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Affective polarisation

An extract (in my translation and with my added emphasis) from a French blog post by London-based political scientist Philippe Marlière :  Polarization and radicality Polarization is not synonymous with radicalism, but with negative conflictuality . Radicality (from the Latin radix , the root) is a process of profound transformation of social structures. It is a positive conflict that is very often left-wing, like the revolutionaries who overthrew the Ancien Régime in 1789. Polarization, a discursive phenomenon, is an area which on the contrary favors conservatism, sexism or racism. Affective polarization affects people accustomed to examining social facts in a critical and nuanced way. A political scientist known for his rigorous scientific work describes Macronian France as a Hungarian-style “ illiberal democracy ”, a philosopher sees in the health pass an entry into the “ society of control ”, or a rebellious MP chronicles in a book his “ hatred and his visceral rejection

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