Why are the deplorables so prone to mean-spiritedness just for the sake of being mean?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. It's very puzzling, and it's become worse over the last 20-30 years.

It used to be that you could have a rational discussion with conservatives about the role of government; they used to agree that government had a legitimate role in helping people and there should be some kind of safety net. The debate was mostly about what, exactly, should be covered by the safety net and how much money should be allocated to various programs. Conservatives weren't as generous with funds for social programs as liberals, but they always acknowledged that some social programs were useful and deserved some level of funding.

I don't recall ever seeing such malicious glee over depriving needy people of help from the government. It now seems that the reason for cutting programs isn't so much to save money but because they just enjoy hurting the most powerless.

Christians, my ass.