The practice of gaining political power by appealing to people's emotions, fears, and prejudices rather than using facts and reason.
From Greek 'demagogike' (art of the demagog), from 'demagogos' (leader of the people). The -y suffix creates nouns from adjectives. The term shifted meaning from neutral (leading the people) to negative (manipulating the people) around the 17th century.
Ancient Athens essentially invented democracy AND demagogy simultaneously—the same tool (direct appeals to crowds) that enabled democracy also enabled manipulation! This paradox still haunts democracy today: the very mechanisms that let ordinary people participate can be hijacked by emotional manipulation.
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