67 upvotes, 6 direct replies (showing 6)
View submission: Trump and the Folklore of Capitalism
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 indigo945 at 23/01/2025 at 08:52 UTC*
44 upvotes, 3 direct replies
The article doesn't argue that Trump voters *think* that deeply about this stuff, it analyzes why Trump's persona creates such a strong sympathetic response among his voters. This is about symbolism and mass psychology.
You even say it yourself - they see him as a "straight-talker". But what does that *mean*? "Straight-talker" is an empty hull of a word, it has no referent. But like "the American Businessman", it is part of the complex of symbols that makes up the "Folklore of Capitalism".
When people think of "brash straight-talkers", they think of people they know - their bosses at work, for example, who are successful and in a position of power where they can always speak their minds. This power has an allure. "YOU'RE FIRED!" evokes both shock and awe. Calling this response "libidinal" is not much of an exaggeration: like all strong primal emotions, it leaves behind an obsession, a need to recreate this whole-body experience of blissful domination. It's not rational: you don't want to get fired, but you want to experience "YOU'RE FIRED!". You want others to experience it, you want it to fill all empty space in life. There's nothing more alluring, then, than to have the whole country become a business, the threat and release of "YOU'RE FIRED!" ever-present in every interaction, the most powerful of bosses, the most American of Businessmen, at the very top of the pyramid.
Comment by squngy at 23/01/2025 at 09:04 UTC
14 upvotes, 1 direct replies
but he simply says the right things.
More like Fox News says the right things for him.
Maybe I'm the crazy one, but his speeches seem to be even less comprehensible now than in 2016. At this point it is completely up to interpretation what he is saying.
Comment by cc81 at 23/01/2025 at 12:54 UTC
6 upvotes, 0 direct replies
The point of the article is not that they think deeply about this stuff. It is why are they are both seeing him as one of them and also almost a mythical strong leader. It was quite interesting.
Comment by browster at 23/01/2025 at 13:13 UTC
4 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I agree completely. The analysis that the deep thinkers (e.g., David Brooks) have about Trump voters is comical. Ennui, dissolution of community, all kinds of stuff. It's just what you said though. He's a con man, knows what to say, and he has a galaxy of right-wing media to cover for his lies and misdeeds and weird behavior while media left, right, and center amplify his messages. Meanwhile, Biden and others on the left are actually doing things to help the lower and middle class and get zero credit for it.
Comment by username_redacted at 24/01/2025 at 13:40 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
The linked article basically agrees with that assessment.
Comment by crunchtime100 at 23/01/2025 at 18:25 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Journalists never ask this question, particularly regarding immigration & the economy: “Why were more reasonable solutions never offered by Trump’s opponents?”
Many people voted for Trump because the DNC was burying their head in the sand acting like there was no problem to begin with leaving folks with an unreasonable solution but a perceived solution nonetheless.