Demagoguery is a complex of polemical techniques and oratorical abilities, as well as means that help to deceive the audience and attract it to the desired side with the help of false abstract reasoning based on logical miscalculations (sophisms).
In other words, the concept in question is a trick used for speech influence in order to obtain the desired result by any means. Typically used in advertising, propaganda and to achieve political goals. Often in colloquial communication, the concept of demagoguery refers to lofty and empty reasoning based on a distorted interpretation of various facts. Thus, demagoguery is, in simple words, a kind of tool for creating the impression of rightness in the absence of such in reality.
What is demagoguery and why is it needed?
Demagoguery is the influence of words on people, which is based on the deliberate distortion of facts. Or demands, reasoning based on the subjective interpretation of concepts or things.
Demagoguery - what is it? In simple terms, this is one of the forms of manipulative behavior, which is based on the lack of reliable information. The method is used to dishonestly achieve one’s goals in a dispute and mislead others. It is a tool for creating the effect of being right without being truthful and right.
Behavior manipulation
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The concept of demagoguery
“Demagoguery” was not always used in a negative context. The ancient Greeks called political figures popular among the people demagogues. These people knew how to convincingly prove the case to representatives of classes of society only with the help of oratory skills. They explained to the people the meaning of the decisions that the rulers made, which was not an easy task.
Demagogues were representatives of noble families, with good education and leadership qualities. They were respected because the demagogues honored the interests of the people and supported their words with actions and deeds.
But gradually the word began to be used in a negative, ironic meaning. Followers of the popular demagogue Pericles began to use manipulation in the form of eloquent populism to communicate with the people. People without roots, with poor eloquence and mental abilities, got into politics. To maintain their position, they began to play on human needs for selfish purposes.
Nowadays there are many demagogues among people in power, and demagogic principles are used in advertising. But you can encounter a manipulator at the everyday level - at work, in the family, at school and university, when communicating on forums.
Demagoguery - what is it? This is the encouragement of passions and instincts in order to achieve the desired result.
Summing up
Today, some coaches even teach the art of demagoguery, presenting it as one of the tools of oratory.
But modern demagoguery is far from eloquence, and even more so from expressing the voice of the people as in Ancient Greece. She became tougher, more cynical. A demagogue is a person who has a huge range of techniques and deliberately influences the feelings and instincts of the audience. These polemical and oratorical techniques often allow the demagogue to achieve what he wants. The main weapon against such people is “iron” logic, supported by inviolable facts.
What do you think about demagogues, dear readers? Have you met them and how was your communication with them? Write to us, we are very interested!
Klinskikh Natalya Sep 14, 2020
Techniques of demagoguery
Using methods of demagoguery, a person tries to obscure and hide the truth, deliberately distorting facts and logic in a direction convenient for himself. Demagogues often provoke conflicts.
Basic techniques:
- Imaginary logic. Such reasoning is a mixture of sophism and syllogism. The manipulator deliberately produces false logical conclusions that initially seem consistent and correct.
- Deliberate substitution of concepts, exaggeration of the opponent’s statements.
- Ignoring questions. One of the demagogue’s favorite tricks is to give evasive answers and start talking about something abstract. This is a good way to move the topic away from an awkward question and gain time to come up with the right answer.
- Focusing on details, sticking to the words of the discussant. Searching for the smallest inconsistencies, distorting the words of opponents, relying on the first judgment that comes to mind.
- The habit of generalizing, appealing to the word “us”, “everyone”. But the demagogue has no interest in other people. The technique is used as a way to give weight to statements, an attempt to hide the lack of reliable sources to confirm their words.
- Replacing sequences in cause-and-effect relationships in order to blame your opponent for your failures. Not all events that follow sequentially are connected, but demagogues claim the opposite.
- so as to immediately confuse the interlocutor. Any answer will be inconvenient for the opponent and will show him in an unsightly light.
- Forcing a choice without choice, creating a false dilemma.
- Getting personal, insults. An extreme measure that demagogues use when there is nothing else to cover, there is nothing to contrast with the facts. Criticism not of arguments, but of the opponent’s qualities is necessary to convince others of the opponent’s incompetence due to his unworthy behavior.
Demagogues intimidate the audience by talking about dire consequences, express obvious contempt for their opponents, and make impossible promises. They judge, juggle with stereotypical judgments, focus on little things that are simply taken out of the text, ignoring other information. It is not difficult for them to find the extreme and guilty, to use as arguments statements that are not related to the topic of discussion.
Characteristics
Demagoguery is often associated with encouraging and stimulating the ambitions and sentiments of the population as they arise spontaneously. The promises that politicians usually make during election campaigns are usually criticized as demagogic when they seem impossible to fulfill. Modern democracies have been repeatedly questioned as demagogic systems due to the heavy use of marketing advertising techniques, personalization of candidates, media manipulation that delays written political analysis, and resource bias to the point of absolute polarization. (good-bad, development-backwardness, honesty-corruption), or vague concepts (“joy”, “security”, “justice”, “peace”). (this term is very interesting)
Dictatorships tend to resort to viewing overthrown republics as demagoguery to justify coups and the imposition of undemocratic systems.
