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In a groundbreaking study titled "Populist Games," political scientists Robert Feustel and Gregor Ritschel explore the dynamics of political communication, focusing on the deliberate use of "bullshit" as a strategic tool by political actors.

The study examines how political actors systematically employ deceptive, vague, or unverified statements as a tactical instrument to manipulate opinions and achieve political goals. This strategy is not seen as accidental misinformation but as a strategic mode of communication, used to avoid explicit commitments, create ambiguity, and appeal to certain voter bases.

Feustel and Ritschel's approach involves a game-theoretic or empirical modeling framework where political actors engage in interactions that exploit bullshit as a tool to raise utility or political advantage. The study employs a quantitative method, as suggested by a regression model in the search results, to analyze how various predictors like empty rhetoric and weasel words affect outcomes such as realized political utility or influence.

The study characterizes bullshit as a calculated, emergent property of political communication, particularly in populist settings, where it serves as a mechanism to manipulate public perception and behavior without regard to truth. This strategic use is intensified when political viewpoints are explicitly invoked, increasing subtle deception forms such as empty rhetoric and unsupported assertions.

The findings of Feustel and Ritschel fit into a broader research context that interrogates the role of misinformation, vague language, and "bullshit" in modern political discourse. For a precise summary or direct quotes from "Populist Games," the full paper on arXiv is the best source to consult.

Meanwhile, the QAnon conspiracy myth, active since 2017, can be seen as an Alternative Reality Game that mixes reality and game elements. The concept of "bullshit" as a political strategy, as explored by Feustel and Ritschel, could potentially be complemented by other analyses such as "Triggerpoints" by Steffen Mau, Thomas Lux, and Linus Westheuser, or the investigations into "Libertarian Authoritarianism" by Carolin Amlinger and Oliver Nachtwey.

In QAnon, armed individuals have stormed a pizzeria to rescue supposedly maltreated children from an alleged child trafficking ring of the US government, demonstrating the potential dangers of such conspiracies. The individual overwhelmed by the dissolution of certainties often finds a new grand narrative in the gaming community, considering events like the coronation ceremony of recently arrested Reich citizen Peter Fitzek as examples of Live Action Role Playing (LARP).

The study identifies four aspects of performative nonsense that are conducive to understanding. One of them is the blurring of seriousness and fun, which can be found in the Bullshit Bingo across all political camps, but is predominantly located in the right to far-right. The play approach does not diminish the danger of populisms, but it allows us to take them seriously as an intermediate step, without immediately pathologizing them and turning nonsense into madness.

The joint performance in the game releases emotions, unites internally, and shields externally, often creating a political enemy. The authors emphasize that a completely fabricated world beyond all reality does not exist, but people somehow mean it seriously and constantly orient themselves in real life according to reality. The concept of play serves as an analytical lens for understanding populist games, but may need to be refined or supplemented by other forms such as festivals and processions.

Feustel and Ritschel's book "Populist Games. Bullshit as a Political Strategy" is 130 pages long, hardbound, and costs 24 €. The book offers a fresh perspective on the role of "bullshit" in political communication, providing valuable insights for scholars, politicians, and the general public alike.

The strategic use of "bullshit" in political communication, as revealed by Feustel and Ritschel's study, could potentially be applied to other areas such as career development or education-and-self-development, where vague statements or unverified claims may be used to manipulate opinions for personal gain.
In the realm of policy-and-legislation and politics, the findings from "Populist Games" could help shed light on the tactics employed by ethical or unethical policymakers, highlighting the use of empty rhetoric and weasel words to manipulate public opinion and achieve desired outcomes.
The "bullshit" strategy, as described in Feustel and Ritschel's study, might find its parallels in the world of sports-betting, where deceptive practices or manipulated information can lead fans to make uninformed decisions, potentially impacting their financial situation.
The game-theoretic approach adopted by Feustel and Ritschel to analyze "bullshit" as a tool in political communication could have implications for the study of crime-and-justice, particularly in understanding how perpetrators employ deceptive tactics to manipulate victims, witnesses, or legal proceedings.
The concept of "bullshit" as a strategic tool in populist games, as explored by Feustel and Ritschel, may find interesting connections with sports, where athletes or teams might use vague language, empty promises, or unverified claims to boost their reputation, fan base, or negotiating power, much like political actors.