Demagoghi democratici. Un eterno ritorno?

This essay deals with the recurrent return of the demagogue figure in democracy, between ancient and contemporary ages. Starting from the assumption that the use of language is the main tool of democratic politics in general and of demagogic mystification in particular, the author reflects firstly on the communication strategies of the demagogue. An example may be found in the diffusion —through «informational cascades»— of keywords and slogans aimed at generating negative feelings in public opinion and impoverishing public debate in an extreme manner. This dynamic was already noted by Bernard de Mandeville; but is particularly visible in the current era of microtargeting and social networks. Secondly, the article examines the techniques of persuasion adopted by the demagogue, which seem to be particularly similar to current commercial and market strategies (for example the fan service). In particular, the different self-portraying images offered by the demagogue, which change according to the audience that, from time to time, the demagogue wants to entice, are examined. The most relevant representation would seem to be the «proletarian-billionaire tribune», or the self-made man: a contradictory self-representation that the author explains through the Orwellian notion of doublethink. Subsequently, the article analyzes the different corruptive techniques employed by the demagogue; namely the electoral promises and the granting, at public expense, of concrete and calculated favors for the citizens: panem et circenses. In this case some analogies are found between the strategies of the demagogue and those of marketing. The article concludes by examining the ultimate goal of demagogues, ancient and contemporary. It is hypothesized that the purpose of the demagogue is the de facto transformation of the democratic regime into an autocratic form of government. In this case the notion used for the better understanding of this phenomenon is that of a tacit and veiled tyranny propter titulum used by Bartolus of Saxoferrato. By instilling into public opinion the erroneous equivalence between democracy and the power of the majority, the factual change of the regime is proposed as a return to an authentic and complete democracy