3 ms·

It amazes me how much the bottom and middle class are infatuated with Trump. I recall seeing him in NYC with a look of disgust when he passed by doormen. The gu

It amazes me how much the bottom and middle class are infatuated with Trump. I recall seeing him in NYC with a look of disgust when he passed by doormen. The guy never said hello, and grew up with a sense of entitlement that is truly mesmerizing. The guy ripped off students with a scam college a la Andrew Tate. Yet, I saw an older gentleman just this morning wearing a white MAGA hat, and driving an old rusted truck. I am dumbfounded really. He is denying funding for these programs while siphoning our taxes into his golf resorts. Utterly disgraceful, yet half the country wanted him. I wish I could understand the delusion people go through. Mental gymnastics that is worthy of graduate studies. I now understand how people can live under Stalinist and Nazi regimes. The ridiculous becomes mundane

shafyy 2y ago
People in power spend a lot of money and effort for propaganda so that middle and lower class people think what they do is actually good for them. "I can become rich too, and then I also don't want to pay taxes and yield power with impunity" Also, they keep working class folks occupied with work and just poor enough, so that working class people don't have time to engage in politics, don't have time too think too much about the future, and mainly worry about paying this month's rent and feeding their families. So, I don't blame the people, I blame the system that working exactly as designed. Question is, how can we change this system?
SpicyLemonZest 2y ago
I really encourage people to look at it from the opposite angle. What does that older gentleman dislike so much about the status quo that he’d rather engage in strenuous mental gymnastics than accept it? I don’t claim to have the one true answer, but I bet you can identify a couple plausible ones.
- MPSFounder 2y ago
  I agree with your sentiment. It is just hard for me to comprehend how a billionaire who's shown time and time again he cares little for normal folks, can have such an impact on their perception. His cabinet was filled with billionaires with country club membership. This is easily accessible info. Normal folks would rather elect those who deny them entry to that club, because of how they feel about the status quo. Not sure how this is the answer. I bet if their social security was cut in half, they would see it as a force of good because Trump said so. Amazing really. If that's not a cult of personality, I don't know what is
  - SpicyLemonZest 2y ago
    One of the important factors in Trump’s rise is that he’s the first Republican leader in decades who doesn’t talk about cutting Social Security. Not talking about it doesn’t mean it can’t happen, of course, and I personally think there’s reason for concern. But it’s a big shift. Matt Yglesias calls it “unhinged moderation”, and I think that’s basically correct; imagine telling someone in 2004 or even 2014 that a Republican would appoint a gay Treasury secretary.
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
    - pseudalopex 2y ago
      A gay Treasury secretary is not much surprising and even less substantial. Bush before 2004 with little controversy appointed several gay people. By 2014 moderate Republicans accepted gay soldiers and civil unions. Trump's 1st administration argued gay people could be fired for being gay. And failed to persuade 2 of 5 Republicans on the Supreme Court

shafyy 2y ago

People in power spend a lot of money and effort for propaganda so that middle and lower class people think what they do is actually good for them. "I can become rich too, and then I also don't want to pay taxes and yield power with impunity" Also, they keep working class folks occupied with work and just poor enough, so that working class people don't have time to engage in politics, don't have time too think too much about the future, and mainly worry about paying this month's rent and feeding their families. So, I don't blame the people, I blame the system that working exactly as designed. Question is, how can we change this system?

SpicyLemonZest 2y ago

I really encourage people to look at it from the opposite angle. What does that older gentleman dislike so much about the status quo that he’d rather engage in strenuous mental gymnastics than accept it? I don’t claim to have the one true answer, but I bet you can identify a couple plausible ones.

MPSFounder 2y ago
I agree with your sentiment. It is just hard for me to comprehend how a billionaire who's shown time and time again he cares little for normal folks, can have such an impact on their perception. His cabinet was filled with billionaires with country club membership. This is easily accessible info. Normal folks would rather elect those who deny them entry to that club, because of how they feel about the status quo. Not sure how this is the answer. I bet if their social security was cut in half, they would see it as a force of good because Trump said so. Amazing really. If that's not a cult of personality, I don't know what is
- SpicyLemonZest 2y ago
  One of the important factors in Trump’s rise is that he’s the first Republican leader in decades who doesn’t talk about cutting Social Security. Not talking about it doesn’t mean it can’t happen, of course, and I personally think there’s reason for concern. But it’s a big shift. Matt Yglesias calls it “unhinged moderation”, and I think that’s basically correct; imagine telling someone in 2004 or even 2014 that a Republican would appoint a gay Treasury secretary.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - pseudalopex 2y ago
    A gay Treasury secretary is not much surprising and even less substantial. Bush before 2004 with little controversy appointed several gay people. By 2014 moderate Republicans accepted gay soldiers and civil unions. Trump's 1st administration argued gay people could be fired for being gay. And failed to persuade 2 of 5 Republicans on the Supreme Court