As angry as I am at Trump voters, I have empathy for the ones who aren't rich fucks or Nazi assholes

[Stevegberg]

Think about it - most of Trump's voters are not the Nazi/White Nationalist sickos who want to murder Jews and black and brown people for a white homeland. Nor are they the greedy rich POS who always benefit from Republicans in power, Trump included. No, most Trump supporters are just ordinary, middle-class and even poor Republican voters, with a smattering of former conservative, white Democrats.

Yes, a lot of Trump supporters - most of them, probably the vast majority - have repugnant views on race, gender, immigration, and other issues of basic social justice and equality. They should absolutely be held accountable for those views, and for allowing those views to steer them toward this demented garbage human being and con artist who passes for America's President.

But make no mistake: How many Trump voters truly benefit from his policies (and broader Republican policies)? Especially with the utter policy failures and moral bankruptcy of their response/non-response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the coming economic depression that has a not-at-all insignificant change of making Trump a one-term President (God or Fate willing).

The bottom line: Trump may say "I am your voice!" to his supporters, and they may believe it wholeheartedly, but cult members are victims of the cult leader even as they are perpetrators of his mendacity. Be firm, be strong, hold all Trump supporters accountable, confront them with the truth - but don't let them get to you to the point that you dehumanize them, because that only feeds their sense of victim-hood, and convinces them that the Democrats/liberals/whomever are the ones victimizing them, rather than the Scumbag-In-Chief whom they've put so much faith in.

This may not be a popular view, and you can disagree all you want and I'll respect that. But I don't want my anger to cloud my compassion for Trump's victims, regardless of whether they support him.

[SoonerPride]

1. they are all nazi assholes, rich or not

zero empathy for any of them ever.

[Stevegberg]

6. I find this kind of sad, to be honest.

[William769]

10. Go see how much empathy you get from them.

They put us all in the position we are in. So I guess you know what my answer is.

[Stevegberg]

21. I don't care if they don't give me empathy.

There's a concept called "being the better person", "turning the other cheek", or whatever you want to call it.

[Squinch]

27. Aren't you just wonderful.

[Stevegberg]

32. Never claimed to be.

[Aristus]

37. Let's not be unpleasant.

I admire this level of compassion. I'm just tired of having to be the better person, and having it not benefit the above-average half of our country.

I'm not going to waste compassion on the Trumpers. They wouldn't know what to do with it anyway...

[Stevegberg]

39. Thank you.

[Squinch]

53. That's nice that you admire it. I don't. And I don't find all those other posters "sad"

simply because they are acknowledging the truth.

That's not empathy. That's judgment.

[William769]

29. I have turned the other cheek. They smashed that one also. nt

[Stevegberg]

33. Fair enough.

[SoonerPride]

11. sad, but true

there are no good people who support trump. they are all vile, evil, racist, hateful motherfuckers.

it is inherently impossible to be a decent person and support such evil as occupies 1600 Penn.

is that sad?

sure.

is it true?

yes

[Stevegberg]

17. I guess 20 percent of the US population is as you described.

[Bev54]

59. That is the truth

I have said this from day one. No matter what I thought someone could do for me financially, I could not support a complete scumbag racist.

[Bucky]

64. I even feel bad for that NOLA preacher who called the Covid warnings "hysteria" and then caught it

He went to Mardi Gras after dismissing the warnings as hysteria. Then he got sick. Now he's died from Covid 19. He's left behind a wife and four daughters. His wife, at least, has almost certainly contracted the virus now. He may well have passed it onto his parishioners and anybody else he's been close to: cashiers, trash collectors, other church officials, and of course the medical staff who tried to save his life.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52157824

It was Trump's job to warn people about invisible enemies, to assess and prepare for threats that face the country. This falls at the feet of the leaders who encouraged and depended on the reality-denying mythologies of the Right. I don't blame the crowd's feet for people killed in a stampede. I blame the person who had the job of preventing stampedes.

[SharonAnn]

73. 1/3 of their population wants to eliminate another 1/3, while the remaining 1/3 watches.

[madwivoter]

2. Nope.

In fact, all the nopes in nopesville.

[Stevegberg]

5. OK.

[Bucky]

66. Don't worry, you still have all the Yeps from CapableOfHumanCompassionVille

We can be angry without being hateful. We can't oppose Republican tribal follies without descending into tribalism ourselves. We can fight fire with water.

