Opinion: The Perils Of Populism – Hingham Anchor

June 26, 2023 By Michael Weymouth

Recently a charter school principal in Tallahassee, Florida was forced toresign after several parents complained that a sixth-grade Renaissance arthistory lesson was pornographic. The issue, it seems, was a photo ofMichelangelos sculpture of David, which showed his genitals, a notuncommon feature in Renaissance art, which unashamedly glorified thehuman body. The larger-than-life statue of the young Bible character holdsa slingshot over his shoulder which he used to slay the giant Goliath. Mostsignificantly, the David was created at the beginning of the Renaissance, aperiod of enlightenment that set western civilization on a new course. Thesculpture symbolized the aspirations and hopes of that dawning era, nodoubt one of the lessons the art teacher wanted to impress on the sixth-graders. Unfortunately the presence of Davids penis was of greaterconcern to the offended parents.

This incident may seem a bit silly for most of us, but it is also an example ofthe perils of populism.

Historically populism was referred to as direct democracy, where thepeople had an unfiltered voice in running the government, versus affectingchange through elected representatives. For a government that purportedto be of, by and for the people, direct democracy would seem to makesense. But a great deal of thought was given to this subject at the foundingof our country. In an article in National Affairs, Madison and the Perils ofPopulism, George Thomas, the Wohlford Professor of American PoliticalInstitutions at Claremont McKenna College, wrote in 2016 about the rise inpopulism that led to the election of Donald Trump.https://nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/madison-and-the-perils-of-populism Thomas provides an extensive explanation as to why theFounders were opposed to populism, believing that elected political officialswere not merely to act as a mouthpiece of the citizenry, but to see furtherthan ordinary citizens: to refine and enlarge the public views, to have thewisdom to discern the true interest of their country, and to do so even if itmeant acting against popular views. Representative democracy waspreferable to direct democracy precisely because it was designed to placethose of superior political understanding and judgment in office.

Because the passions of the people could be openly played upon, Madisonconcluded that it was often the case that a single orator would be seen torule with as complete a sway as if a scepter had been placed in his singlehand. No better example of this exists than Donald Trumps statementearly in his campaign, I alone can fix it, indicating that Donald Trump hadlittle understanding of how the democratic process worked, or perhaps justas significantly, how his supporters believed democracy worked.

Thomas wrote that Madison believed that we should guard against this typeof would-be demagogue who uses populisms lure to flatter the prejudicesof the people in order to gain power. Unfortunately, Donald Trump hasperfected this skill to a black art, and Florida governor Ron DeSantis is notfar behind, as he is presently carrying the populism banner from Florida tothe country at large.

DeSantis set the aforementioned Florida incident in motion by appealing topopulist concerns about wokeness, which among other thingsencouraged the banning of books school children had access to. If evenone parent complained about a books content, especially having to do withLGBTQ issues or critical race theory (CRT,) or other woke issues, that bookwould be banned. DeSantis claimed that parents should have a say in whattheir kids learned in school, even if their actions contradicted advice fromeducation professionals.

My conservative friends say, no big deal, this was just an isolated incidentin an attempt to downplay it. In fact, like the crack in the foundation of anew building that would one day lead to its downfall, the incident is anexample of what the country would be subjected to if populists are allowedto control our democracy. The polarization we are presently experiencing inour nation is a direct result of politicians giving voice to populist sentimentsand to the flood of misinformation that underpins those sentiments.

It is noteworthy that the block of marble the David was hewn from wasrejected by all the sculptors of the day because of its odd configuration.Only Michelangelo saw the sculpture within. What we need today arepoliticians who have that same vision of the possibilities within ourdemocracy. And it should not be lost on us that the Italians did not refer tothat period of history as the Renaissance, they used the term Svegliato,which translated means woke.

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Opinion: The Perils Of Populism - Hingham Anchor