demagoguing
Exploiting popular fears
Demagoguing is appealing to people's emotions, prejudices, or fears rather than their reason—typically to gain political power.
A politician who stokes anger about immigrants or elites rather than addressing policy substance is demagoguing: He spent the debate demagoguing instead of answering questions.
The term is almost always pejorative.
Formal eloquent discourse
- firebrandAgitator or burning stick
- rabble-rousingInciting mob sentiment
- incitementProvoking unlawful behavior
- agitatorOne who foments discord
provocateur · grandstanding · bombast · harangue · speechifying · sloganeering · crowd-pleaser · stirring
Inciting mob sentiment
- massesBulk or populace
- anti-elitismDistrust of privileged classes
- grievanceFormal claim of unfairness
- panderingAppealing to lowest impulses
charisma · firebrand · agitator · outsider · establishment · elites · resentment · discontent
Notable act or abuse
- deceiveCause false belief
- misleadCause false belief
- fearmongeringDeliberately spreading exaggerated threats
- scapegoatingUnfairly assigning fault to innocents
hoodwink · beguile · disingenuous · subterfuge · duplicitous · obfuscate · scheming · cunning
Tendency to create factions
- fearmongeringDeliberately spreading exaggerated threats
- scapegoatingUnfairly assigning fault to innocents
- tribalismIn-group loyalty, out-group hostility
- otheringViewing as fundamentally different
factionalism · discord · antagonism · hostility · enmity · animosity · rift · sectarianism
Deliberate untrue statement
- distortionTwisting from original state
- misrepresentationFalse or misleading statement
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
- propagandaBiased information for influence
fearmongering · scapegoating · half-truths · misinformation · deception · untruth · prevarication · slander
oratory
Formal eloquent discourse
- firebrandAgitator or burning stick
- rabble-rousingInciting mob sentiment
- incitementProvoking unlawful behavior
agitator · provocateur · grandstanding · bombast · harangue · speechifying · sloganeering · crowd-pleaser · stirring · fomenting
rabble-rousing
Inciting mob sentiment
- massesBulk or populace
- anti-elitismDistrust of privileged classes
- grievanceFormal claim of unfairness
pandering · charisma · firebrand · agitator · outsider · establishment · elites · resentment · discontent · grassroots
exploit
Notable act or abuse
- deceiveCause false belief
- misleadCause false belief
- fearmongeringDeliberately spreading exaggerated threats
scapegoating · hoodwink · beguile · disingenuous · subterfuge · duplicitous · obfuscate · scheming · cunning · wheedle
divisiveness
Tendency to create factions
- fearmongeringDeliberately spreading exaggerated threats
- scapegoatingUnfairly assigning fault to innocents
- tribalismIn-group loyalty, out-group hostility
othering · factionalism · discord · antagonism · hostility · enmity · animosity · rift · sectarianism · alienation
falsehood
Deliberate untrue statement
- distortionTwisting from original state
- misrepresentationFalse or misleading statement
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
propaganda · fearmongering · scapegoating · half-truths · misinformation · deception · untruth · prevarication · slander · spurious
demagoguingreasoning
Drawing logical conclusions
deliberating · civil discourse · intellectual honesty · educating · explaining
demagoguingstatesmanship
Skillful government leadership
unifying · consensus-building · bridge-building · coalition-building · conciliating
democracy, epidemic, synagogue, demagogue, pedagogue, demagoguery, demagogy, demagogues, demagogued