[Ferrets are Cool]

3. I have NO empathy, sympathy or any other "pathy"

We are in this mess because of THEM.

[Stevegberg]

4. I find this sad.

But you're entitled to that response, of course.

[Dream Girl]

55. Not proud of of it, but I agree. They totally deserved what they get.

Not only for their stupidity

[Bucky]

69. No, they don't.

I used to work at a homeless shelter. Frequently we took in women and families who had run away from abusive husbands or boyfriends. I can't number the times we had to watch the women who came into the shelter gradually and, after they got over the initial relief and began the mourning process, decided to go back to their abuser. We called it the "Bargaining Stage trap."

I think of Trump's working class supporters in the same light. For a subculture like that to exist, there have to be a whole raft of sustained belief systems and moral comforts to support their Stockholm Syndrome. It took Patti Hearst years to realize how badly she was being abused and used. And that was with a belief system, the SLA gang, that was far less "socially acceptable" than today's Trump/Republican cult.

There's a difference between being to blame for something and being responsible for handling it. I agree that everyone voting for Trump and his corrupt madness has a personal responsibility to wake the fuck up and help rebuild the country he's destroying. But I don't blame them for the damage Trump does... and I'm certainly not going to do the Superior Dance and say anyone deserves to get damaged by anything Trump does.

The little idiots in maga hats deserve universal healthcare coverage too.

[mr_lebowski]

7. That's magnanimous, and speaks well of you :)

I, however, am way more of an asshole.

I'll leave it at that

[Funtatlaguy]

8. His voters are either the greedy rich or the bigoted poor.

[Squinch]

9. They're doing this to themselves. There's not a lot we can do to stop that.

And no one voted for Filthy Donnie who isn't, at heart, a racist and a sexist.

Not one of them.

You don't vote a racist and sexist into the Presidency of the United States without thinking that racism and sexism are A-OK.

And yes, I see from your replies above that you will find that sad.

[Stevegberg]

16. Yes, I do find it sad that about 1/5 of the US population voted for this man.

And I also find it sad that many on my side have let their totally justified anger cloud any sense of empathy for those whom they're justifiably enraged at.

Empathy does not mean agreement or sympathy.

[Squinch]

25. I am fully aware of what empathy means. Nice of you to join so you can

chastise us all.



Whatever did we do without you?

[Stevegberg]

31. I'm not aware of me chastising anyone here. I do see a lot of strong negative reactions to me.

And I UNDERSTAND all of your reactions. I have been there, and I am constantly tempted to say "fuck it, no empathy for any of them."

I never claimed to be anyone special. I'm just stating my view, which I suspected would be unpopular here. Is that a crime?

[Squinch]

38. A crime? No. Sanctimonious and self-congratulatory? Yes.

[Stevegberg]

40. If you say so.

[Bucky]

70. Don't waste your time

Some people fall in love with hate. They can't be reasoned with.

[Butterflylady]

74. Because I'm done with them

In no way means I hate them, which is what you're implying. I do not hate anyone. That is a negative word. I just don't want to see them, hear from them or be around them. What ever happens to them, happens. I do not care.

[Squinch]

79. Bahahaha! I bet you don't even understand how ironic that statement is!

[DEbluedude]

12. They are not his victims, they are his enablers. n/t

[Xipe Totec]

13. I have sympathy for the rich; at least they have a reasonable motive.

But the poor dumb fucks that defend the rights of their abusers to abuse them, well, those are the ones that deserve no pity.

[Stevegberg]

46. Sympathy for the rich? Their motive is pure sociopathic greed.

I think all victims deserve some level of empathy, both those who recognize that they are victims and those who stubbornly refuse to recognize it. I see you disagree - and that's OK.

[Xipe Totec]

62. At least they're acting in their own self interests

I have no sympathy for people who act against their own interests.

If we all acted in our interests, those greedy assholes wouldn't stand a chance.

[Firestorm49]

14. There's nothing more pathetic than a poor Republican.

[TheBlackAdder]

15. THIS! 👍

[Ferrets are Cool]

75. Agreed nt

[CrispyQ]

18. They have strained the bounds of my empathy.

Children are separated from their parents at our southern border & these folks are A-OK with that. They support a political party that admits, even at the very top, that if they made it easier to vote, they would lose, so they are A-OK with silencing the voice of people they disagree with. This is no longer a difference of political opinion, it's a difference in how you view your fellow human beings. I'm still polite to right wingers I know, but I don't seek them out and this is gonna leave a mark—my own version of the number of the beast. I hope they come to their senses, but I will never look at them the same way again even if they do.

