This is partly a reply to this post I saw earlier.
https://www.reddit.com/samharris/comments/jihka2/if_you_hate_wokeness_you_should_vote_for_joe_biden/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share and more so my idea and attempt at empathising with a lot of those online and academic personalities, that have seemed sensible in so many other areas, who have stated they plan to vote trump.
firstly I will state my view.
I staunchly agree with the idea that if our options are trump and bidens cadaver. We should vote the cadaver. I also hold the view that trump, if given the opportunity would become a dictator and for that reason should be kept as far away from the presidency as possible. However I am also of the view that even should he be re-elected for a second term, the likely good of him managing to become a dictator is exceptionally small (perhaps i am just optimistic) i also am of the view that wokeism is actually an incredibly serious problem, but one that can be fixed without having to resort to trump and the dangers he poses. Now that I have said that I will say what I came to say.
I am not sure if the guy who wrote the article in the post I linked, as well as many others on this sub, have just forgotten, But wokeism was very much present and about before trump was elected. Additionally it had been getting steadily more common. It was a big part of the reason trump was elected in the first place.
I say this because it seems like that article and people who in agreement with it were making the arguement that this explosion of wokeism is a result of trump. I don't think that is correct, I would agree trump being divisive has perhaps lead to it growing and spreading sooner. Though before 2016 it had already been on that trajectory anyway.
To steel man and distill the views of those planning to vote trump, as generally and as simply as I can: The obvious and core reasons, it seems to me, that many of these people are turning their votes to trump, is two:
- They view the "woke culture" as an actually facist and authoritarian ideology.
1a.They see an entire rapid popularisation and growth of these fundamentally illiberal and fascist ideas.
1b. Should those that hold these ideas or support those that hold them obtain power, then we really could fall into an authoritarian in democratic regime.
1c. In their mind an entire party that is supporting of a facist/authoritarian ideology is more dangerous than a single man that isn't even likely to be able to become authoritarian if he wanted too. This leads me to the 2nd reason.
- They view trump differently to you. Trump isn't authoritarian in his policies or actions and therefore won't lead to an facist/authoritarian regime. He is bombastic, egotistical, not in possession of a good understanding on many issues and a serial liar (I added this because i have heard many of these people turning their votes to trump say these exact things while still maintaining or suggesting that they will vote for him) but he won't and hasn't attempted to become a dictator. His actions show this.
This different picture of who trump is and what a second term of his presidency will lead to is, in my view, easy to understand with reference to internet thought bubbles. Although I see a lot of people reference internet thought bubbles often, I don't think they really grasp just how simultaneously subtle and successful they can be at making two completely contrasting opinions seem equally as plausible depending on which bubble you are in.
Each one of us (especially those of us that use the internet and spaces like this Reddit sub frequently) is almost guaranteed to be in an interweb bubble of some sort and each one of us is almost guaranteed to hold some very wrong views because of them.
Not only do these web bubbles inform a few or many of our opinions, they also maintain them and makes us more dogmatic with our views.
This is also why I take a big issue with those few people that maintain everyone supporting trump is racist, dumb, or like an earlier post from this week argued, supporting or planning to vote for trump is good reason to just dismiss the person as dishonest and/or irrational.
