flowery language example, the long winded hot air that is espoused usually crucially lacks any definitions. The lack of definition is important, as it allows the demagogue to shift the definition of words around when challenged, even if the definition should be implied by what they say. This is a very common tactic in particular, and is used to create semantic arguments that avoid actually addressing the idea or argument. Always force the demagogue to define his words before you argue with them.

Promising the World: If you'll only follow their system, then you'll unlock your lives, dissolve your ego, reach enlightenment, or whatever other bullshit. All you have to do is follow the (poorly defined) system... It's worth noting that the poor definition of the system supports this promising, as when the promise isn't delivered, the goalposts can easily be moved.

Uncritical Following: The followers of the demagogue are normally emotionally invested in his position, not rationally invested in it. Using rational arguments to de-convert a demagogue's follower is typically useless, though it will have an obvious impact on any third parties.

These are just some signs of demagoguery. I know of at least a few people within the communities that engage in these behaviors, whether they know it or not. There are many other signs of demagoguery, though some of them are obviously not possible on the internet and are not utilized in occult circumstances. Keep an eye out for these behaviors, and do your best to force demagogues into debates they don't want to have so that they can be discredited.

[tc119]

I had no idea what a demagogue was until you made this post, so thanks for breaking it down. I was raised by a gaggle of sectarian demagogues in the Seventh-Day Adventist church. That whole religion is one big emotional appeal. "Something happened in 1844! Sure, Jesus didn't come back, but we didn't get the date wrong, we just got the event wrong!" They often dress up their arguments with an air of rationality and down-to-earth-isms, but a short trip to any library or brief google searching trounces all of that. The "Us vs. Them" black-and-white mentality is rampant in their teachings as well.

You're right that occult and New Age circles are especially susceptible to this because everything is so subjective. That's the main reason why I try to make a distinction between what is theory and established fact. Otherwise, we run the risk of spiraling into demagoguery.

[369 Riddle]

This is a very interesting post-thank you. I too had no idea there was such a definition even though we see this in media, politics, and agendas all the time. Great content! Btw I think I married one of these . She can suck the air out of a room and I believe potentially talk forever all without saying anything other than she is right and everything and everyone else is wrong .