/lit/ - Literature

>>9053015
>>9052874
>>9052890
>>9052994


i think that there is the mistaken tendency of academics and journalists today to constantly reduce political motives to other terms, e.g. the push to find behind political action economic/social motivations. so, we see the rise of populist politics as "explainable" through the economic framework of a rational-self-interest: it is economic downturn, matched with the influx of immigration, matched with a particularly out of touch leftist candidate, that sealed the deal. but of course this is about as surface as it comes: what is happening today is the opposite, where all those other motivations—like economic self-interest—are subsumed under political interests: we see now the “inexplicable” phenomenon of people who at times seemingly sacrifice economic gain for the expression of racial or gendered hatred. we are seeing a re-dawn of a particularly medeival outlook--but this may not be a terrible thing.