4 ms·

Some of his voters were sick of feeling like they were looked down on and treated like shit, a message that was repeatedly amplified and propagandized. It’s an

Some of his voters were sick of feeling like they were looked down on and treated like shit, a message that was repeatedly amplified and propagandized. It’s an important distinction. Perception is not reality. Are there “coastal elites” who look down on “flyover country?” Sure. No group is perfectly free of prejudice. It works the other way too; I have family that sneer at educated idiots, latte drinking city liberals and so on. Try to keep in mind, who or what is emphasizing and amplifying these fault lines, and why? Why is it important to keep insisting on binary labels and othering? From keeping people angry and, thus, engaged?

bittercynic 5y ago
Some of the messaging that stuck with me was more focused on "flyover country" being forgotten by the coastal elites, and I think that message resonated with people because it taps something very real. It seems plausible to me that trade liberalization has contributed to the rising wealth of Americans living near the coasts while simultaneously damaging large parts of the economy in the middle of the country. I do believe trade liberalization has important benefits, and may even contribute to increasing the total wealth of the planet and alleviating extreme poverty, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be aware of the costs, and to mitigate damage and ensure that huge swaths of the country aren't insulted in the process.