Debasing Political Rhetoric : Dissing Opponents, Journalists, and Minorities in Populist Leadership Communication

This book is a companion to Political Debasement: Incivility, Contempt, and Humiliation in Parliamentary and Public Discourse . It brings together interdisciplinary contributions to provide a comprehensive and detailed exploration of the nature, function, and effect of debasement language used by selected political leaders in Western and non-Western countries. Among them are Donald Trump (in the USA), Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (Turkey), Rodrigo Roa Duterte (Philippines), Jair Bolsonaro (Brazil), Abe Shinzô (Japan), Pauline Hanson (Australia), Kyriakos Mitsotakis (Greece), Geert Wilders (the Netherlands), Beppe Grillo (Italy), and Santiago Abascal (Spain). Chapters focus specifically on the language of these leaders while examining debasement discourse from narrow and broad perspectives. The former includes the use of crude or abusive language (e.g., curses, obscenity, and swearing) to demean, humiliate, mock, insult, or belittle, based on the actual or perceived object or entity (e.g., race, religion, national, gender identity, or sexual orientation); the latter includes the use of devious or indirect irony, sarcasm, cynicism, ridicule, subtlety, and understatement to degrade and discredit other individuals or groups. The book represents the collective wisdom of scholars and researchers, experts in fields such as communication, political science, international relations, and social and political psychology. Cumulatively, the authors develop a global analysis of debasement discourse in societies from West to East and offer a cutting-edge approach to expand a framework assessing the role and effect of such rhetoric in contemporary politics. Preface 7 Contents 9 Contributors 11 1 Introduction: Studying Political Debasement Discourse in the Public Sphere 13 1.1 Defining Political Debasement Discourse 13 1.2 Assessing Political Debasement 14 1.3 Key Factors in Political Debasement 14 1.4 Modes of Interaction Between Debaser(s) and Their Target(s) 16 1.5 Distinction Between Debasement, Incivility, and Hate Speech 17 1.6 Overview of the Volume 18 References 24 Part I Theoretical Background 25 2 Debasement Language as a Subset of Political Incivility: Characteristics and Effects 26 2.1 Introduction 26 2.2 Definitions and Types of Debasement Language in Politics 29 2.3 Why Is Debasement Language Used in Political Discourse? 31 2.4 Who Are the Recipients of Debasement Language in Political Discourse? 34 2.5 How Political Debasement Affects Audiences and Democratic Processes 37 2.6 Conclusion 39 References 40 Part II Critical Assessment of the Diversity of Debasing Language 45 3 Coarseness in Spanish Political Discourse: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Santiago Abascal and Pablo Casado’s Aggressive Language 46 3.1 Introduction 46 3.2 Research Framework: Critical Discourse Analysis 48 3.3 The Parliamentary Speech of Santiago Abascal 49 3.3.1 Insults and Personal Attacks (“Argumentum Ad Hominem”) 50 3.3.2 Hasty Generalizations (Red Herring Fallacy) 53 3.4 The Parliamentary Speech of Pablo Casado 54 3.4.1 Insults and Personal Attacks (“Argumentum Ad Hominem”) 55 3.4.2 Exaggerations and Hasty Generalizations 58 3.5 Conclusions 60 References 61 4 Debasing Language Expressed by Two Radical Right-Wing Populist Leaders in the Netherlands: Geert Wilders and Thierry Baudet 64 4.1 Introduction 64 4.2 The Communication Styles of Far-Right Political Leaders 65 4.3 Digital Media, Far-Right Populism and Debasing Speech 67 4.4 Case Study: Debasement in the Direct Communication of Wilders and Baudet 68 4.4.1 Method 68 4.4.2 Data Collection and Sample 69 4.4.3 Data Analysis and Coding 69 4.5 Findings 70 4.5.1 Hostile De-legitimization of the Establishment 70 4.5.2 Accusations of Deception and a Lying Press 72 4.5.3 Nativism and Exclusionary Language 74 4.6 Conclusion and Discussion: Implications of Debasing Language 75 References 78 5 The