Far-rigth: elements of legitimation

elementos de legitimação

Abstract

This essay is a critical analysis of the legitimation elements of the far-right within a context of socio-political institutional crises and transformations. It argues that the emergence of this political front is due to social strain and democratic fatigue, where many people experience uncertainty and desperation, making them prone to lending credibility to extremist political discourses. This far-right legitimizes itself by attempting to propose a new, restorative order under the leadership of authoritarian politicians, moving away from modern normative rationality in favor of top-down and anti-modern decisions. It benefits from a radical, simplistic rhetoric regarding problems, commonly generated through disinformation and the trivialization of false solutions. The ultraliberalism camouflaged within this perverse far-right approaches fascist and Nazi practices, promoting a worldview that resonates with segments of the population terrified by "ghosts and nightmares" and who disbelieve in the rational institutional imaginary. In Brazil, these difficulties are aggravated by the late and semi-peripheral character of social formation and a precarious political culture that dissociates ideals from social practices, resulting in institutional blackouts and the emptying of the modern potential of legal-political institutionsThe greatest challenge lies in politically opposing this ultraliberalism without falling into the trap of replacing one populism with another, but by overcoming a pragmatism subservient to the dictates of a financialized market.