I don’t know the name for this growing global movement in other languages, but its American, “English”, incarnation couldn’t be less descriptive of its intent or practice.  The basic idea, the root, the syntax as well as the political motivation is that the populous, (common man as it were), finds itself, (“Hey, I just noticed that I have very little shit and those guys have way, way more shit”), put upon by the relatively few, usually wealthy purveyors of power and policy and so it unites, to show dissatisfaction, in an attempt to amend the situation.  The actual Populist Party reared its ineffectual head in the late nineteenth century for just such reasons.  There were marches and ho-hum civil disobedience.  Perhaps minor concessions were made here and there, but the organization was haphazard, the funding inadequate and the leadership, well, you won’t find any shining examples in any history book.  What it became, what it still is today, is a manipulative core of uninformed voters, hell-bent on catchy slogans and hateful rhetoric whose real concerns are played upon by crafty, dishonest, albeit charismatic tap dancers adept at rallying support…and little else.  Historically, populism has been used to bolster the rise of the worst political behavior in the short story of mankind, using class and ethnicity, race, religion and suspicion of ‘others’ to create mass hysteria, distrust and hatred.  In most instances, the movements and leaders they rally around disappoint at the very least and make their situation much, much worse as a rule.  Usually, it takes a while, years really, for the benefactors of misinformation, false promises and baseless rhetoric to show their true stripes, beginning the much longer process of slithering out from under the boot heel of the perceived, popular champion.  Although today’s world is rife with misguided, populist Brexits and Dutertes and dynastic Assads and Jung-Uns, the ohmyfuckinggodwhathavewedone whack job, wielding the biggest, most lethal stick in history may well have broken the record for the most rapid onset of buyer’s remorse, sadly, with no quick, remedial lemon law.

Note to populists:  You done fucked up.  Stop holding on to the notion that this is going to somehow work out to your benefit.  That once murky swamp is now covered in scum.  Join the much more popular movement of truth and kindness and decency, (we’ll even find a catchy slogan guy to make properly spelled signs…how about…MAKE AMERICA TRUMPLESS AGAIN!?).