On Netanyahu, populism and democracy

Eva Illouz inadvertently explains why the left no longer matters

I talked today to the Israeli sociologist Eva Illouz about her new book, The Emotional Life of Populism: How Fear, Disgust, Resentment & Love Undermine Democracy. Her point, she told me, is that citizens in democracies ought to be rational and shouldn’t, therefore, vote according to their all-too-human emotions. No fear, no disgust, no resentment, no love for the good citizen in Illouz’ ideal democracy. No wonder the right is trouncing the left in the great game of populist politics in the early 21st century.