ABSTRACT
The term ‘polarization’ makes us think of the ever-increasing contrast between the political left and right, with both left-wing and right-wing people becoming ever more radical. In this chapter, however, we argue that polarization is not an adequate framework to understand the supporters of radical and populist movements. Instead, moderates and radicals qualitatively differ in their political mindset, and this distinction is best captured by the concept of political cynicism. We also argue that the use of the ‘new’ term populism to denote ideological attitudes of supporters of radical parties falls short as it is superficial and contradictory. Hence, we conclude that radicals cannot be characterized as polarized moderates or as populists, but should be considered as political cynics instead. We discuss why political cynicism is on the rise, and offer a few suggestions how traditional parties may overcome the trust crisis in politics.
