Five Ways to Spot (and avoid) a Demagogue

1 points by SagelyGuru ↗ HN
1) Incapable of independent thought. Exercises his/her intellect, such as it is, by sniffing the wind to detect the 'majority view' and to quickly adopt it. Finds it on TV.

2) Denies to ever have held a different view before.

3) Loves to assume 'the moral high ground' and then browbeat and terrorise those slower than him/her to adopt the majority view.

4) Has no real arguments, so uses perjorative, emotionally charged but essentially meaningless labels to attack and judge, such as: 'inappropriate', 'sexist', 'racist', 'unpatriotic', 'shovinist', 'imperialist', 'anti-social', 'extremist', 'heretic', 'terrorist', 'perverted', etc.

5) In all circumstances supports centralised authority and 'order' to enforce and protect the majority view.

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6) Considers "social conservatives" to be lower than dirt, but would like nothing more than to control what everyone does, says, and thinks to make sure that no one's feelings ever get hurt
7) Unabashedly eats the fruit (technology) while denying the existence of the tree (science).