General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I know this is going to be unpopular but I am friends with and I understand many Trump supporters [View all]nolabear
(41,933 posts)Heck, you're talking about my family of origin and everybody I grew up around. I might not be able to understand why on earth they fell for him but I do know they desperately want to be assured that things will be okay, that the pain they're in will end.
I could write volumes about differences in character and how people tend to formulate the reasons they do what they do, but the one thing that is most easily played upon is fear. They might not be "bigots or sexist pigs" but they are worried that what little they have will be taken away and having a villain created for them followed by the promise it'll be vanquished leads to a whole lot of speculation about who that villain might be. Minorities and women are very, VERY often the target of that speculation. And then the "hero" carefully works it.
Then there's religion. Religion, again, addresses fear. Fear of death, fear of the unknown, fear of being abandoned. If you and a whole group of others follow the absolute rules of a certain God who has tremendous power you now have a society and meaning and security, however false. It tells you how things should be and, again, who the villains are--gays, Muslims, abortionists, etc. I'm not going to shame people for that; it's one hell of a human trait or it wouldn't be so prevalent. And it's wildly vulnerable to shystering. One you've based your self identity on being led by a deity, you are going to get led.
But there's such a need for a firm kind of generosity and a lack of rage or shaming in talking to people who support him. It sounds condescending, I know, but I don't mean it that way. The firmness comes from being willing to draw lines and say "Nope, you can't discriminate against that person" but the kindness needs to come from actual respect, respect that 's been earned by hard work and many good qualities. We might not be the same but we'll kill one another if we don't figure out not to be assholes to these people.