[Paladin]

19. To hell with them.

My compassion is distributed among people who are far more worthy of it. If some of the trump people want to come crawling back to our side, having recognized their costly blunder, fair enough. Fuck the rest of them.

[Stevegberg]

34. That's fair.

[ck4829]

20. I'll keep my compassion for people who want it

[Stevegberg]

24. That's leaving out a lot of people who need it.

nt

[atreides1]

61. It's not a question of need

It's more a question, do they deserve my empathy?


Based on their continued support of the monster in the White House and his hateful policies...they don't deserve my empathy or sympathy!

[not_the_one]

22. Sorry, my fuck balance is in the severe negative column...

When the good people of American allowed the current turd to float around in OUR White House, after Hillary winning by almost 3,000,000 votes, and did nothing about it, I veered off the high road and never looked back. We ARE WHERE WE ARE because we were too busy being "nice". Meanwhile, they were taking no prisoners.

If they voted for the turd, I hold them in contempt. There were NO "good intentions" involved in their choice.

Strange how his core base continues to be the same %... They will stay with him regardless. Cult members are VOLUNTEERS for the cult.

They rest? They KNEW they were voting for a pussygrabber. That says it all. I have no sympathy, empathy whatsoever for pussygrabbers. I, frankly, don't give a shit for whatever conundrum they find themselves in. TOO. FUCKING. BAD.

[Chellee]

23. Umm... no.

"Yes, a lot of Trump supporters - most of them, probably the vast majority - have repugnant views on race, gender, immigration, and other issues of basic social justice and equality." - Stevegberg

They made their choices. Choices have consequences. I don't care if their hatefulness and bigotry blinds them to the fact that it doesn't actually benefit them. No sympathy. It wasn't their ignorance that led them to Trump, it was their vileness. If someone were decent, and yet foolish, and that allowed them to be tricked, I could feel sympathy. But Trump didn't hide what he was. They liked him because of his horribleness, not despite it.

[Coventina]

26. Unrec. n/t

[crickets]

28. Well said and thank you.

don't let them get to you to the point that you dehumanize them, because that only feeds their sense of victim-hood, and convinces them that the Democrats/liberals/whomever are the ones victimizing them, rather than the Scumbag-In-Chief whom they've put so much faith in.

To do this is to become them.

[Bettie]

83. They are humans

they are just really, really awful ones.

They are people devoid of any form of moral compass.

[JustAnotherGen]

30. No - I'm with Atticus

We are going to look back next year. We aren't just going to 'move on'.

What you PERMIT you promote. There is no such thing as an 'open on race' or religion Trumpster.

They knew PRECISELY what they were doing.

They have Consciously Supported the sunofabith. They continue to do so.

I dehumanized them the day after the election - when a rich white old one called me a nigger and told me this was revenge.

That is WHO they are.

Your opinion - but I'm a democratic committee member. And unless you are serving a position like that two - you don't get to agitate the locals.

I do. I have the pulpit, the voters lists, and we've watched them closely (documenting names and such) in our area.

[Squinch]

45. I am so sorry that happened to you.

[Cirque du So-What]

35. Sanctimonious codswollop

Climb down from that cross. We can use the wood.

[Stevegberg]

36. Sanctimonious? As opposed to dehumanizing rage?

OK then.

[Cirque du So-What]

47. I see them as all too human

Humans have a tremendous capacity for what we call 'evil,' and I include willful ignorance in that category. I am not dehumanizing them whatsoever; they are fully human, and I hope they learn a lesson, even if it's the so-called 'hard way.'

Coming into a discussion forum and tsk-tsking its members for not living up to your moral standards is the height of supercilious preening.

[Stevegberg]

52. I never tsk-tsked anyone, not intentionally. I agree with you about humans and evil.

Yes, I hope they learn a lesson too. I hope their hearts are changed, because the anger and bigotry, the hatred in their hearts is doing no one but Trump and his family and the billionaires who are his true benefactors any good.

I just wanted to share where I'm at.

[JustAnotherGen]

85. I don't have rage

Most of us who disagree with you dont. I don't see rage in that individual you responded to.

Remember - we've heard, read, seen nothing but those "poor little Trump voters" these past few years.

History will not be kind to them - it will be kind to the righteous.

We made a mistake and gave evil a freebie in 1865.

