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Quote by Ron Suskind

“He was rebuilt, reconstituted by vengeance dressed up as high purpose.”

Book:The Way of the World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of Extremism

Work

The Way of the World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of Extremism

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Author

Ron Suskind

Ron Suskind is an American journalist renowned for his in-depth investigative reporting and analysis of political and social issues. Born on November 20, 1959, he has worked as a journalist for The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, and served as an editor at Time magazine. Suskind is praised for his profound insights into the political decision-making process, and his work often reveals the stories behind the scenes of power. more

“Here we find, in the work of Michael Moore, a factory for making political fools out of non-political fools. As a demagogue, Moore knows we live in a democratized culture mediated by television imagery. He knows that his audience lacks the general knowledge, the critical sense, to fully understand complex events. Furthermore, the intellectual decline of our culture guarantees he will have an "intellectual" following, and this will bolster his prestige. The ability to manipulate images without regard for objective truth, without regard for his own country and how it is viewed overseas, puts Moore in the totalitarian camp - united in spirit with those who hate America and the free market. He is not troubled. Instead, he is funny. And then, he is not so funny.”

Demagoguery Objective Truth Michael Moore

Author:J.R.Nyquist

“Arguments for slavery weren't pragmatic or ethical discussions about the realities of slavery; they were assertions about abstract identities (The Slave, The Slave Owner, The Abolitionist) and performances of loyalty to the South. They were demagoguery.”

Politics Argument Slavery Rhetoric Authoritarianism Demagoguery Identity Politics

Book:Demagoguery and Democracy

Source: Demagoguery and Democracy

“The other argument [about the Iraq War] was about argument itself. It characterized any argument about policy (whether, in fact, Iraq did have weapons of mass destruction and whether regime change could be effected through an invasion) as unnecessary, dithering, disloyal, and possibly even deliberately evil, since the correct course of action was so obvious. Major media outlets demonized dissent. In a democracy.”

Democracy Argument Dialogue Dissent Authoritarianism Demagoguery

Book:Demagoguery and Democracy

Source: Demagoguery and Democracy

“Demagoguery is about identity. It says that complicated policy issues can be reduced to a binary of us (good) versus them (bad). It says that good people recognize there is a bad situation, and bad people don't; therefore, to determine what policy agenda is the best, it says we should think entirely in terms of who is like us and who isn't. In American politics, it becomes Republican versus Democrat or 'conservative' versus 'liberal.' That polarized and factionalized way of approaching public discourse virtually guarantees demagogues, on all sorts of issues, and in all sorts of directions. Demagoguery is a serious problem, as it undermines the ability of a community to come to reasonable policy decisions and tends to promote or justify violence, but it's rarely the consequence of an individual who magically transports a culture into a different world. Demagoguery isn't about what politicians do; it's about how we, as citizens, argue, reason, and vote. Therefore, reducing how much our culture relies on demagoguery is our problem, and up to us to solve.”