A new study conducted by the University of Massachusetts determined that there was one prevalent trait among those who support Donald Trump: they believe in authoritarianism. They like strong leaders who will do the thinking for them and who will make decisions with or without the consent of the people.
In other words, they like Donald Trump because he represents leadership without participation. The same trait in voters that helped Barack Obama win the White House the last two elections is the trait that seems to be lifting up Trump.
This points to the sad state of the American political system. It’s not the politicians that are completely to blame anymore. It’s the people. It’s those of us who don’t want to have to participate in government, who don’t want to have to know what’s going on in the world. The mentality that allowed a Democratic vote to put Adolf Hitler in power is the same mentality that could propel Donald Trump to the GOP nomination.
Trump's support, explained. "Many people prefer to have someone do the thinking for them." https://t.co/xn2qLMQNE5 #TCOT #WakeUpAmerica
— JD Rucker (@0boy) January 17, 2016
There are millions of people who look up to Trump because he’s very rich and says what he wants to say. The first portion of his appeal, his wealth, is a little disconcerting because he’s not exactly a self-made billionaire. It’s been well documented that his “success” is a result of being born rich and had he simply invested his money in index stocks in 1982 rather than attempting to be a great businessman, he would have made over $10 billion more than he did with his meddling. The second part of his appeal – saying what he wants to say – is probably the most refreshing thing about him. It has changed the conversation during this election cycle and that’s a good thing.
The patriotic American part of me is disgusted by all of this. When did so Americans become authoritarians? I can understand that President Obama appealed to authoritarians in the Democratic party, but it’s hard for me to believe that there are Republicans who are so weak-minded that they would rather fawn over Donald Trump’s greatness and regurgitate his infantile talking points rather than go through the painful process of thinking for themselves.
It’s hard to tell which is sadder: that Trump has made authoritarianism so palpable or that so many voters seem to prefer authoritarianism over consent-based governance.
via Soshable http://ift.tt/1Oq6TDD
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