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In reply to the discussion: Why Do Hillary Supporters Lose Their Minds When You Criticize Her? [View all]senz
(11,945 posts)Her diehard followers have projected themselves, their struggles, and their suffering onto her, so every criticism, EVERY FACT, is another horrible, unfair attack on one who stands, in their minds, for long-suffering womanhood everywhere. It's similar to what the RCC did with Mary; Hillary has become an archetype of religious figure, in their minds and hearts. I think Mary is sometimes called Our Lady of Perpetual Suffering -- and this name is perfect for what Hill supporters have created with Hillary, as well. OLoPS.
They haven't made this psychological transfer with any other woman, and that is why they are strangely unmoved when we tell them we prefer a different woman, like Elizabeth Warren. Sen. Warren's gender doesn't count in the same way for them. If you support EW or any female, but not Hillary, you are sexist. They see EW only as support staff for Hillary. They are unable to see the profound ideological and ethical differences between EW and HRC, but they are aware of EW's strong standing with Democrats, which they convert into an unspoken endorsement of Hillary. (Entirely ignoring EW's contrasting ideology.)
The identification, the projection, is so profound that, as you brilliantly pointed out, everything that happens to Hill happens to them, as well. Her success is their success. Her victory over that terrible man, Bernie Sanders, is their victory over all the forces of patriarchal evil. It doesn't matter that he has always been a better feminist than Hillary. That's why they call every single criticism of Hillary "rightwing" regardless of the content of the criticism.
With Hill's female supporters, as we've seen here, this projection/identification even comes down to her physical appearance, how she's doing in the female attractiveness department. During debates and speeches, they coo about how she looks, what she's wearing, while completely ignoring what she says. If anyone dares to criticize her physical appearance, they go nuts. It is strictly verboten, an instant alert, surefire hide. Even photos of her that aren't attractive are perceived as unthinkable insults to the goddess. This also explains why so many of her followers, especially females, insist on using a very old photo of her as their avatar -- because in their minds she will always be eternally young and lovely, as they wish they could be. Imagine if Bernie supporters insisted on avatar photos of him as a young man! How bizarre that would be -- yet this is what Hill supporters do.
Her behavior, her dishonesty and lack of ethics, her horrible domestic and foreign policy mistakes, simply don't count; they are not really "her," in their minds. Their goddess, like Mary, is pure. Nothing, not even her own character, her own actions, can touch her.
But there is another group of Hillary supporters, and these are the ones who are either a) on the campaign payroll, b) subdued by her (and possibly the DNC's) political power and influence, and/or c) adherents to the ideology that promotes the corporate takeover of government (replacing democracy), the exploitation of the lower middle and lower classes, and a class society. They are essentially conservative authoritarian. They are not, by any stretch of the imagination, liberal/progressive. They use social issues divisively, as rightwing talk radio does, but turned inside out. So Bernie's supporters, even those of us (a majority, I think, on DU) who are female and feminist, are in their minds, young white sexist males. Bernie's supporters who are PoC (e.g. Nina Turner, Rosario Dawson, Killer Mike, Cornell West, and others) don't count. This is the cynical manipulation of serious social issues.
So there are at least two classic types of Hillary supporter. I hope someday this phenomenon will be recognized, analyzed, and dissected in the media.
One frightening parallel with Trump followers is a strong penchant for blind adherence, blind obedience, to an authoritarian leader. That is dangerous. So with these two, Trump and Hill, we, as a people, are in a precarious position.