Trump and the Folklore of Capitalism

https://verfassungsblog.de/trump-and-the-folklore-of-capitalism/

created by Maxwellsdemon17 on 22/01/2025 at 21:40 UTC

317 upvotes, 7 top-level comments (showing 7)

Comments

Comment by AutoModerator at 22/01/2025 at 21:40 UTC

1 upvotes, 0 direct replies

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Comment by jb_in_jpn at 23/01/2025 at 00:10 UTC

62 upvotes, 6 direct replies

I honestly don't believe the average Trump voter thinks that deeply about this stuff. They see him as a brash, "straight-talker" (the irony, I know), who is spitting in the face of politicians they see as especially pretentious and out of touch. He is of course in an entirely different galaxy when it comes to being "in touch", but he simply says the right things.

It's alarmingly simple, and yet journalists and opinion pieces continue to tie themselves into a knot over analyzing Trump and his voters.

Comment by Maxwellsdemon17 at 22/01/2025 at 21:41 UTC

28 upvotes, 2 direct replies

"Unfortunately, scholars often ignore national variations. But is it accidental that US populism is dominated not just by a political outsider but a *business executive*? As Simon Mollan and Beverley Geesin point out, Trump’s rise was motored by the 1990s reality television series *The Apprentice*, in which he portrayed a decisive business executive. Trump’s popularity built on his media-generated image as a hard-headed wheeler-and-dealer, adept at playing zero-sum games and thriving amid general economic decline. His skill at outsmarting bankers (by constantly renegotiating massive debts that keep his businesses afloat) has helped endear him to ordinary people burdened by personal debt but can only dream of getting loan “haircuts”.^(3))[1] Amid our debt-fueled capitalism, the “great little man” Trump functions as a collective projection and idealization: ordinary people empathize with his battle against creditors and, more generally, the so-called “global elite”, while fantasizing about throwing off their economic shackles and following his example."

Comment by Wespie at 25/01/2025 at 05:33 UTC

1 upvotes, 0 direct replies

All of this just makes me realize how important education is. It’s insane that psychology is not offered in grade school. Conservatives have always fought to keep it out and put religion in.

Comment by Elegant-Noise6632 at 25/01/2025 at 18:13 UTC

1 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Folklore of an economic paradigm that has been studied for ages and has entire education and field of study.

Comment by Fibocrypto at 23/01/2025 at 19:15 UTC

1 upvotes, 0 direct replies

The claim :

Unfortunately, scholars often ignore national variations. But is it accidental that US populism is dominated not just by a political outsider but a business executive? As Simon Mollan and Beverley Geesin point out, Trump’s rise was motored by the 1990s reality television series The Apprentice, in which he portrayed a decisive business executive. Trump’s popularity built on his media-generated image as a hard-headed wheeler-and-dealer, adept at playing zero-sum games and thriving amid general economic decline.

The Truth: The first season of The Apprentice aired on NBC in the winter and spring of 2004