3 ms·

> So internally in America messaging stays firm - we're the best at everything,all the time. Sometimes this is true (particularly if you add the phrase "if you

> So internally in America messaging stays firm - we're the best at everything,all the time. Sometimes this is true (particularly if you add the phrase "if you can afford it") Without getting political,you see this in the MAGA movement. That doesn't make any sense. If everything was great there wouldn't be any need to "make America great again".

bruce511 4y ago
It makes sense if you see this from a psychological, rather than policy, point of view. MAGA _policies_ tend to be regressive (I mean that in a chronological sense, not pejoratively.) In other words a reversion to "make me feel the way I did growing up". Hot-button topics are things like immigration, racism (or more accurately, discussion of racism), education, abortion etc. Psychologically MAGA appeals to the folk who want to "feel like we're perfect" - emphasis on "feel". It's hard to argue that America has every been "great" - for all Americans. But certainly there's a period where a large chunk of the population _felt_ great. The current political movement is trying to re-create that feeling. Perhaps the slogan is more like "Make (some parts) of America Feel Great Again". MSPAFGA doesn't quite roll off the tongue though. Again, I'm not trying to be political here, as much as understand the psychology of the era. MAGA is a sub-set of Americans, and I'm not suggesting that it represents the feelings of everyone in a specific party. But clearly there is some proportion of Americans who resonate with the message - absent any actual policy suggestions.
- danaris 4y ago
  Even the slogan itself is a nostalgic callback. Reagan used it in his 1980 presidential campaign, though not in exactly that form, nor was it quite as much of a repetitive mantra.
- philwelch 4y ago
  I understand you're not trying to be political, but instead discussing the underlying psychology, and I'll endeavor to do the same. I think focusing on these sorts of domestic social issues misses a huge part of the point. To borrow a phrase from another presidential campaign, "it's the economy, stupid". If there's a downturn and people are getting laid off from their jobs, or if there's inflation, people are going to feel like the country isn't doing well. Especially when you can tell a compelling narrative about how it's the fault of other countries. A huge part of the MAGA narrative was about China and Mexico ripping us off in unfair trade deals because the US government is terrible at negotiating, so we should elect a strong, tough negotiator. And you can sort of extend this into foreign policy as well. Trump's foreign policy was scatterbrained from a policy perspective, but from a psychological perspective, there was a very consistent theme. Project strength. Don't look weak. Be a tough negotiator. Pull out of deals where we're getting screwed. Play hardball. The core of the MAGA message was about winning. It was a mantra, everything from "America doesn't win anymore" to "you're going to get tired of winning". Nostalgia is part of it, but so is power. I also think people are nostalgic for the post-war era when the US produced the most steel, the most cars, the most oil, and everyone could get a middle class job and buy a house and a car or two, even on a single income. That nostalgia is almost universal and bipartisan. Some people emphasize stronger unions and lower income inequality, some people emphasize the role of foreign trade, some people emphasize both. It depends on what narrative you're telling and who you want to blame. But at this point, the nostalgia itself is old enough that it isn't directly personal for the majority of voters anymore.

bruce511 4y ago

It makes sense if you see this from a psychological, rather than policy, point of view. MAGA _policies_ tend to be regressive (I mean that in a chronological sense, not pejoratively.) In other words a reversion to "make me feel the way I did growing up". Hot-button topics are things like immigration, racism (or more accurately, discussion of racism), education, abortion etc. Psychologically MAGA appeals to the folk who want to "feel like we're perfect" - emphasis on "feel". It's hard to argue that America has every been "great" - for all Americans. But certainly there's a period where a large chunk of the population _felt_ great. The current political movement is trying to re-create that feeling. Perhaps the slogan is more like "Make (some parts) of America Feel Great Again". MSPAFGA doesn't quite roll off the tongue though. Again, I'm not trying to be political here, as much as understand the psychology of the era. MAGA is a sub-set of Americans, and I'm not suggesting that it represents the feelings of everyone in a specific party. But clearly there is some proportion of Americans who resonate with the message - absent any actual policy suggestions.

danaris 4y ago
Even the slogan itself is a nostalgic callback. Reagan used it in his 1980 presidential campaign, though not in exactly that form, nor was it quite as much of a repetitive mantra.
philwelch 4y ago
I understand you're not trying to be political, but instead discussing the underlying psychology, and I'll endeavor to do the same. I think focusing on these sorts of domestic social issues misses a huge part of the point. To borrow a phrase from another presidential campaign, "it's the economy, stupid". If there's a downturn and people are getting laid off from their jobs, or if there's inflation, people are going to feel like the country isn't doing well. Especially when you can tell a compelling narrative about how it's the fault of other countries. A huge part of the MAGA narrative was about China and Mexico ripping us off in unfair trade deals because the US government is terrible at negotiating, so we should elect a strong, tough negotiator. And you can sort of extend this into foreign policy as well. Trump's foreign policy was scatterbrained from a policy perspective, but from a psychological perspective, there was a very consistent theme. Project strength. Don't look weak. Be a tough negotiator. Pull out of deals where we're getting screwed. Play hardball. The core of the MAGA message was about winning. It was a mantra, everything from "America doesn't win anymore" to "you're going to get tired of winning". Nostalgia is part of it, but so is power. I also think people are nostalgic for the post-war era when the US produced the most steel, the most cars, the most oil, and everyone could get a middle class job and buy a house and a car or two, even on a single income. That nostalgia is almost universal and bipartisan. Some people emphasize stronger unions and lower income inequality, some people emphasize the role of foreign trade, some people emphasize both. It depends on what narrative you're telling and who you want to blame. But at this point, the nostalgia itself is old enough that it isn't directly personal for the majority of voters anymore.