While I am broadly in agreement with Jorost, I'd hazard against this broad assumption that everyone voting for Trump is 'dumb.' This was the same argument that was made against those who voted for Brexit, and not only is it equally not true in this case as it was then, it's also going to be just as effective in this case as it was then. Telling people they're dumb—even when they are—is not a winning argument. Telling people they're dumb when, in fact, many of them aren't is certainly not a winning argument.
Regardless of whether you agree with them, many of Trump's voters have what are to them very good reasons for voting for him. Some don't like him, but really don't like Clinton, and buy into the anti-third-party rhetoric that you once espoused yourself, Jorost. Some of them are so fed up with the status quo they view him as a protest vote, and I really can't blame them for that. I personally know one-time Bernie campaigners who plan to vote, or are at least considering voting, for Trump.
Trump may be an idiot. Some of his supporters may be idiots. But they're not all dumb, and telling them they are isn't going to change their mind. If anything, it's going to entrench their positions, and drive swing voters away from you, because there are people who still don't know who they're going to vote for, or if they're going to vote at all, and calling the other side stupidheads doesn't make them seem like the less-appealing option: it just makes your side look like bullies.
This is exactly why Trump is doing as well as he is, and the very thing I've been mocking Jorost for all along. Trump is a wake up call. The left had the opportunity to acknowledge the problems that led to his rise and make efforts, even token ones, to address those issues. Instead of doing that they chose to double down and push right ahead being the massive cunts they are. Who is the real idiot there? You people made your bed. Now lie in it.
Yeah but hold on, now you're acting the exact same way you're attacking Jorost for acting. Worse, even, as Jorost was lumping all the Trump supporters together as idiots, while you're pulling the same move on literally everyone you consider left of center. You might've noticed that there was a substantial push from the Democratic membership to elect someone outside mainstream politics, someone with fresh ideas (well, for America, at least) that could have addressed the issues that led to Trump's rise. That didn't work, of course, for a number of reasons, not the least of which was (what has come to be fairly blatant) sabotage by the party elite. That hardly makes every left-winger a cunt, nor does it make them responsible for Trump's rise to power. If you're inclined to place blame for that, blame those who voted for him. You don't get to blame the left wing for the right wing's lunacy.
Except I'm not (that was a nice try though!). You're misconstruing my usage of "the left" with "everyone on the left" rather than "the left establishment." Call it lunacy all you like, but the people who engage in the kind of behavior being discussed are by far responsible for the prevailing mentalities that have led to Trump's rise and the fact that that behavior has only been increased rather than reexamined seems to me the real lunacy. I saw something interesting recently and I'd like to have anyone who feels so inclined fill in these blanks for me:
______, after defeating ________ for the Democratic nomination, attacked _____ as a dangerous right-wing radical. For his part, _____ pledged to uplift the pessimistic mood of the nation, and won a decisive victory
Edited by Shokkou, 31 August 2016 - 05:09 AM.
