Abstract This author defines populist skepticism as the attempt of contemporary American populist leaders to cultivate suspicion, doubt, and distrust among their followers. This skepticism strengthens receptivity to the disinformation, conspiracy theories, and outright lies (such as the allegedly stolen 2020 presidential election) that populism depends on. The article focuses on an especially important but often neglected form of populist skepticism that promotes suspicion of the pain of others, often by accusing them of faking their suffering. Drawing on the work of Hannah Arendt, Stanley Cavell, and Wendy Brown, among others, the author argues that the cruelty resulting from discounting the pain of others reinforces the appeal of populism in the eyes of its followers. The need for this reinforcement testifies to an underlying vulnerability in populism that brings to light possibilities of resistance even when opposition can seem futile.
Michael Bernhard Fischer (Sat,) studied this question.