Consequently, it goes beyond celebrity endorsements and "voter's education". Both are weapons from yesteryear's wars. It's all about getting ahead of the curve.

Actually, this may be why buying pre-existing FB groups has become a key tactic. It may also partially explain the rise of the Tulfos. They handle issues of justice and accountability in their own way, while avoiding technical language and political sparring.

Like the Trump nine, there has to be a wider effort to build and engage audiences beyond elections and campaigns- while subtly reading and tapping into issues that can galvanize resentment and mobilization.

What Makes Filipinos Protest? Notes from the Sidelines №38. 38 years after the EDSA revolution, we revisit what makes Filipinos protest, and why protest activities have weakened in recent years.

Where then, does this leave the rest of us? Clearly, steps need to be taken to reclaim democratic space. We need to avert the crisis of isolation- rebuild the communities once connected and united by NGOs in previous political eras.

medium.com/@lucian.dio...

Comprehensive sex education ‘not compatible’ with PH – Sereno Sereno said comprehensive sex education was "not compatible" with the Philippine context, branding it as "cultural imperialism" pushed by UN.

But this is why the growing influence of religious groups, as seen in the controversy over Comprehensive Sexual Education, and SOGIE before it, should be closely monitored.

newsinfo.inquirer.net/2026878/com...

However, the difference between the US context and ours is our lack of polarizing talking points. Partisanship in our country is still largely personality based (Marcos vs Duterte vs Risa/Leni), as opposed to the non-negotiable culture wars being fought in the US.

Notes from the Sidelines, №17: “Unity” and the New Marcos Mythology So, the “official” campaign period just opened up the other day with the kick-off rallies of the candidates. One of the more predominant…

Meanwhile, the "Unity" theme was a symbiotic relationship-- capitalizing on a vilified and decimated opposition (and which has yet to recover 3 cycles later), and on an administration that had all the cards but couldn't create a winning hand.

medium.com/@lucian.dio...

Notes from the Sidelines №14: Authoritarian Personality Types, Inter-Generational Value Change, and… Wow that’s a mouthful. To recap we’re we’ve been so far, we started with this article, in which I argued that BBM’s path to the Presidency…

In many ways, Trump's return on the back of these youtubers mirrors developments in our country. Duterte mobilized underlying fears, resentments, and the deeply authoritarian character of our values to vault (and maintain an iron grip) on the Presidency.

medium.com/@lucian.dio...

Thus, when these podcasters finally invited Trump to appear, he spoke to an audience seething with resentment. Rogan's interview drew 50 million views; Altogether, the nine episodes with Trump as a guest drew more than 100 million views.

Which melds well with the next point. In the United States, these 9 youtubers fostered an "us vs them" mentality among their audience. This quote from a co-host of the Impaulsive podcast illustrates the point well.

Notes from the Sidelines №30: Adorno’s Theory of Authoritarian Propaganda First, a recapitulation. Ever since the 2022 Presidential elections, I have been developing a theory of how and why the Filipino electorate…

Those same nerds might also recall what Adorno wrote about fascist propaganda. It encourages lonely people to identify themselves purely with a charismatic leader-- against those who would threaten their unity.

medium.com/@lucian.dio...

The philosopher who warned us about loneliness and totalitarianism Revisiting Hannah Arendt’s ideas about social isolation and mass resentment.

Some philo/pol theory nerds might also connect this to the writings of Hannah Arendt on loneliness as the root of totalitarianism:

www.vox.com/vox-convers...

As a sidenote, America today has broadly been described as having a loneliness epidemic— and has been experiencing one since 2000, if you've read Putnam's "Bowling Alone".

www.npr.org/2023/05/02/...

These points appealed resonated with a young male demographic portrayed as "victims of a Democratic campaign to strip them of their power"- a feeling validated by studies such as Equimundo’s 2023 State of American Men.

However, these nine Youtubers would occasionally sandwich political topics which would appeal to young male voters, and to the Trump demographic at large-- masculinity, traditional gender roles, criticisms of transgender identity, vaccine skepticism, immigration, inflation.

Interestingly, these 9 youtubers also did not feature explicitly political guests on their show until near the date of the actual elections.

How large were their audiences? Joe Rogan reportedly has around 14.5 million listeners on Spotify. Logan Paul, around 23 million; Lex Fridman, around 4.5 million. These figures can vary depending on which website you consult.

First, these 9 content creators did not explicitly bill themselves as political analysts. Their podcasts typically cover a broad range of topics sports, masculinity, internet culture, gambling and pranks, which made them palatable to an apolitical audience.

Specifically, Bloomberg recently published an analysis on how 9 content creators captured this audience and gave Trump and other far-right personalities a platform to reach them. Let's take a look at how they did it.

www.bloomberg.com/graphics/20...

In fact, exit surveys show that more than half of men under 30 supported Trump— a constituency which Biden won in 2020, and which reduced Vice-President Harris' margins in key swing states.

www.npr.org/2024/11/07/...

Young men swung to the right for Trump after a campaign dominated by masculine appeals Young men shifted toward Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election in a change from recent years, when most young male voters backed the Democratic candidate.

Unless you're living under a rock, you would know that former U.S. Donald J. Trump has returned to the White House. One key factor was his appeal among young, male voters— a constituency which "masculine" youtubers captured and delivered to Trump.

apnews.com/article/tru...

Harsh Lessons from the Youtubers Who Helped Shape the 2022 U.S. Presidential Election: A Thread (🧵)

To borrow from Shakespeare: "All politics is a stage, and all the men and women merely players." What matters is whether these tools are used for good- to move our country forward, to enable progress- rather than for mere sound and fury, which signifies nothing.

In other words, the metahphors of dance and theatre-- moro-moro and zarzuela, rigodon and cha-cha- reaffirm that we continue to view, with a mix of disdain and admiration, our brand of politics from the lenses of performance and patronage.

Meanwhile, those outside the circles of power focus on fiscalizing, with varying success:

newsinfo.inquirer.net/1932778/go-...

And as part of that game, the patrons also play fiscalizer:

www.philstar.com/opinion/202...

Thus, the game of llamado/dehado, malakas/mahina continues to this very day:
newsinfo.inquirer.net/2014765/ovp...

But, Agapalo writes, even patrons play the role of lawmaker and fiscalizer, to "maintain their self-respect" and "impress their constituents".

Other legislators simply sought their share of patronage. Their stage was their province, district, or region, where his "skill" was reflected in the roads, bridges, and schools emblazoned with his name, or in the fiestas he visited, the ribbons he cut, the medals he handed out.

Legislators masquerading as fiscalizers played to the crowd and the media. The delivered privilege speeches, conducted exposés, filed sensational bills and resolutions, and espoused principles of justice and democracy.