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Thank you for putting this sentiment to words. I've been struggling with it for the last week as I try to assemble a last-minute appeal to voters.
Every time I see a "they must just hate freedom" or "they're taking off the mask" or especially "anything is justified if they think they're stopping Hitler!" I want to scream. God damn it, you're missing the point! Most people aren't making a utilitarian calculation. They aren't even reasoning from a coherent philosophy. No, they see good things and bad things, you imbecile, you fucking moron, and they vote for the ones that feel right. Two centuries of civics have sculpted their feelings about all these pretty words like "democracy," "freedom," "rights." But millennia of history etched something deeper.
"He can't keep getting away with it."
The modal Trump hater thinks that he is coarse, unstable, and especially untrustworthy. Seeing him avoid consequences is disappointing. Seeing him get rewarded is frustrating. And seeing his supporters construct an elaborate alternate universe where he actually deserves even more rewards is fucking infuriating. That's all there is to it.
But this is like, not a surprise, ever. The politicians could be anyone. Hell, it could be sports teams. "/ourguy/ is good and flawless and perfect, your team is stinky and bad and everything they touch is ruined" thinking will be with us forever.
I mean, it's okay to be frustrated at it, but just realize that if you get frustrated at this, then it's probably better for your general wellbeing if you just either check out or accept this is just the way we are wired.
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It seems to me that we Trump supporters also feel this way, simply with a different referent. Hence, Trump.
Well…yeah.
I was pretty tired when I wrote that, but what I really wanted to convey was the simplicity of motive. Especially on forums like this, people love to concoct their elaborate theories, detailed strategic planning over how the outgroup could possibly come to their conclusion—and no, they just think he’s a tool.
It’s like watching a carjacking and writing an essay about the perp’s home life.
Someone once said Republicans like Trump because he hurts the right people. There’s a lot of Democrats who just want the right guy to get hurt. It sucks.
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