2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumIf the crowds at the RNC rabidly chanting lock her up didn't scare you nothing will
That was scary and barbaric
gordianot
(15,259 posts)rbrnmw
(7,160 posts)gordianot
(15,259 posts)This has become more than just access to weapons, in America that genie has been out of the bottle for some time. Like nations people will not disarm or embrace reason.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)That apprehension was well founded, it turns out. Research suggests that 20-25% of the adults in North America are highly vulnerable to a demagogue who would incite hatred of various minorities to gain power. These people are waiting for a tough man on horseback who will supposedly solve all our problems through the ruthless application of force. When such a man gains prominence, you can expect the authoritarian followers to mate devotedly with the authoritarian leader, because each gives the other something they desperately want: the feeling of safety for the followers, and the tremendous power of the modern state for the leader.
I would not say that all of the people trying to carry Donald Trump to the presidency are authoritarian followers. But they likely compose his hard core base. Furthermore, many authoritarian followers presently support Senator Ted Cruz for religious reasons. You can expect most of them to slide into the Trump ranks once Cruz drops out of the race. By summer, the vast majority of authoritarian followers in the United States will likely be for Trump. And so will many others for various reasons.
We know a lot about authoritarian followers, but unfortunately most of what we know indicates it will be almost impossible to change their minds, especially in a few months. Here are a dozen things established by research.
* They are highly ethnocentric, highly inclined to see the world as their in-group versus everyone else. Because they are so committed to their in-group, they are very zealous in its cause.
* They are highly fearful of a dangerous world. Their parents taught them, more than parents usually do, that the world is dangerous. They may also be genetically predisposed to experiencing stronger fear than most people do.
* They are highly self-righteous. They believe they are the good people and this unlocks a lot of hostile impulses against those they consider bad.
* They are aggressive. Given the chance to attack someone with the approval of an authority, they will lower the boom.
* They are highly prejudiced against racial and ethnic majorities, non-heterosexuals, and women in general.
* Their beliefs are a mass of contradictions. They have highly compartmentalized minds, in which opposite beliefs exist side-by-side in adjacent boxes. As a result, their thinking is full of double-standards.
* They reason poorly. If they like the conclusion of an argument, they dont pay much attention to whether the evidence is valid or the argument is consistent.
* They are highly dogmatic. Because they have gotten their beliefs mainly from the authorities in their lives, rather than think things out for themselves, they have no real defense when facts or events indicate they are wrong. So they just dig in their heels and refuse to change.
* They are very dependent on social reinforcement of their beliefs. They think they are right because almost everyone they know, almost every news broadcast they see, almost every radio commentator they listen to, tells them they are. That is, they screen out the sources that will suggest that they are wrong.
* Because they severely limit their exposure to different people and ideas, they vastly overestimate the extent to which other people agree with them. And thinking they are the moral majority supports their attacks on the evil minorities they see in the country.
* They are easily duped by manipulators who pretend to espouse their causes when all the con-artists really want is personal gain.
* They are largely blind to themselves. They have little self-understanding and insight into why they think and do what they do.
I hasten to add that almost anyone would become more ethnocentric, frightened, self-righteous, and so on if their situations, or our countrys situation, changed enough. And studies find examples of these twelve things in lots of others, not just authoritarian followers. But not as consistently, and not nearly as much.
...
Authoritarian followers in America today are tremendously energized by fear and anger. Theyre scared, and they want someone really strong and confident to protect them. Its a very natural, understandable reaction. As well theyre intensely angry about the way their country is changing, and most pointedly furious with the Republican Party which has won many elections because of their support, and then utterly failed to get things right again. So they feel betrayed, and that is a very powerful motivator. ... Authoritarian followers are always waiting for The Leader, and now they firmly believe theyve found him.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/3/2/1494504/-A-word-from-Dr-Bob-Altemeyer-on-Donald-Trump-and-Authoritarian-Followers
Note that political bigotry can be as virulent as racial bigotry. Altemeyer called these people "equal opportunity bigots" because any group they see as different can be a target of their enmity.
gordianot
(15,259 posts)Illusionary superiority a tendency among those who lack cognitive skills and education to assume they are actually superior. They tend to follow leaders or reasoning of those who best compliment their world view. This is also known as positive projection and becomes a loop between those who feed and being fed. Every time a certain politician reinforces himself with "good brain" statements he allows those whom he parrots to believe they are correct in their beliefs. As a sales technique maybe not so bad, in the realm of politics dangerous.
