Keyword – political discourse

Német, Szilvi:

The takeover of the mainstream – political agitation and postmodern visual strategies

This paper explores the emergence of postmodern visual strategies currently associated with online meme culture. It argues that the subversion of popular images has been a part of the toolset of predominantly leftist artistic, social and political movements since the historical avant-garde, but has resurfaced after the Millenium as a key rhetorical and visual device in the online culture of the (far) right. It also discusses the implications of the asymmetry in academic research in which the online left stays disproportionately off the radar when it comes to studying online political cultures.

Keywords: artistic and social movements, appropriation, internet meme, political discourse, postmodern, visual culture

Benczes, Réka – Szabó, Lilla Petronella – Virág, Ágnes:

It’s showtime: the politics is a show metaphor in the 2022 election campaign of Fidesz

According to the conceptual metaphor theory of the cognitive linguistic enterprise, we often interpret more abstract concepts in terms of more concrete concepts. Politics is such an abstract concept, which appeared via the concept of show in American culture in the second half of the 20th century. The politics is a show metaphor depicts politicians as the characters of a show, while voters appear as the viewers of the show. This metaphorical interpretation does not carry negative judgement. The politics is a show metaphor appeared in the Hungarian political discourse during the 2022 legislative election campaign in a video entitled Gyurcsány Show. The video interprets politics as a failed show; hence, a negative value judgement can be attributed to the advertisement. Our study explores how the metaphor conceptualising politics as a show (which does not necessarily carry a negative meaning in the American context) has been adapted to contemporary Hungarian politics and how it has acquired an evidently negative meaning in the Hungarian context.

Keywords: conceptual blending, conceptual metaphor, Fidesz, Hungary, negative campaign, political discourse