Sharp-Tongued Loudmouth: Incivility and Debasement in Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro's YouTube Livestreams 81 5.1 Introduction 82 5.2 Methodology 85 5.3 Findings and Discussion 86 5.3.1 Name-Calling 87 5.3.2 Insulting Language 89 5.4 Discussion and Conclusion 90 References 92 Part III Debasement as Strategic Instrument 95 6 The Cuss that Cares? Paternalistic Cussing in Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s Rhetoric 96 6.1 Introduction 97 6.2 Paternalistic Cussing: A Novel Approach for Examining Duterte’s Rhetoric 100 6.3 Paternalistic Cussing Practices in Duterte’s Speeches 101 6.4 Concluding Remarks 107 References 108 7 The Shameless Normalization of Debasement Performance: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Pauline Hanson’s Australian, Far-Right, Populist Communication 113 7.1 Introduction 113 7.2 Debasement, Shamelessness, and the Far-Right 114 7.3 Research Approach 116 7.4 Case Studies 118 7.4.1 Racialized Debasement on Twitter 118 7.4.2 Debasement Through Populist Performance: The “Burqa Stunt” 120 7.4.3 Colonial Debasement in the Australian Parliament 121 7.4.4 Mediatized Debasement During COVID-19 122 7.5 Analysis and Discussion 124 7.6 Conclusion 126 References 127 8 Well-Mannered Debasement? Examining Abe Shinzô’s Discourse and Its Reliance on Japanese Communication Modes 130 8.1 Introduction 130 8.2 Methodology and Data 135 8.3 Results 136 8.3.1 Debasement as “Defense” 136 8.3.2 The Target of Abe’s Debasement Language 139 8.4 Conclusion: Debasement Needs a “Proper” Stage and Audience 142 References 144 9 Constructing Political Adversaries Through Debasement Language: A Framing Analysis of Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ Greek Speeches in 2020 147 9.1 Introduction: The Political Context of 2020 147 9.1.1 Polarization and Divisive Discourse in Greek Politics 149 9.2 Cultural Framing and Debasement Language 151 9.3 Methodology 152 9.4 Findings 154 9.4.1 The Frames Employed in Mitsotakis’ Political Speeches in 2020 154 9.4.2 Debasement Speech as a Framing Mechanism 158 9.5 Discussion 162 References 163 Part IV Leaders’ Debasement Effects: Voter Mobilization, Socio-Political Polarization, and Shaping Political Reality Perception 166 10 The Strategic Use of Debasing and Vulgar Language in Italy’s Contemporary Politics: Beppe Grillo and Matteo Salvini 167 10.1 Introduction 167 10.2 Beppe Grillo’s Rhetoric 169 10.3 Matteo Salvini’s Differentialist and Rude Messages 172 10.4 Conclusions: The Force of Violent and Discriminatory Language in Recent History 177 References 180 11 Demonization, Derision, Polarization: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Political Rhetoric 184 11.1 Introduction 184 11.2 Context: The Use of Debasing Language in Turkish Politics 185 11.3 “A Rhetoric of Abjection:” Making Sense of Erdoğan’s Political Rhetoric 187 11.3.1 Binarism 188 11.3.2 Organicism 190 11.3.3 Demonization 191 11.3.4 Social and Political Ramifications 193 11.4 Conclusion 195 References 195 12 Tweets, Taunts, Tirades, and Tantrums: How America’s Donald Trump Transformed Transgressive Language into Political Power 201 12.1 Introduction 201 12.2 Starting at the Beginning—Self Definition, Enemy Definition, and Recruiting 203 12.3 Attacking the Media 206 12.3.1 Attacking Mainstream Media in General 206 12.3.2 Attacking Individual Journalists: The Conflicts with Megyn Kelly, Serge Kovaleski, and Yamiche Alcindor 206 12.4 Debasing the Political Establishment and Debasing Opponents 210 12.4.1 Attacking Establishment Leaders 210 12.4.2 Attacking Rivals 212 12.5 Real World Results—Creating the Perception of Threat and Dehumanizing the Enemy and Thus Encouraging Violence 212 12.6 Conclusion—The Ultimate Debasements 214 References 215 Part V Conclusions 219 13 Heroes or History? The Sources, Evolution, and Future of Debasement Rhetoric 220 13.1 Introduction 220 13.2 Expanding the Debasement Typology 222 13.3 Research Questions 224 13.4 Debasement as Body Politic Illness 229 References 230 Index 231