Sheepshank
(12,504 posts)Guy Whitey Corngood
(26,514 posts)Response to Guy Whitey Corngood (Reply #4)
Name removed Message auto-removed
Guy Whitey Corngood
(26,514 posts)Iliyah
(25,111 posts)The religious fanatics are thee, the GOPs.
rbrnmw
(7,160 posts)Squinch
(51,090 posts)Hortensis
(58,785 posts)If they could be polled, I'm sure that virtually every one would be a strong social (and possibly and religious) conservative.
These are the people who would do that, and when they can they sweep others of weak character and judgement up in one vindictive passion after another.
SCantiGOP
(13,878 posts)It sounded a lot better in the original German.
calimary
(81,608 posts)THAT is scary to me.
This is a high-tech witch burning, for sure. Chris Christie proved it last night.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)Botany
(70,657 posts)Lock her up for what?
Those were screaming feces throwing rabid monkeys who really think that Hillary is
guilty of some kind of crime.
Response to Botany (Reply #7)
Name removed Message auto-removed
Botany
(70,657 posts)lapucelle
(18,411 posts)Enjoy your stay, brief though it may be.
Lord Magus
(1,999 posts)They neither know nor care what specific crime that might be, they're just certain that it has to exist.
Botany
(70,657 posts)vince foster
drug running w/Bill in Arkansas
white water
being Sec. of State and using her email
BENGHAZI
Xmas card scam
The Clinton Foundation
babylonsister
(171,111 posts)who have watched faux for so long, they're conditioned.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)State the Obvious
(842 posts)...that were used in explaining Trump's intentions.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trump-purge-exclusive-idUSKCN10003A
Don't ignore these insidious statements. They are NOT harmless.
"Those who cannot remember the past...are condemned to repeat it." George Santayana
kwolf68
(7,365 posts)If you told even the average run of the mill Republican this was on the docket within Trumps first 100 days,
they'd go
"GOOD!"
That party is pretty close to ceasing being a legitimate part of our American democracy and now merely exists as some form of an angry mob. If things don't go their way, I expect any number of Beer Hall Putsch uprisings. You've already seen small examples of this (with the wildlife refuge takeover).
Fascism has arrived.
rbrnmw
(7,160 posts)The biggest commercial FOR Hillary is simply allowing these people a forum. Sadly, MANY like it, but no way a majority of this nation will sign up for this blather.
brooklynite
(95,011 posts)This helped rev up the folks at the Convention, but it's not a message designed to expand Trump's voting pool.
Her Sister
(6,444 posts)Hitler plus the crowd!
Johnny2X2X
(19,286 posts)This is beyond scary, it's here people, a real threat to our Democracy is staring us in the face.
All of this whining about inequality, the Patriot Act, Hillary's emails, and the way the DNC ran the primary are going to seem trivial when this group of thugs starts rounding up liberals to be executed in the public square. When they start throwing the poor and the sick into the streets because it's not the governments responsibility to care for them.
And above all what this group wants more than anything, what they have been dying to be able to do for generations, they want to use nuclear weapons and mark my words, just as sure as Donald Trump wears a hairpiece, they will use nuclear weapons and change the world forever.
rbrnmw
(7,160 posts)Funtatlaguy
(10,896 posts)Or a bridge too closed.....
hamsterjill
(15,224 posts)I was appalled at the intensity last night. What's worse IMHO is that these people profess to be "Christians" (I am one) and they were exuberantly screaming hate. Radicalized idiots that work themselves up into a frenzy, and cannot be reasoned with.
Yes, that's scary as hell. I worry about Hillary's safety, too. But I think the Secret Service is probably well aware of this stuff, and I hope and pray that they have things covered.
Response to hamsterjill (Reply #19)
Name removed Message auto-removed
JustABozoOnThisBus
(23,384 posts)Childish? Stupid? Yeah.
Response to rbrnmw (Original post)
Post removed
ChairmanAgnostic
(28,017 posts)And that is what worries me about her campaign.
Trump follows no rules, he lies repeatedly, (and gets away with it), he says insane things, (and gets cheered for it), and he is certifiable. What is worse is the people at the convention center. If anything, they are as bad as he.
There will be violence. There will be murder and bloodshed. And it will all be due to the frustrated, the angry, the idiots, all riled up and egged on by Trump.
ToxMarz
(2,169 posts)I am starting to think electing Hillary will hit them harder than electing a Black President. I guess with the thirty years of demonization it is part of their DNA now.