Let's not make the same stupid mistake again.

They knew exactly what they were doing in November 2016.

They call us Demonrats and Demorats in NJ. Let them be right.

[Aristus]

41. I respect your compassion.

It's tempting to ascribe the beliefs and actions of his followers to being misguided, or under economic anxiety, of feeling bewildered and left behind in a world that is rapidly changing.

But a quick look at his followers will show that this is not the case. If they are not actively evil, they're certainly mean-spirited and selfish. I have no doubt a great deal of their fecklessness lies in the fury they feel having had a black man as President for eight years.

[Stevegberg]

42. I agree - and misguided, bewildered, mean-spirited, selfish, and bigoted are not mutually exclusive.

Thank you for your post. I agree that Obama really "triggered" them, as they like to say about us ("triggering the libs" ).

[spicysista]

43. Tough love...

Tough love, for me, isn't about being stern with loved ones or giving them their "medicine". It's about loving individuals when it's rather difficult to do so. I have chosen to love everyone. Therefore, I must care about them, too.
Being a young (ish) black woman from the south has really taught me the value of forgiveness. The person actually asking for forgiveness, love, or empathy is irrelevant to me. It's more about my personal spiritual walk. It's simple, extend to others the grace and empathy you'd like to get in return.
Still, don't judge my fellow DUers harshly. It's a choice to walk in this way. Good people do not all choose the same way. This forum is filled with some awesome people.

[Stevegberg]

49. Thank you, tough love is important. And I'm not judging anyone here harshly, not trying to anyway.

Feel free to call me out if I'm judging anyone here. I don't want to judge anyone lest I am judged myself.

I have found that it's often better to listen.

[spicysista]

60. I'm sorry.

I have misjudged your post as chiding Duers for a lack of empathy towards tRump supporters. I apologize.
Listening is very important. I have heard the tRump supporter say, " he (tRump) speaks for me". That is good enough reason for many to dismiss anything else they'd have to say. It can be harder to see one's humanity when they cheer at the caging of babies and separation of familes.
I just can't stand to see anyone suffer. But, it's a choice to be this way.

[Stevegberg]

63. I agree. "It's a choice to be this way." People should be held accountable for their choices.

Part of empathy and compassion is holding people accountable for their actions - and being as tough-as-nails when need be, and allowing them to face the consequences of their actions. Hit rock bottom, but be there to hold a gentle, yet firm hand to help them help themselves, and see the error of their ways. That's tough love.

If I let my capacity for the people who are hardest for me to love fail, sooner or later that will come back to negatively affect how I love the people in my life whom are easier for me to love. I'm only speaking for myself in this thread, and sharing things that I have found helpful for me to retain my humanity and my sanity. I'm sorry to anyone who felt that I was judging them.

[denbot]

44. Fuck them! I have to face them every day as a trucker.

I am mostly Apache by heritage, but most think I’m “Mexican”, with it never dawning on them brown people are also Americans. If in conversation it come up that I’m from L.A. California, no less, true revulsion spreads across their face.

They despise us, and many if not most wouldn’t give a shit if Steve Miller had his way and we were loaded on cattle cars destined for crematoriums.

Fuck them!

[Rorey]

48. I honestly don't care about their "sense of victim-hood"

What benefit is this compassion, of which you speak, going to be for these "victims"? If you want to show true compassion for others, you'll do every thing you possibly can to shut down monsters like 45, McConnell, and their ilk, and that means you also must shut down those who support these monsters. Without the support of these Magats, 45 and McConnell and their ilk will be nothing. They will no longer have impact.

Your compassion isn't helping. Quite the opposite. Your compassion is enabling.

[Stevegberg]

50. What does "shut down" mean, exactly? Millions of people do support Trump. Not a majority, obviously.

I want to shut down those monsters too. I don't want to enable any of them - quite the opposite.

I just am not exactly clear as to what "shut down" means in the case of all of the people who vote for and support the monsters.

[Rorey]

54. What it means

Instead of having a "poor them" attitude about them, call them on their shit. At the very least, don't humor them. Don't be passive when they excuse the despicable behavior of OrangeAss. At this point, with all we now know, anyone who doesn't denounce OrangeAss is a POS.

[Stevegberg]

56. I agree with all of that.

[hatrack]

51. Though paved with good intentions, the road to Hell still ends in Hell . . .

I don't care what they thought (or more likely, what they emoted or felt or what the "mood" was that drove their choices).

