What is the Finkelstein Method and how do you know if you've been Finkelsteined, or if it is it being used on you today?
There are typically four pillars to the “Finkelstein Method” and if you've subscribed to any of these, knowingly or otherwise, then you have been Finkelsteined:
1. Negative Campaigning
2. Television Ads
3. Ideological Roots
4. Using Third Forces
These have become part of your daily life. Some of you may not realize it and some of you may have embraced it for different socio-economic-political reasons. What exactly are they and how have they crept into your life to the point where you have been Finkelsteined?
Negative Campaigning Foundation of Being Finkelsteined
It’s become common place for many political leaders to focus on what their opposition has or is doing wrong, before they are willing to tell you what they would do to make your life better. When they do this, they are tapping into what psychologists refer to as “negativity bias”. Negativity bias is when people have a bucket of good things to look at, but only focus on a single potential negative thing in the same bucket. Making it even more complicated is that sometimes that negative thing isn’t even negative, but it appears to be because of other strategies being used in conjunction with negative campaigning.
For example, in Canada Pierre Poilievre has fostered much anger and frustration by poking Albertans about climate policies, provoking opinions about drug policies in Vancouver, and endorsing vaccine-skeptical protesters in Ottawa. Those all seem minor compared to his blame of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on just about anything, even things that aren’t federal responsibility, including today’s weather.
Whether you support the misinformation or sometimes disinformation is secondary to realizing that negative campaigning is a tactic that may attack the freedoms you believe you’re fighting for.
Television Ads
The way in which some of the negative campaigning is delivered to you is through television. Canadians & Americans watch approximately 20 hours per week watching TV. That’s almost 3 hours a day. Considering that in a span of 24 hours you may work for 8 and sleep for 8, that means that almost 40% of your “free” time is spent consuming something on tv.
Some of that tv includes advertisements aimed at vilifying how society has been compromised by liberalism. Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality, right to private property and equality before the law. Essentially, your freedoms. Liberty is the very essence of what “freedom” fighters’ have staged protests over the last few years. Imagine a television add that attacks “liberty” – “the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behaviour, or political views,” but selling the message as a “freedom” you could attain.
You are buying into attack on freedom in tv and radio ads from politicians, while trying to actually attain that freedom that you already have.
Ideological Roots When You Get Finkelsteined
The Finkelstein method focuses on liberty above all other possible issues as a means for an individual to gain popularity. This is because liberty, above race, religion, or sexual identity has been recognized as the main issue that divides American politics. Canadian politicians like Pierre Poilievre may have tapped into that strategy through terms like “Gatekeepers” as he tries to sell Canada as being “broken”.
The idea that anyone, perhaps someone you have never met would attack your freedom has become the root for you to not only distrust those individual but to also demonstrate vitriol and hate. That vitriol and hate intensifies for anyone who you perceive as disagreeing with you. The internet is filled with examples of families and friends who no longer speak because they have such intense emotions over the other’s opinion of what freedom means to them.
This has been perhaps the greatest divider of society in recent times, and we have seen it manifest itself in catchphrases like “fake news” and “gate keepers”, sometimes using third forces.
Use of Third Forces
Third forces are when a politician identifies some other entity like another candidate, a demographic, or even an interest group and then utilizes it to benefit their own grab for power.
For example, let’s say that the identified third force is an anti-vaccine interest group. The politician would give that group the attention that it is seeking in a way that the group feels acknowledged. They work to mobilize the group in their favour to divide the opposition and draw support to themselves. With the opposition divided, the politician typically benefits from the new support.
A perfect example of this might be how Pierre Poilievre mobilized the “Freedom” Truckers protest in Ottawa, Canada. A protest that started with some roots in opposing the COVID 19 vaccine mandates turned into an anti-government and then an anti-Trudeau movement. Whether they realize it or not, parts of this group has been mobilized to the benefit the Conservative Party of Canada.
Getting Finkelsteined
Arthur Finkelstein was a political consultant who worked for conservative candidates in the United States, Canada, Israel, and parts of Europe. These are four of the strategies he employed to help candidates gain power. The methods have been recognized as being rooted in manipulation and even promoting populism. It’s a method that is controversial yet proven to be effective for campaigns and it may in fact be in-progress in both Canadian and American politics right now.
Have you been Finkelsteined? Maybe. Look through any of the 4 pillars and think about some of the experiences you may have had on-line, through political engagements, or maybe even interactions with friends or family. Understanding the method may help you better understand where the passion for your current beliefs truly comes from.
This is an opinion article published by Guido Piraino of The Monthly Social Podcast. It may also be heard on The Path Radio Mix Online. You can read other opinion articles on the blog page. You may also enjoy video content of The Monthly Social Podcast on YouTube or The Path Radio Mix on YouTube. For sports content, please consider The Coach's Call YouTube Podcast.