Demagogues are those who commit acts of demagoguery. To do this, they usually have teams of professionals who use certain exceptional historical and political situations, directing them for their own purposes, in order to enlist the support of the population with the help of advertising, dramatic and psychological mechanisms.
Demagoguery can also be used to oppose legitimate forces that put forward their immediate and uncontrollable demands. In this case, the Greek historian Polybius more correctly spoke of ochlocracy (mob rule) as a distortion of democracy (government of the people). In this sense, thinkers such as Michael Hardt or Antonio Negri believe that the rule of the people is the only real democratic system, and question modern Western republics based on the intensive use of the media as demagogic masses and the holding of elections under the strong influence of demagoguery , lack of education and marketing . [2]
The demagogue does not necessarily lead the masses to revolution, but instrumentalizes them for his own personal purposes in order, having received widespread approval, to begin not only the process of democratization or transformation of the socio-political system, but also the establishment of an authoritarian regime, the undisputed and despotic head of which is the demagogue, or to acquiesce with existing authorities and institutions as long as they recognize an unquestionable function. In this way, repressive mechanisms enhance rather than diminish the authoritarian characteristics of government and society and prevent the takeover of the masses.
Examples of demagoguery
One example of social demagoguery is land for peasants, separate housing for each family, and promises to deal with the problem of alcohol addiction in society. The list is endless.
We have to deal with legal demagoguery, which is based on the fact that the majority of the population does not know the current legislation, their rights and obligations.
Economic demagoguery is the use of formulas and figures that are understandable only to fifth-generation scientists. Another type of “ingratiation” is promises to return money to investors in financial pyramids or bankrupt banks.
In the everyday sphere, the manipulator’s favorite phrase is, you didn’t do what I asked, which means you don’t love me, and tomorrow you’ll leave for your mistress. Accusations and nagging out of the blue, unfounded attacks of jealousy - this is all a demagogue in family life.
The girl imposes her opinion
Teacher control of his speech
Let's return again to our proverb, which interprets that intelligence is the second characteristic by which we are assessed
And since pedagogical technique is primarily oral skill, it is very important for a teacher to be able to correctly express his thoughts. To do this, the teacher needs:
- be technically literate in the material he explains to his students;
- observe the correct pronunciation of the text;
- present information in the simplest and most accessible form;
- decorate your speech with epithets and metaphors;
- have a rich vocabulary and good diction;
- correctly place pauses and semantic stresses.
Particular attention should be paid to the last point. Pauses are necessary in order to attract the attention of listeners and give them time to comprehend what has been said.
They are made either after an important statement or before it to create some kind of intrigue. Semantic emphasis is made in the text to create emphasis on certain points
With them you can begin to improve the teacher’s pedagogical technique. Typically, stress is manifested by a slight increase in the volume of the teacher's voice or a change in its tone. For example, semantic loading can be done when reading a term.
How to resist this
Demagogues have only two opinions - mine and the wrong one. Therefore, it is difficult to argue and resist. Heat in disputes has nothing to do with the desire to find truth or justice. The goal of the manipulator is to prove that he is right, to turn everything in his favor. By stirring up a scandal, they hide the lack of arguments to defend their positions; they consider a compromise to be a defeat for their interlocutor and their own victory.
It is impossible to prove to a demagogue that he is a manipulator. To maintain balance and nervous system when communicating with such people, you need to adhere to a clear strategy:
- Focus on facts and refer to the opinions of professionals to confirm.
- Do not use abstract statements in a dispute.
- Do not let yourself be led away from the topic, control the course of the discussion.
- Insistently demand answers to questions asked.
- Do not allow people to attribute made-up judgments to you.
- Ignore, do not allow insults. To respond to insults, you can wittily insult in response, turning everything into a joke. Bring to the surface the secret meaning of the insult. But it's better to stay calm.
- Answer incorrect questions in detail, calmly, and emphasize that the question initially contains false information.
If possible, it is better not to enter into an argument with a demagogue at all, to save time, energy, and nerves. But if you cannot avoid such a situation, you should defend your position, you must, without emotion, step by step, reasonedly expose the lies. This is the only way to convey to others that the arguments and statements of the demagogue are erroneous.
You can fight manipulation in a comprehensive manner - use verified facts, expose lies, and not react to aggression and provocations.
It's time to be surprised
It is advisable to surprise the children right away, at the beginning of the lesson. Moreover, this can be done not only with a fragment of text or a demonstration of a collection of coins. Sometimes you can ask an unexpected question (“Why didn’t Stalin fight Napoleon?”) or even depict a silent scene using sign language (for example, one of the teachers I know was able to demonstrate the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki this way). Surprise will make you want not only to analyze what you see, but also to notice, and in high school, formulate a contradiction.
The set goal can be considered achieved if the teacher presented his point of view in such a way that seemingly obvious facts became a mystery to the students. And you can achieve the favorable attention of the entire class for an entire lesson just by identifying this riddle in the first 5-10 minutes of the lesson!