They paved the road, and here we are at its terminus.

[Rorey]

57. +1 NT

[Stevegberg]

58. Can't argue with that.

Fair enough.

[agingdem]

65. they are all the vilest of the vile...

they are Trump loving nazi cultists...they thrive on hate..and you're arguing bc they may be poor they deserve our empathy...huh???

[rockfordfile]

67. Not me.

They're the ones that's going to spread the virus even more

[SDJay]

68. I Respect That...

but can't do it. I guess I'm not as good a person as you or others, and I mean that sincerely. This whole fucked up situation with a scumbag, sleazy moron in the WH all started with millions of idiots who wanted to "own duh libs" and laugh about it. They laughed about it when Dump would insult physically challenged people. They laughed about it when this scum bragged about grabbing women.

I could go on and on of course, but these morons even laughed about it in some circles when mass shootings would occur and genuinely decent people were outraged. SNOWFLAKE!

Now their stupidity is literally going to injure/infect/kill millions of people. More than gun deaths in a year. More than just about anything else by the time it's done.

And what's the FIRST thing they're going to cry out when THEY get hoisted onto their own patard?

HELP ME GUBMINT! I'M A PATRIOT! HELP ME!

Fuck them.

[Bucky]

71. Thank you

Compassion isn't finite. Liberalism means hope, compassion, openness, tolerance, and a commitment to help everyone improve and do better.

[rufus dog]

72. I need to respond prior to reading any comments - Nope

They had numerous off ramps PRIOR to voting for him.

Racist asshole who lied about Obama - Check
Failed businessman who only succeeds because he preys on others - Check
Disparaging of Vets and those who gave huge sacrifices - Check
Numerous examples of abusing women - Check

They still voted for him.

As President

Proven liar on a daily basis - Check
Proven supporter of dictators and enemies - Check
Continuation of racist agenda - Check
Disregard for human rights - Check
Disregard for Constitution - Check
Illegally using office for personal game - Check
Unprecedented use of nepotism - Check
Inability to plan due to ignorance and incompetence - Check
Using office to penalize those who dare critique him - Check

Yet still they support him.

His actions, enabled by them impact our safety, our democracies and all democracies, our financial well being.

They are as ignorant as Hitler voters and deserve zero empathy, because they are driven by hate and fear of others.

[Ferrets are Cool]

76. +1

[coti]

77. They're all collaborators. nt

[BlueTsunami2018]

78. I pity some of them, have contempt for most of them and hate more than a few of them.

Because they never learn. Never. They’ve been getting killed by these assholes for decades and still continue to beg for more. At a certain point you just have to give it up. The only reason there can be for a working class person to vote Republican comes down to one of the “isms” or phobias. I’m sorry but I can’t muster up a lot of compassion for people who seem to enjoy getting screwed over time and time again just so they can keep others down.

[Bettie]

80. I don't have empathy or sympathy for them

because they KNEW what he is and they chose it, eyes open, knowingly.

The common ground between Trump voters and Trump is hate. Pure and simple, they hate someone he regularly attacks and it makes them feel good. He gave them explicit permission and encouragement to become the very worst versions of themselves and they took that up with enthusiasm. They love him for being a hate-filled bigot who actively wants to harm other human beings.

That is who they are.

I may have to deal with some of them, but I will NEVER forget who they have shown me they are and I will never trust them.

[smirkymonkey]

84. +1000

[musclecar6]

81. I don't have any empathy for them whatsoever

Sure most of us saw thru this con man liar and cheat from the get go. Maybe some of them were naive, trusting or not familiar when dealing with a sociopath or malignant narcissist etc. By now however, the dumbest of the bunch should realize how woefully incompetent, dishonest and dangerous this national disgrace is.

Hopefully there will be enough voters that will throw this ridiculous fool out of office come November.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

82. Many of them are stupid.

I have pity for them.

If not, then why bother being outraged at the misinformation from FOX News, right-wing talk radio, etc.

If their audience is intrinsically irredeemable, then those sources of misinformation are irrelevant. The audience will be drawn to it, regardless, because it’s their “nature”.

[ForgedCrank]

86. you give them far more latitude than I do, that is for sure.

Any notable qualities seen coming from a Trump voter are sure to be a facade.

[dalton99a]

87. They have every right to believe whatever until they die

probably clutching their stupid red hats

I have every right to call them stupid.

At this point people who still support the monster and defend the indefensible are truly beyond the reach of reason or logic