Word of the Day: Demagogue

I think of myself as a reasonably intelligent person. Some but not all of the people that know me agree with that assessment. There are a few people think that I am a complete idiot, but that is another story.

I have a fairly large vocabulary. That large vocabulary, however, does not mean that I know everything or that I am infallible. Sometimes, in my reading or conversations, I come across or use words that I really don’t know. I understand some words in contextual use, but I really couldn't give a standalone, coherent definition like one that you would see in a dictionary. I have tried lately to look up words that I know, hear, and use but cannot accurately define. I have been doing this to keep myself honest and to prevent myself from becoming a total blowhard. (I have only been partially successful.) I figure that if I use language incorrectly I back myself into a corner; my judgment and my credibility become suspect.

I looked up a million dollar word the other day. That word was “demagogue”. I looked it up on Wikipedia and was passed to “demagogy.” I'll be damned if something really interesting didn't show up on the screen. I encourage you to look it up yourself at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demagogy. Whoever wrote the article included a definition originally written by HL Mencken. Mencken said that a demagogue is “one who will preach doctrines he knows to be untrue to men he knows are idiots.” That man can turn a phrase; he can even find a smooth and prosaic way to call someone a liar.

The author goes on to outline some of the techniques used by demagogues to achieve their aims. Here are summaries of the techniques listed.

1. Apples and oranges – mixing of incomparable quantities
2. Half-truth – making statements that are only true in a strict and relatively meaningless sense
3. False authority – relying on the general authority of a person who is not proficient in the discussed topic
4. False dilemma – assuming that there are only two possible opinions on a given topic
5. Demonization – identifying others as a mortal threat
6. Straw man – mischaracterizing the opposing position and then arguing against the mischaracterization
7. Loaded question – posing a question with an implied position that the opponent does not have
8. Unrelated facts – bringing facts that sound in favor of the speaker's agenda
9. Emotional appeal or personal attacks – attempting to bring a discussion to an emotional level

After I read this I was amazed. I see this stuff everyday used on television and I keep wondering why people are still going for it. What in the world is in the Kool-Aid?

These techniques are why nothing in America is getting solved, even though the answers are right there in our faces. This is the playbook on how to mislead people who are only half paying attention and who have abdicated their duty to think for themselves. This is the stuff we used to call “tricknology.” Watching this stuff work would be hilarious if it weren’t so scary. At least now, when I am watching those Sunday morning political shows or the news, I can check off what they are doing to screw with public opinion.