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It is tempting to think Trump erupted out of nowhere, like a volcano everybody thought was a mountain. But of course he grew out of who we are, who we have been.
We must study the conditions that give rise to strongmen in order to avoid the next one. https://the.ink/p/strongmen
We must study the conditions that give rise to strongmen in order to avoid the next one. https://the.ink/p/strongmen
The last four years in America have been so consuming, bone-chilling, and bone-tiring that we can be forgiven for losing sight of history and losing sight of other places.
But that's dangerous. So I talked to @ruthbenghiat, who situates Trumpism in a global strongman tradition.
But that's dangerous. So I talked to @ruthbenghiat, who situates Trumpism in a global strongman tradition.
Here's some of what I learned from @ruthbenghiat: https://the.ink/p/strongmen
Strongmen like Trump often play an alpha-male part.
But @ruthbenghiat argues that they also strategically use vulnerability and need to amass power and solicit love.
https://the.ink/p/strongmen
But @ruthbenghiat argues that they also strategically use vulnerability and need to amass power and solicit love.
https://the.ink/p/strongmen
In the Trump era, I've heard so many ask: Why can't America progress on race? Why can't we shake the demons of the past?
But strongmen often come to power precisely because we HAVE changed, we HAVE made progress.
They are parasitic barnacles on change. https://the.ink/p/strongmen
But strongmen often come to power precisely because we HAVE changed, we HAVE made progress.
They are parasitic barnacles on change. https://the.ink/p/strongmen
There is something hopeful in this idea. Trump didn't rise to power because we weren't getting anywhere as a society. He rose to power because we were.
And because a great many white people and men were scared of that. https://the.ink/p/strongmen
And because a great many white people and men were scared of that. https://the.ink/p/strongmen
. @ruthbenghiat also explains how toxic masculinity is a vital tool of the strongman:
"Virility enables his corruption, projecting the idea that he is above laws that weaker men must obey. 'When you're a star, they let you do it' is not just about women."
https://the.ink/p/strongmen
"Virility enables his corruption, projecting the idea that he is above laws that weaker men must obey. 'When you're a star, they let you do it' is not just about women."
https://the.ink/p/strongmen
Given Trump's determination to cheat and his shamelessness, I asked @ruthbenghiat why his autocratic attempt ultimately failed.
She credits grassroots activists and voter mobilization efforts -- and said we will in time realize how lucky we were to dodge what was to come.
She credits grassroots activists and voter mobilization efforts -- and said we will in time realize how lucky we were to dodge what was to come.
How did the press do under Trump?
"The press used a democratic framework to approach Trump, which isn't surprising given that democracy is all we know...This meant they followed a 'both sides' coverage model."
https://the.ink/p/strongmen
"The press used a democratic framework to approach Trump, which isn't surprising given that democracy is all we know...This meant they followed a 'both sides' coverage model."
https://the.ink/p/strongmen
I asked @ruthbenghiat what she imagines Trump's presidential afterlife will be like, given that she has called the loss of power for strongmen a process of "psychological annihilation."
https://the.ink/p/strongmen
https://the.ink/p/strongmen
"The secret of the strongman is that he dreads losing everything...He is pursued by the demon of fear. He’s wary of the people he represses; of individuals who might prosecute him; of elites who can turn on him; and of enemies real and imagined." https://the.ink/p/strongmen
Don't be fooled, @ruthbenghiat warns, by the #GirlBoss faux feminism of autocratic Ivanka!
https://the.ink/p/strongmen
https://the.ink/p/strongmen
What are we to make of the fact that just under half of voters heard the off-menu special of full-blown klepto-autocracy and were like, "Ooh, I'll try that!"?
https://the.ink/p/strongmen
https://the.ink/p/strongmen
Trump is the ex we can't go back to sleeping with just because we're lonely. We need national therapy so neither he nor anyone like him ever crosses our path again.
Reading @ruthbenghiat is part of getting there.
Check out her new book, "Strongmen": https://wwnorton.com/books/strongmen
Reading @ruthbenghiat is part of getting there.
Check out her new book, "Strongmen": https://wwnorton.com/books/strongmen
