What Does a Stone-Age Cartoon Reveal About Radical-Right Politics?

Imagine Fred Flintstone, the 1960s sitcom protagonist, stuck in a traffic jam. He steps into his stone-age car to pedal it forward with his feet. Now picture Polish radical-right politician Konrad Berkowicz using the same gag—minus the iconic orange-and-black tunic—on TikTok to mock European climate policies, warning that soon, under EU rules, citizens might have to power their own cars. What looks like slapstick is serious business. To understand the political narrative driving the radical right in Poland, and across much of Europe, start with the joke. And then look at the anger just beneath the laughter.

Confederation’s TikTok stunts, and their electoral payoff, show how emotions shape politics. The party turned a cartoon into an effective political tool, mixing irony with anger,and resentment to tap into the emotions of younger voters, their biggest supporters and social media natives. Confederation was the most engaged political party online during the elections, especially on TikTok. By election night, it had doubled its vote share from the last parliamentary race, pulling in 12.08% of the vote.

Research on how populist, right-wing actors like Berkowicz fuel emotions are still surprisingly rare. The same is true of studies exploring how these emotional messages mobilise voters, drive political division, and help build political identities. Clarifying the dynamics can help us understand why populist movements are becoming so popular, and how they influence politics and democracy.

Existing academic literature frequently links right-wing populism to fear. Leaders from this spectrum use it to exaggerate problems into crises or security threats, portraying themselves as the nation’s only staunch defenders. But the Flintstones mockery shows that moral-emotional narratives are just as important for influencing voters’ feelings and perceptions of reality.

Today, much of this emotional messaging plays out on social media. MORES research is exploring how politicians design content for these platforms, using emotions—and especially moral appeals—to influence voters. A useful tool for spotting hidden emotional patterns is Richard Lazarus’s emotion appraisal theory. It suggests that emotions are triggered by how people interpret situations (what Lazarus calls core relational themes.) If a story shows people treated unfairly or blocked from achieving their goals, for instance, it likely triggers anger (Bonansinga, 2022, 94).

Applying this tool to Confederation’s 2024 online electoral discourse reveals a pattern. While fear of immigration is a dominant theme, a range of other emotions—anger, contempt, pride, and hope—also helped the party obtain more votes. Both European and Polish political elites were targets of much of the anger and contempt. Within Poland, Confederation repeatedly attacked local elites, accusing them of betraying national interests. This was all part of a broader strategy to equate the ruling Civic Platform with PiS (Law and Justice) and position Confederation as the only party truly challenging the establishment and defending Polish sovereignty. In doing so, it aimed at evoking hope – see two illustrative posts below.

1) “Konrad Berkowicz outshone all his competitors in a TVP debate with his brilliant performance. Substantive preparation, accurate retorts and a solid dose of refreshing truth on government television about the harmful madness that is hitting Poland from Brussels. Our candidate showed that we are the only credible group that has been defending Poland's interests since the beginning of the year!” (Confederation, 5 June 2024, see image below).

And: 2) “Krzysztof Bosak dominated the Polsat News debate on the migration pact, effectively challenging Tusk and his coalition partners with substantive, rational arguments.” (Confederation, 26 May 2024, see image below).

Attacking Brussels with Anger

Towards the European Union, criticism focused on policies, politicians, and institutions. An example of this strategy appeared on Facebook. On 7 March 2024, Confederation posted a reaction to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Earlier, she had publicly warned about several right-wing forces, including Confederation, describing them as major threats to the EU. Confederation’s answer, filled with anger and an emoji, reframed her warning as yet another attack by EU elites against the people. Simple, but anger was carefully woven into its political messaging, with the goal of creating polarisation and strengthening party identity:

“Unbelievable, Ursula von der Leyen is attacking the Confederation again❗ This time she’s threatening that we want to destroy - attention - THEIR Europe, and since we don’t want green deals and other madness, she calls us... Putin’s friends! 🤡 Yes, we want to destroy THEIR Europe of climate madness, building directives and migration pacts. We want to stop the destruction of societies, the devastation of industry and the decimation of agriculture. THEIR Europe is an open-air museum. We are going to the European Parliament to stop it! Ms. von der Leyen and the rest of the EU elites have something to fear. June 9th, ONLY CONFEDERATION! Post scriptum: And why do Eurocrats, led by von der Leyen, see a threat in the Confederation and not in PiS? Because PiS, with Prime Minister Morawiecki, agreed to everything the EU imposes, with the Green Deal at the top of the list! (Confederation, 24 May 2024, see image below).

The use of the pronoun “their” in Confederation’s messaging is deliberate. It draws a clear line between EU elites and ordinary European citizens. This is how the party portrays itself as the true champion of the people while painting EU leaders as detached and self-serving. The language in the post reinforces this divide, with strong words like “destroying,” “devastating,” and “finishing off” evoking public anger towards the EU.

Confederation often uses humour, sarcasm, and irony to achieve the same ends. The 28 May 2024 Flintstone’s TikTok video illustrates this point. Simply criticising the EU’s Fit for 55 proposal, which promotes zero-emission vehicles, wouldn’t be as effective as paddling a stone-age car, framing EU policies as unrealistic and out of touch with ordinary people—especially those who, as Confederation argues, cannot afford electric cars.

Conclusion: Deliberately Emotional

Confederation’s social media strategy is anything but random. Their posts serve multiple purposes, each carefully crafted to reinforce their political brand. First, these messages work as a form of self-promotion, positioning Confederation as a party that stands alone—independent from both Brussels-based and local political establishments.

Second, their use of strong language, controversial statements, and moralising tone helps them appear uncompromising and authentic. By using words like “madness” to describe policies they oppose, or labelling their message as “refreshing truth,” they frame themselves as the only party truly standing up for values, in contrast to what they portray as a cynical and corrupt elite.

Third, as a party that has never been in power, Confederation faces the challenge of proving its legitimacy. Labelled as radical by mainstream media and known for its strong support among young voters, it actively works to project an image of competence. By engaging in political debates and attacking what they call irrational elite policies, they seek to demonstrate that they can hold their own in serious discussions.

Confederation’s brand is powered by emotions: anger, outrage, pride, and resentment run through the party’s political messaging. To understand radical right-wing populists and modern political campaigning, MORES is looking past cartoons and TikTok jokes. The project is investigating the emotional machinery more deeply: the “madness”, the emojis, and the “refreshing truths” woven into the narratives.

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Further Reading

Bonansinga D. (2022) Insecurity narratives and implicit emotional appeals in French competing populisms, Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research, 35:1, 86-106, DOI:10.1080/13511610.2021.1964349

Confederation (24 May 2024). Niebywałe, Ursula von der Leyen znów atakuję Konfederację [Video]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1106889657259230

Confederation (26 May 2024). Materiał obowiązkowy. Krzysztof Bosak zdominował debatę Polsat News ws. paktu migracyjnego i merytorycznie punktował Tuska i jego koalicjantów! [Video]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=447000314747830

Confederation (5 June 2024). Konrad Berkowicz kapitalnym wystąpieniem przyćmił wszystkich konkurentów w debacie TVP [Photo]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1025173772508871&set=a.314970213529234&type=3

Lazarus, Richard S. 2006. Stress and Emotion: A New Synthesis. New York: Springer Publishing.