Understanding the Trump Supporter
In January 2016, Donald J. Trump said, "I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters." He was probably right. Everyone was in complete surprise when a man who degrades women, mocks disabled reporters, and calls Mexicans rapists won the November election. Many are still wondering, why Trump? Everyone would like to think that there is not that much evil in the world. Maybe we are missing something.
Former professor of sociology at the University of California Berkeley and author, Arlie Russell Hochschild, in her essay “The Ecstatic Edge of Politics: Sociology and Donald Trump,” analyzes several different perspectives regarding the mentality of the Trump supporter. …show more content…
For taken as a whole, this entire network is nothing less than a privatized political party whose budget now dwarfs that of the republican party.
A common idea might be that right-wing donors may have contributed to Donald Trump’s win. Hochschild goes on to explain that one of the Koch brothers made a statement saying that he might vote for Hillary Clinton. This does not serve as enough proof to refute this take on the support for Trump. However, it does make room for other possible interpretations. Hochschild then moves on to the gain of Trump support through values, religion and morality. According to Jonathan Haidt, conservatives sometimes do not vote based on economic interests but rather vote based on “moral interests”. However, Hochschild refutes this by stating that polls have shown that most of the white Protestant Republicans support Donald Trump. She says, “Trump won far more votes than the deeply religious Ted Cruz, an evangelical pastor’s son.”
Continuing with the same strategy, Hochschild moves on to George Lakoff's idea that politics is seen as a metaphor of the family type one grows up in, and maybe Trump supporters fall into this sub-conscious ideology. She …show more content…
She says, “Donald Trump fits the classic description of a charismatic leader, as Weber defined it.” Trump’s followers will forgive many of his flaws simply because he recognizes their deep story. How did Trump gain this status as the messenger of the deep story? In Hochschild's words, “Trump has intuitively fitted himself into a secular version of the Rapture.” The Rapture refers the belief the world will come to an end at any time and believers will go to heaven with God leaving everyone else on the earth to face chaos and living hell. This idea of “saved and damned, with no one left in between...eerily echoes the growing split between America’s rich and poor…” Hochschild states that Donald Trump made himself the “supreme judge who determines who goes to heaven and hell.” This is something many charismatic leaders do. As Weber stated, “the charismatic leader gains and maintains authority solely by proving strength in life.” In a sense, Trump is offering his followers a heaven if they trust him as their
In January 2016, Donald J. Trump said, "I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters." He was probably right. Everyone was in complete surprise when a man who degrades women, mocks disabled reporters, and calls Mexicans rapists won the November election. Many are still wondering, why Trump? Everyone would like to think that there is not that much evil in the world. Maybe we are missing something.
Former professor of sociology at the University of California Berkeley and author, Arlie Russell Hochschild, in her essay “The Ecstatic Edge of Politics: Sociology and Donald Trump,” analyzes several different perspectives regarding the mentality of the Trump supporter. …show more content…
For taken as a whole, this entire network is nothing less than a privatized political party whose budget now dwarfs that of the republican party.
A common idea might be that right-wing donors may have contributed to Donald Trump’s win. Hochschild goes on to explain that one of the Koch brothers made a statement saying that he might vote for Hillary Clinton. This does not serve as enough proof to refute this take on the support for Trump. However, it does make room for other possible interpretations. Hochschild then moves on to the gain of Trump support through values, religion and morality. According to Jonathan Haidt, conservatives sometimes do not vote based on economic interests but rather vote based on “moral interests”. However, Hochschild refutes this by stating that polls have shown that most of the white Protestant Republicans support Donald Trump. She says, “Trump won far more votes than the deeply religious Ted Cruz, an evangelical pastor’s son.”
Continuing with the same strategy, Hochschild moves on to George Lakoff's idea that politics is seen as a metaphor of the family type one grows up in, and maybe Trump supporters fall into this sub-conscious ideology. She …show more content…
She says, “Donald Trump fits the classic description of a charismatic leader, as Weber defined it.” Trump’s followers will forgive many of his flaws simply because he recognizes their deep story. How did Trump gain this status as the messenger of the deep story? In Hochschild's words, “Trump has intuitively fitted himself into a secular version of the Rapture.” The Rapture refers the belief the world will come to an end at any time and believers will go to heaven with God leaving everyone else on the earth to face chaos and living hell. This idea of “saved and damned, with no one left in between...eerily echoes the growing split between America’s rich and poor…” Hochschild states that Donald Trump made himself the “supreme judge who determines who goes to heaven and hell.” This is something many charismatic leaders do. As Weber stated, “the charismatic leader gains and maintains authority solely by proving strength in life.” In a sense, Trump is offering his followers a heaven if they trust him as their