Horseshoe theory, or the idea that the far right and far left meet at the extreme ends of the political spectrum, is more in vogue than ever as pundits warn against the “populism” animating the alt-right and its close cousin, the dreaded alt-left. Tossed around in this way, the term “populism” flattens ideology and distracts attention from pressing political problems.

Dutch political scientist Cas Mudde, for example, recently argued that left and right populists have anti-elitism in common. As he wrote in Vice, “Populism is an ideology that considers society to be ultimately separated into two homogeneous and antagonistic groups: the ‘pure people’ and the ‘corrupt elite.’”