How to become a demagogue
Modern demagoguery has little in common with fine jewelry eloquence; this concept is often applied to pragmatists and cynics. But if you want to master the techniques of incorrect but effective polemics, the following tips will help:
- Look down on your interlocutor, make him feel his moral and intellectual superiority. The opponent should look like a limited person, weak-minded, illiterate swindler. This will allow the conversation to be conducted in an arrogantly instructive, arrogant tone.
- Constantly condemn, disagree, show disrespect for the interlocutor.
- Avoid direct answers, do not voice, do not fully reveal your position. This leaves a lot of room for maneuvers and retreats; you can always say that you were misunderstood.
- Answer a question with a question, and then change the topic.
- The opponent must always justify himself, prove some insignificant facts. This way the interlocutor will not have time to expose the liar.
- Don't debate with another demagogue.
- Do not respond to critical statements. A demagogue always remains calm and in a good mood. This irritates others.
- Mocking jokes are many times more offensive than primitive rudeness.
- Even if 90% of the interlocutor’s information is indisputable facts for which there are no counterarguments, this information should simply be ignored. But in 10%, find vulnerable spots and appeal to them.
- If you are caught lying and not matching the facts, pretend that nothing happened and turn the conversation in a different direction. Demagogues do not make excuses, do not defend themselves, and do not admit mistakes.
- Create an aura of self-evidence in the conversation.
- There are no completely indisputable truths, so any information can be turned against the interlocutor.
- Any expert’s assessment is the opponent’s opinion; in response to any facts, the answer is that the source may be unreliable.
A working tactic is to drive your interlocutor into a state of rage. At any hint of insults, say that your opponent has run out of arguments.
Demagoguery in books and imposition of opinions in discussions
external reference
- Wiktionary has definitions and other information about demagoguery
.
- The dictionary
has a definition of
demagoguery
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| authoritative control |
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- Data: Q179442
- Vocabulary: demagoguery
- Famous Quotes: Demagoguery
Why is it considered that a demagogue is bad?
Demagogic techniques help two-faced and dishonest people achieve their goals and convince their opponent that they are right. They do not value truth and the principles of healthy debate. Demagoguery is an effective way to hide misdeeds and crimes. This is manipulation of people’s feelings - pride, vanity, ambition and ambitiousness.
With the help of demagoguery, they try to distract from pressing problems, hinder their awareness and search for solutions. Demagogues form incorrect beliefs, give empty expectations, and impose false ideas about what is good and what is bad.
Unintentional or intentional demagoguery helps to disguise incompetence; prohibited methods are used to incite a dispute or conflict.
Functions
The teaching aids used in a modern school perform several functions.
- Compensatory helps to facilitate the educational process, helping to achieve the goal with minimal time and physical costs.
- Adaptive helps the teacher to correlate the content of the academic discipline with the individual and age characteristics of schoolchildren, to obtain favorable conditions for the harmonious development of children, and to create conditions for organizing independent work of schoolchildren.
- Informative involves the use of various textbooks, videos, projection equipment, and laboratory equipment.
- Integration consists in the totality of the phenomena and objects being studied, identifying the essence and properties of processes or laws.
What are some good books on demagoguery?
Demagoguery - what is it, many are trying to find the answer in literature. Finding books on demagoguery is difficult. But there is literature that teaches argumentation, sophistry, talks about patterns of behavior and ways to influence people.
What you can read:
- “Argument this, I am manipulating you” - Nikita Nepryakhin.
- "Eristic" by Schopenhauer.
- "Language Tricks" by Robert Dilts.
- “The Psychology of Influence” and other books by Robert Cialdini.
- The Age of Propaganda, The Social Animal by Eliot Aronson.
All lovers of demagoguery can carefully analyze the information they receive to hone their skills.
What is demagoguery? This is a debate tactic, the desire to win using incorrect discussion techniques. This is an attempt to create the illusion of triumph; honesty and truthfulness do not matter.
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Notes
- Explanatory dictionary of the living Great Russian language / Comp. V. I. Dal. 1st volume - M., 1955. P.427.
- Substitution of the Thesis dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/logic/273.
- ↑ 12
[fan.lib.ru/n/nesterenko_j_l/text_0610.shtml Demagoguery] - Yuri Nesterenko. - V. I. Lenin.
Party organization and party literature. - Stalin I.V. Closing speech to the report of the Central Committee to the XIII Congress of the RCP (b) May 27, 1924 grachev62.narod.ru/stalin/t6/t6_07b.htm.
Content
- 1 Etymology of the term
- 2 Demagogic techniques 2.1 Erroneous syllogisms and sophisms
- 2.2 Substitution of the thesis
- 2.3 Focus on specifics
- 2.4 Transition from a discussion of the subject of the dispute to a discussion of the individual (argument to the individual)
- 2.5 Vicious circle
- 2.6 Appeal to evidence, false authority
- 2.7 False alternative, false dilemma
