Unhappy lives linked to recent rise of right-wing populism in Europe

14 comments

1. Wow, shocking 

2. Finance everything through lie and accounting principle doesn’t work.

3. And how come the happiest country in the world (Finland) have been the first to elect the far right populist government?

4. Oh woe is me, won’t anyone please think of the right wing populists,  and their struggles

5. first paragraph:

   > By analyzing survey data from 14 countries collected between 2012 and 2018, researchers found that individuals who are dissatisfied with their lives are more likely to hold negative views on immigration and distrust political institutions, which in turn increases their likelihood of supporting right-wing populist parties.

   This is typical statement framing to imply that cause and effect were determined, in this case that ‘life dissatisfaction’ caused ‘negative views on immigration and distrust in political institutions’. But the data only supports correlation.

   It is plausible, if not probable, that causation ran the other direction. E.g.: Government immigration policies have been unpopular for a host of valid reasons, meanwhile Europeans have been flooded with Russian-backed propaganda for decades designed to convince them their lives are worsening and it’s their governments’ fault. (because sowing division is what Russia does) The political shift to the Russia-friendly right was the expected outcome.

   last paragraph:

   > The cross-sectional design of the survey data means that causal relationships cannot be definitively established.

   The intended implication was driven home repeatedly throughout the article, only for this to be tacked on after the damage was done (assuming everyone even reads through to the last paragraph).

   I don’t like science being used dishonestly this way. But hey, at least it pushes a narrative that is essentially an ad hominem attack on critics of government and immigration policy. /s

6. *Recent rise of right wing populism in Europe linked to unhappiness with the political establishment allowing mass-immigration

7. I would say unhappy lives were a part of it, combined with propaganda online about how the far right promises to make our lives better. Because that’s how the far right works; by taking advantage of the misery of others.

8. Rightwing still lost though 🧐

9. And because of cold war propaganda people arn’t able to see the solution and instead go further right.

10. Far right is not the reason for people being unhappy it’s a symptom of it.

11. I read this article a little while before Brexit.

    [https://www.cracked.com/blog/6-reasons-trumps-rise-that-no-one-talks-about](https://www.cracked.com/blog/6-reasons-trumps-rise-that-no-one-talks-about)

    And frankly some of it resonated with why some people were voting leave (I was remain before you ask)., in fact I think painting it as a racist thing was ultimately damaging for the vote.

    Tie this in with a skilled demagogue, and you have a lovely recipe for the rise of the far right.

12. No shit lol, ofcourse most will be unhappy if they have to live in the multiculture, send their kids to shitty schools and cannot affort to leave those areas as the middleclass and up can

13. If you doesn’t want far right to rise, just listed to the people and stop those left/centre populism that all of as are equal, so men’s can start in woman competition, stop massive other cultures immigration where we, the worst one for government have to work for them, so we can’t feed ourselves and stop those other stupid green policies that our cars which we drive like 500km a month destroy the entire universe while billionaires fly over continents with private jets to eat breakfast in other country. Just fcking listed to the people and stop your populist shit we don’t care about

14. Crack down on illegal immigration, and far right parties are a thing of the past. That’s the real issue with the countries that voted for those lunatics.