Cosmocat
(14,589 posts)primarily because, while I knew they would be rabid assholes with BHO, I thought it would be less rabid assholish than Hillary.
They somehow managed to be even bigger jackasses to BHO, who is a pretty cool dude who goes well out of his way to not say anything real bombastic toward them, than I thought possible.
Meanwhile, their Hillary derangement is at a level completely unseen in modern american history.
Geeked on by a feckless, self deluded egomaniac, they are hate on steroids.
Just a really sad state of things.
Crowman1979
(3,844 posts)ancianita
(36,238 posts)fear-driven barbarism.
RoverSuswade
(641 posts)President Trump's appointments:
Attorney General - Chris Christie
Chief of Staff - Newt Gingrich
Secretary of State - Sarah Palin
Sec. of Defense - Rudy Giuliani
Sec. of Commerce - Donald rump Jr.
Sec. of Education - nobody (will be abolished)
Sec. of Energy - Jeff Sessions
Sec of the Treasury - Marsha Blackburn
Director of Homeland Security - Texas Gubner Dan Patrick
Director of Health & Human Services - Phil Robertson
Supreme Court nominations:
Rush Limbaugh
Rick Scott
Roberto Gonzales
Dinesh DeSouza
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)kairos12
(12,906 posts)Iliyah
(25,111 posts)These people are off the chains.
Gothmog
(145,965 posts)AlbertCat
(17,505 posts)I didn't think so.
It just came across as lame, stupid and juvenilely tough guy.... like most things GOP.
NastyRiffraff
(12,448 posts)In ANY presidential race? Sure, criticism is expected, even harsh criticism. But calling a candidate a criminal who should be locked up? I can't think of anything approaching that.
Scary, indeed.
billhicks76
(5,082 posts)We all shouldve demanded Bush and Cheney be locked up. But the centrists asked us to behave and this is what we get now.
Trust Buster
(7,299 posts)I hope Hillary and all Democrats understand that a Trump presidency and a Republican Senate will probably lead to Hillary becoming a political prisoner of the State. Our country has changed. They would imprison all Democrats if they could get away with it.
PatrickforO
(14,605 posts)not like them, don't look like them or don't think like them and kill us. Just like the Nazis did not even a century ago.
These people are the scum of the earth and they are definitely not proponents of any kind of democracy.
calimary
(81,608 posts)ffr
(22,681 posts)It'll be on C-SPAN reruns online afterwards.
Don't fill your head with this NSW stuff. Pull yourself out of the gutter that is the RNC convention.
PatrickforO
(14,605 posts)The right wing, capitalist-owned propaganda apparatus has been fomenting fear and hatred ever since Reagan killed the Fairness Doctrine in 1984.
We've degenerated to the point that the Republican core HATES Democrats, won't be civil to them and actually wants to do them harm.
To my mind, this rabid hatred is tearing apart our social fabric. Look at how Trump has managed to draw out the neo-nazi nuts, KKK people and other racist assholes from under their slimy rocks. He has done everything he can to make overt racism acceptable beyond the usual dog whistles.
This goes against everything this nation should stand for, and the corporate scum and their media shills are the ones who should be arrested and tried for treason, because they are actively trying to tear down this nation. Think about how many of the crazies have machine guns and are organized into ignorant, drooling, but very dangerous 'militia' groups. Look at the assholes that took over the federal land recently in support of the government welfare leech Cliven Bundy.
So what will this land in which we grew up (or at least I did) look like in a decade? Depends on us, I'd say and HOW VIGOROUSLY WE OPPOSE THIS CANCEROUS REPUBLICAN HATRED.
CrispyQ
(36,567 posts)It can happen here.
GoCubsGo
(32,103 posts)It's just a matter of time before they start shouting "Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Bash her in..." Of course, that troglodyte who called for hanging her on the mall has already pretty much done that.
TomCADem
(17,390 posts)In a lot of dictatorships.
VulgarPoet
(2,872 posts)For once, I'm actually bothered by the prospect of Trump getting anywhere close.
Iliyah
(25,111 posts)They have lost their minds.
Hekate
(91,042 posts)Inspires me to check my passport, is what it does.
Jamaal510
(10,893 posts)I've become numb to that type of behavior from them over the past 8 years. If anything, I would've been shocked if they didn't talk about locking her up after all these months of the witch hunt. The only thing that scares me is if some wingnut tries to vent his/her frustration on people who they perceive to be HC supporters and inflict harm to them.
Catherine Vincent
(34,491 posts)I hope when the Ds have their convention, they don't respond in kind.