Fascinados por "Podemos". Un fenómeno natural de la "Democracia Sentimental" = Fascinated by "Podemos". A natural phenomenon of "Sentimental Democracy"

Abstract

Fascinated by “Podemos”. A natural phenomenon of “Sentimental Democracy”. The use of emotions in contemporary political communication is leading the western society model to a “sentimental democracy”. In that context, the quick raising of the new political party Podemos in Spain is analysed. The exasperation about political corruption and economic recession which Spanish society is suffering in the last years has facilitated, specially among young voters, the support for any ‘new politics’ opposite to the establishment. The astonishing boom of Podemos onto the Spanish public opinion and media outlets is the consequence, above all, of a very intense social seduction promoted by the display of a populist mithologization discourse. The visual, iconic and linguistic presentations of the main leaders of Podemos have been able to combine in a very efective way some idealist proposals of the traditional radical marxism with trivia aspirations and common sense appealings very well fitted to the advertising aesthetic of mass culture. This combination gives rise to a light and captivating political offer that helps to hide the totalitarian agenda and values that the core ideological program of Podemos really is claiming

Keywords

• ‘Podemos’
• political communication
• sentimental democracy
• social seduction
• mythological political discourse
• Spain