Populism and the Death of Imagination

The essay argues that populism is related to the death of the imagination. In the age of technology – media-savvy hyper-demagoguery, instant messaging, Internet task forces, and social media platforms – imagination becomes hostage to the idea of something that Terry Eagleton called “present plus.” The latter is a modification of the existing norms and sensibilities and not creative imagination at play that conceives of a truly different post-present. Populism of all existing brands exemplifies the “present plus” mode or attitude one way or another. In fact, it not only exemplifies, but actually amplifies it, even when it is arguing against some aspect of the present.