40 upvotes, 3 direct replies (showing 3)
View submission: Trump and the Folklore of Capitalism
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 cartoptauntaun at 23/01/2025 at 16:13 UTC
5 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I love the observation about threat and release cycles being the mechanism for emotional satisfaction.
I rarely hear about that concept but am I remembering right that it’s originally one of Lacan’s theories?
Comment by Grmmff at 23/01/2025 at 20:07 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
It's a fawn response.
Comment by Youcantshakeme at 24/01/2025 at 18:19 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
While what you are saying is true for some of these supporters, who then can't think one step further and try and figure out what Trumps solutions are and why they wouldn't make sense, not all fall into this category. There is a malicious component as well (the "trigger the libs" types).
This is why I have been posting this anywhere I can.
"Never believe that anti-Semites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous, open to challenge. But they are amusing themselves, for it is their adversary who is obliged to use words responsibly, since he believes in words. The anti-Semites have the right to play. They even like to play with discourse for, by giving ridiculous reasons, they discredit the seriousness of their interlocutors. They delight in acting in bad faith, since they seek not to persuade by sound argument but to intimidate and disconcert. If you press them too closely, they will abruptly fall silent, loftily indicating by some phrase that the time for argument is past." Jean-Paul Sartre
They know what they are doing, they are capitalizing on confusion and anger over their rhetoric while they achieve their goals. This is why they all have the smug look on their face because they know everything that they are saying is in bad faith.
Nothing about Trump says anything about strong or tough or "businessman" except to illiterate children or child like mentalities. He is the epitome of everything that Americans grew up hating and cartoonish in appearance and actions.