The dictatorship of electoral emotions

In the movie Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, 1954) the highlight scene is the magnificent dialogue between Johnny (Sterling Hayden) and Vienna (Joan Crawford) lying to each other about love.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
24 April 2023 Monday 01:28
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The dictatorship of electoral emotions

In the movie Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, 1954) the highlight scene is the magnificent dialogue between Johnny (Sterling Hayden) and Vienna (Joan Crawford) lying to each other about love. Eternal phrase is the one that the cowboy says to the woman: "Fool me and tell me that you love me as I love you." Many more wonderful phrases are said and they all reflect the willingness to accept the lie in exchange for feeling the emotion of love.

It is the discourse incorporated into this society in which the dictatorship of emotions completely replaces cognitive intelligence, to the point of being willing to accept any lie in exchange for being moved. And in the middle of the electoral campaign, this is a resource used from all political and media fronts, including polls, which serve more to emotionally excite. All analysts are always surpassed by an exciting phrase from the leader. It can rain or be hot, it's only spring when El Corte Inglés says so.

It is a derivation of Daniel Goleman's theories on Emotional Intelligence, only this psychologist insists a lot on the control and management of emotions, in the manner of the Stoics for a better outcome of life in society. But here we have only been left with the right to enjoy emotions and the consequent tyranny of happiness. You don't have to manage your emotions. You have to leave them all loose no matter who falls. There's J.M. Bádenas with the Vox drill machine walking through the streets of Valencia.

The 50,000 houses of Pedro Sánchez are not credible, but to think that we will be able to get a flat like those of the National Housing Plan (1961-1975) were raffled off years ago is an exciting wait. How to ensure that in Finestrat they will have an institute because Carlos Mazón has said so, without anyone wondering if it is better to send the students to another nearby center. It is exciting to promise an Institute.

"Lie to me and promise me something for the elections." Yolanda Díaz has learned to say that she loves you and if she can, she will give you a rose and a book, something that Pablo Iglesias does not know how to do, and he will throw an outburst at you if you do not trust his promise of eternal happiness. And Ximo Puig assures you that everything will be the same, at least, and you believe his elevator pitch because you need to believe it. Just as Vienna and Johnny told each other the necessary lies to believe in their love. How is this bon xic from Morella going to fail us?

Emotion is a mood disturbance and helps you make decisions. It is therefore necessary to induce emotions that vibrate, that seek happiness. And on the sidelines are emotions such as sadness, surprise, anger, disgust and, of course, fear, which is always a last resort in a campaign. It is used frequently, for example, spreading fear to people with a bad reputation. And that is emotionally exciting in a country where a reputation is made for you, whatever you do.

Mazón and Feijóo do not excite, with which they press with other emotional resources to ensure the attraction of the voter. They play against, which is a resultant emotion in any Spanish corner: it is exciting to go against the one in charge. Compromis has been left in no man's land because Mónica Oltra would dress as a fallera as she would put on a shirt against Francisco Camps. But Baldoví does not move much and when he wants to spread joy he makes a face. Compromis must assume that to excite you have to give everything to everyone. Not all for few.

Of course, the master of seduction who sets the dialogue in the film is Pedro Sánchez. "Lie to me Pedro, I'll buy everything from you," say his faithful voters. And on top of that, he has in his favor a historic moment such as the presidency of the European Commission that makes him rub shoulders with Chinese and Americans while insecurity in debt, drought, climate change, GDP and the future of young people grows. . Either you assume the fear or you buy the motorcycle from Sánchez. He has raised pensions: Exciting!

It is the dictatorship of emotional intelligence that allows lying in arguments knowing that people need to be lied to in a ballot box as well as in sales. In the United States, that abuse has cost FOX a lot of money. In Spain these boasts of headlines do not receive any punishment because they are incorporated into the tyranny of happiness. We are not interested in managing emotions. We enjoy them in bars.