Populism as status inversion

Populist movements intentionally trade epistemic authority for status gains: by framing 'common sense' as moral knowledge they grant social honor to non‑experts while shaming credentialed elites. This performing of status reversal (humiliation for elites, validation for the 'ordinary') explains why expert evidence often loses force even when materially relevant. — Seeing populism primarily as a status‑management strategy reframes debates about misinformation, institutional reform, and expertise into ones about dignity, reciprocity, and humiliation.