Hi children,

I am going to make some new threads for you all to ignore like your crush ignored you in high school.
*BAM* Opening with a low blow.

Here is the thing I am pondering.

I have heard numerous media outlets recently decrying populism as a bad thing.
It is a really interesting question I think.
If governments are there to serve the people, does the will of the majority make something populist?

Seems people are saying that populism is bad because we should do what is "right" but not what is "popular"
So where does "right" come from?
In the old days people would appeal to the Bible, Quran or tradition to claim a moral authority.
What do we use today as a measure of what is right if not a measure of the will of the people?


People act like everything is black and white, but it is less so by the day.
If you ask people if we should be allowed to live in a secular society with freedom of worship, most would say yes.
Ask them if that makes it okay to force their wives to wear a Hijab or if schools should teach creationism and the answers become more murky.
Arranged marriages, Sharia law and corporal punishment really starts to split the pack...

So where is the line? How do we come up with "right"?

Populism doesn't denote something as popular amongst the majority. It is anti-establishment Us-vs-Them where only the "correct" group is morally superior. The "correct" group is often members of the "correct" race, religion, class, political party, or other arbitrary group.

I think a starting point to the examples provided is no one should be forced to partake in any religious practices. If a woman wants to wear a hijab, fine. If her husband or society forces her to wear one, that is wrong. Creationism is a clearly religious angle so that isn't something for government funded schools. Fine in private or religious schools. Public schools aren't churches - we have plenty of those.

First you could make a distinction between populism and simply, the voices of the vocal minority.

If we listened to the vocal minority, then nothing would get achieved. The vocal minority complain excessively about government spending as an example.. you often read on socials idiots questioning the need for XYZ because a lack of this or lack of that, depending on what aligns with their interests - often, immediate gratification driving whatever complaint they're making without understanding the long term impact or investment of said spending.

What is sometimes popular isn't the most vocal. And visa versa.

You take The Voice for example. The Yes campaign was loud and proud and everyone who supported it was incredibly vocal. An outsider looking in might think, this is a sure thing. 7 out of 10 said, no thanks.