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The Far Right Contagion - It’s not a Trump thing. It’s not a politics thing
(chadbourn.substack.com)
this post was submitted on 18 Jul 2025
133 points (98.5% liked)
politics
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I think I need help with this, because I also interact with some "low information" (I don't like that term) voters, who agree with me on a lot of policy. I struggle to extend the grace I need to because it makes me even more upset. At least fascists and racists have a real reason to vote for this. I'm having a convo with someone and they're ostensibly pro choice and pro gay rights, and they still voted Trump. When I ask about why they voted for him if Rs are historically anti those things it's because Trump is just "better for America". I try to reason and kindly ask questions etc and I hope I make some inroads, but internally I just dislike them as people. How am I supposed to square that? They care so little about their purported positions they don't actually care if they happen, so long as some other nebulous concept of America becoming great happens. It upsets me and I can't help but think they're just bad people who don't actually care about others, they're just too stupid to realize that. They know conceptually gay marriage is ok, they just don't actually believe it so are willing to throw it away for vibes? I don't know, sounds like being a bad person with extra steps.
Vibes based voting is stupid, but vibes over policy means you care more about vibes than policy, so how much do they really care about the policy? Also, what kind of person are you that you get good vibes from Trump?
I go back and forth with myself about this so much, but there's always a part that believes no matter how "low information" you are, you have seen or heard Trump do some heinous stuff that you are willing to overlook even though you don't know his actual policy stance. That's at least been my experience with low information voters. I wish there was just a magical phrase someone could say that would make me understand that not all Trump voters are bad people, but I've yet to come across it. Truly looking for more insight on this if anyone is willing to share.
This is a fact, but it's the reality we're dealing with. This is the very thing that Colbert was parodying all those years ago on the Colbert Report saying things like; I vote with my gut not my brain, and he doesn't like facts because they aren't 'truthy' enough, and reality has a liberal bias. This is essentially how these people think.
I have a lot of trouble talking to them too, because if you point out the failings of the republican party you get a "Well, the dems are worse." reflex. If you point out the pros of the democrats, you get a reflexive "Yeah, but they're all criminals." I sincerely believe that there is a conversational path you can walk to open their minds a bit,
I think that the democrats need to be taking notes from the Sanders, AOC, and now Mamdani on how to win over these voters. They talk about policies and goals that support the poor and the working class but the democrats, for the most part, are not going that route. Many seem to think saying that, I'm not the republican is good enough and it clearly isn't.
Thanks for sharing. I was just recently suggesting that populism from the left has the power to retake the culture, but the Dems are not taking advantage of that. Hopefully our conversations prove somewhat helpful in the grand scheme of things. I am seeing some movement from them, but not enough to feel like it's been worthwhile. Keep up the fight.
I feel this. Its basically more infuriating where as if they are just straight up evil at least they would be voting consistant with their values. Every so often I have said im not sure which is worse evil or stupid but oftentimes I lean toward stupid. As much as we say policies favor the wealthy it really does not in a long term holistic way. The one cult expert guy has it right. It was only a few years ago that I realized mlm was a cult (I mean I always realized its a scam but never realized the people in it were so brainwashed) and he got me to realize it really is the same with maga.
There's a question I have, and it's an honest one: Did you ask WHY ? and HOW?
One can't begin to understand another until those they are trying to understand provide those answers to those questions
..
Otherwise it's just two strangers making noise.
Why and how what? Why and how Trump? Yes, I've asked, but it's not sensible. The other commenter seems to have had similar experiences where the answer is tautological or not grounded in reality. Trump is going to "get rid of the deep state". How/why? More nonsensical stuff. It's a cult at a certain point and you can't logic someone out of something they didn't logic themselves into. I am willing to engage with them but it's hard to not write them off as bad people if they were willing to go against logic and against helping people. The article itself points out these people are voting against things they say they want. That's not logical unless they want other things more, and the thing they want more than a progressive tax rate is some nonexistent vibe they want to achieve.
I can answer for both sides but they're unwilling to see that their how and why is flawed.
You keep asking until you find that one nugget that can be shined. Then you shine it until it burns all the shit around it
Just my opinion