So here we are again, scratching our heads over how
everybody got the US elections so wrong, and pondering a future with a narcissistic
joker like Donald Trump as the commander-in-chief of the most powerful military
on the globe. My early reaction was: stop the world, I want to get off!

But on reflection, we’ve been here before. This is
not the first time a rabble-rousing populist has clawed his way to the top.
Remember Hitler? He, too, was elected because his message of anti-Semitism and
nationalism resonated with Germans who were being squeezed by sanctions imposed
by the victorious Allies after the First World War.

Closer to home, we have seen the rise of Altaf
Hussain to utter dominion over a liberal, cosmopolitan city like Karachi. He
may now be in decline, but for nearly three decades, he wielded more power than
most politicians in Pakistan have. He could shut down the city with a word, and
allegedly have opponents liquidated with a mere nod.

Many of us in Karachi wondered at this hold he had
over his followers. Thousands sat on roads in the blazing sun while he regaled
them with bizarre, scarcely comprehensible rants from London while clearly
under the influence. For rational, sensible Pakistanis, the whole MQM
phenomenon passed all understanding.

The wave of support for Imran Khan is another
example of apparently irrational group-think. Why should thousands of educated
people camp out in Islamabad for months over allegations of rigging that have
been dismissed by the election commission as well as the courts? Why this blind
faith in Imran Khan? The reason for failing to comprehend this seemingly
illogical behaviour is, I suspect, rooted in our inability to grasp that
motives other than logic often drive people. In Trump’s case, he appealed to
people not because they necessarily believe that he will bring jobs back, or
rid America of Muslims and Mexicans. What resonates is the feeling of
empowerment ordinary Americans think they have gained by kicking the liberal
elites out of power.

Supercilious and superior, educated, well-heeled
types made little attempt to tap into the rage and the angst felt by millions
of insecure Americans who felt threatened in a number of ways: unemployment, a
demographic shift that will soon reduce white Americans to a minority, and the
increasing economic and political power of women. So while there might be
nothing rational about a desire to take America back to the 1950s when wages
rose and whites were unchallenged, many Trump supporters equated his campaign
with a rosy, almost utopian vision of their country.

Similar sentiments were on display during the Brexit
campaign in the UK. The Leave supporters insisted they wanted to ‘get control’
of their country. Whatever the economic arguments made by both sides, the
driving force behind Brexit had little to do with the promise of prosperity,
and more to do with returning the country to an era that had few foreigners.

The MQM phenomenon was about Mohajir identity and
empowerment. While the prospect of government jobs was a powerful incentive,
the movement was basically driven by a search for pride and dignity. We missed
this because we were part of an entitled elite living in our own cocoon.

In our rationality and our complacency, we misread
how important they really are to people who have little sense of self-worth. So
when a demagogue comes around and channels these elements into a powerful
movement that challenges the status quo, we are totally blindsided.

One thing these random examples have in common is
that they are all part of a post-truth politics where a demagogue can tell any
number of lies without being penalised by voters. The American media, including
fact-checking websites, listed the semi-truths and outright lies Trump
frequently deployed in his speeches and debates. But for true believers, they
were irrelevant to the overall message of redemption and hope.

When truth loses relevance in political debate, it
is next to impossible for rational liberals to win. If your opponent can make
up whatever he likes to prove his point, either you descend to his level of
dishonesty and lose credibility with your constituency, or stick to the truth
and lose the argument.

This narrative composed of rumours and fabricated
figures rules supreme on 24/7 TV chat shows and the internet. Panellists and
bloggers can peddle the most outlandish conspiracy theories and accusations
without being questioned. False stories can be planted with ease and go viral.
Ill-informed and gullible voters are easily swayed by spin doctors.

So what does this mean for the future of democracy?
Clearly, populism and demagoguery are on the march, and liberalism is in
retreat. The politics of identity is in conflict with tolerance and
inclusiveness. The important thing is to shed our sense of superiority, emerge
from our bubbles, and try and understand what people like Trump and Imran Khan
represent.

Dawn/ANN