I still have a hard time understanding how people come to support Trump. Like what led people to become like this?
It is never just one reason, it is a myriad of different reasons compounding and mixing with each other. Intentional dumbing down of population, genuine economic anxiety, wealth inequality, algorithm corralling people into their own information bubble leading to polarisation, etc. It is important to put yourself into one’s shoes and think why they think that way. You don’t have to agree with the viewpoint you disagree, you just have to understand. Understanding is the key to defeating extremism.
Yes and no. There are places that are 90% tribalistic and won’t vote for the opposing party. But more often than not, there are party flip in regions that used to be reliable for one party, but switch to another party. That is what happened with former industrial manufacturing hubs in Appalachia and Midwest when they used to vote Democrats, but switched to Republican thanks to jobs outsourcing. The working class weren’t provided with alternatives. Their people left, communities abandoned with no prospect, many became depressed and resort to substance abuse leading to both personal and generational trauma. These communities are ripe for emotional manipulation by demagogues.
It is never just one reason, it is a myriad of different reasons compounding and mixing with each other. Intentional dumbing down of population, genuine economic anxiety, wealth inequality, algorithm corralling people into their own information bubble leading to polarisation, etc. It is important to put yourself into one’s shoes and think why they think that way. You don’t have to agree with the viewpoint you disagree, you just have to understand. Understanding is the key to defeating extremism.
Don’t forget about the opposition party abandoning large swaths of the country because they’re too hard to win in.
If only one team shows up, then that’s the team you’re rooting for.
Yes and no. There are places that are 90% tribalistic and won’t vote for the opposing party. But more often than not, there are party flip in regions that used to be reliable for one party, but switch to another party. That is what happened with former industrial manufacturing hubs in Appalachia and Midwest when they used to vote Democrats, but switched to Republican thanks to jobs outsourcing. The working class weren’t provided with alternatives. Their people left, communities abandoned with no prospect, many became depressed and resort to substance abuse leading to both personal and generational trauma. These communities are ripe for emotional manipulation by demagogues.