Many are now wondering what could have happened to cause the rise of right-wing national populism, which is currently jeopardizing the normal functioning of democratic institutions. There are fears that the triumph of these options will lead to an erosion of democracy, the rise of repressive and regressive policies, clearly anti-progressive, like those that propelled Donald Trump, or those currently being implemented in countries such as Hungary, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, etc., or, I would add, Cyprus, Scotland, or even Israel.
Although we have always had an aggressive Spanish nationalism that has normalized too many things, we are living in a time of retreat, as if the promises of democratic capitalist liberalism have broken down, or as if progress without milestones or improvements in well-being for each generation have failed. People have the impression that life is worse—and that everything is extremely expensive—that there is more fear, fewer opportunities, and more dangers. The political class also senses the danger and even speaks of banning these "alternatives," an idea that ultimately reinforces the notion of an elite conspiracy. The unease upon which these chimeras grow lacks any real foundation, even though perceptions now occupy the place of undeniable facts. We can live in societies more prosperous and secure than ever before and at the same time imagine that we inhabit truly terrifying dystopias. It is in the fissure between what things truly are and how they are perceived due to ideological distortions—and the gaps in our fragmented attention, never illuminated by reason—that all these tricks flourish. Perhaps never before in the history of human perception has there been such a difference between how things are and how they are perceived and experienced by the vast majority of the population. It is like Plato's cave, now more than ever, the dominant culture. A return to the Middle Ages. That is why free information, thought, debate, and political pluralism are so important.
Democracy won't recover until the media does. Information through social media leads us to pointless debate, polarization, and utter nonsense. Perhaps the best thing that can happen is the worst; that they win and demonstrate their ineptitude once again.
