Individualism is a philosophical current that asserts and defends the supremacy of the individual over the collective. In truth, it’s what we’ve always called selfishness, plain egotism, or “watching out for your beans.” It is, undoubtedly, the key and the explanation for why some discourses and politicians flourish when they emphasize defending what’s ours, attack what’s foreign, and demonize the supposed opposing side.
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As a life stance it may be acceptable, even if not admirable, but as a campaign strategy to win votes it should be a clear misstep. It contradicts one of democracy’s most basic principles: govern for the people, not only for one’s own circle.
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Yet current events show leaders who use it as a base to reach an electorate that is often blind or ignorant enough to trade its soul and vote for the devil himself, if only to block the other side.
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Figures like Milei, Trump, or their national counterpart Alvise Pérez would have seemed inconceivable not long ago. Their polemics, lacking depth, filled with clichés, generalizations, errors, attacks, and profanity, aim only to inflame a public already predisposed, some by principle and others by family tradition.
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Twenty years ago, no one would have believed that this crude and simplistic profile could qualify as a serious politician capable of leading a party or even governing a country, let alone representing it in the European Parliament. And yet, here we are.
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What has changed in that time to give such figures a place at the national and international level, and to give them a real chance to advance with their outbursts and their farcical stunts? It is a sociological puzzle worth analyzing, because it signals that many have lost their sense of direction.
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So much so that, at times, listening to the bluster of the Argentine president, the sharp remarks of the former U.S. president and current candidate for the White House, or the head of a movement here, one gets the sense of watching a satirical news show rather than real events.
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Talking Puppets
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Those caustic talking dolls from the late-night channel era feel tame next to the brashness and tone of today’s far-right representatives. They would be funny if they weren’t so frightening.
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In 2024 there have been or will be elections in as many as 40 countries, meaning almost half of the world’s population has had a say in who governs them. The outcomes of those elections show that populism and fascism are again on the rise in nations believed to have moved past them.
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Maybe the error lies in underestimating certain “individuals,” thinking the lesson is learned. Education, or the lack of it, feeds these new leaders. It is easy to manipulate people who do not know the intricacies of the past, whether by choice, circumstance, or heritage.
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A recent study in Spain revealed that young people either lack knowledge or confuse events of the Civil War and its aftermath. The main cause is a lack of rigor and consistency in educational plans.
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Critical Mind
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A critical mind, informed about current affairs and the origins, formation, and track record of parties and their candidates, votes differently from someone acting on inertia or stirred by demagogues with a showman instinct or clownish manner.
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Going along with one’s own agenda without considering others risks eroding certain rights and freedoms that safeguard individual liberty. It is time to pay attention and realize that the future two steps ahead could be a return to a society of inviolable truths and fear, where beans are reserved for those who say amen to everything.