Political profanity surge reflects erosion of institutional decorum and populist authenticity strategies in global governance
Original framing: “Q&A: Experts discuss rise of profanity from politicians” — Phys.org
The trickster figure (e.g., Hermes, Anansi) exposes the absurdity of political profanity as 'authenticity'—a hollow performance that masks power. Bakhtin’s carnival laughter reveals how cursing in politics is both liberatory and a tool of control, where the powerful mock norms to consolidate power. Erasmus’ *Praise of Folly* critiques such rhetorical games, showing how solemnity conceals manipulation. The trickster here is the algorithm, which rewards profanity while claiming to democratize speech.
The rise of political profanity is not merely a shift in rhetoric but a symptom of deeper systemic failures: the collapse of institutional trust, the algorithmic amplification of outrage, and the co-optation of marginalized resistance tactics by elites.
Historically, profanity has been a tool of both liberation (e.g., labor movements) and control (e.g., populist demagoguery), but today’s context is uniquely shaped by the attention economy, where platforms profit from spectacle while eroding deliberative democracy. The trickster’s lens reveals how 'authenticity' is a hollow performance—one that the powerful exploit to bypass scrutiny while the marginalized are punished for similar acts. Cross-culturally, the trend reflects a global desacralization of political language, where sacred speech (e.g., Māori *kaupapa*) is replaced by algorithmic noise. The solution lies in dismantling the attention economy’s profit model, reviving institutional rituals that enforce respectful debate, and centering marginalized voices—not as co-opted symbols, but as architects of new rhetorical norms. Without these changes, profanity will remain a tool of elite manipulation, masking the structural crises it both reflects and exacerbates.