Five Ways to Spot (and avoid) a Demagogue

1) Incapable of independent thought. Exercises his/her intellect, such as it is, by sniffing the wind to detect the 'majority view' and to quickly adopt it. Finds it on TV.

2) Denies to ever have held a different view before.

3) Loves to assume 'the moral high ground' and then browbeat and terrorise those slower than him/her to adopt the majority view.

4) Has no real arguments, so uses perjorative, emotionally charged but essentially meaningless labels to attack and judge, such as: 'inappropriate', 'sexist', 'racist', 'unpatriotic', 'shovinist', 'imperialist', 'anti-social', 'extremist', 'heretic', 'terrorist', 'perverted', etc.

5) In all circumstances supports centralised authority and 'order' to enforce and protect the majority view.