Read on Twitter
They don't think they look pathetic.
They think they look strong and determined, willing to do what they must to save America from the "enemy" (liberals and Democrats) who they genuinely believe are trying to destroy what is essential and good about America. https://twitter.com/malw77/status/1343735447877513218
They think they look strong and determined, willing to do what they must to save America from the "enemy" (liberals and Democrats) who they genuinely believe are trying to destroy what is essential and good about America. https://twitter.com/malw77/status/1343735447877513218
One of the best explanations I know is from Richard Hofstader, who wrote 
Hofstadter surveyed history from the founding of the nation through McCarthyism and noticed a pattern among an impassioned minority on the fringes of the political spectrum.
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Hofstadter surveyed history from the founding of the nation through McCarthyism and noticed a pattern among an impassioned minority on the fringes of the political spectrum.
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They believe unseen satanic forces are trying to destroy something larger in which they belong.
They “feel dispossessed” and that “America has been largely taken away from them and their kind.”
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They “feel dispossessed” and that “America has been largely taken away from them and their kind.”
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They’re “determined to repossess it and prevent the final act of subversion” so they adopt extreme measures.
Here's the problem we're up against. They're not going away. As America becomes more diverse and global, they're going to get angrier.
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Here's the problem we're up against. They're not going away. As America becomes more diverse and global, they're going to get angrier.
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They've always been with us. They always will.
Psychologists tell us that about a third of the population has an 'authoritarian disposition.'
They're averse to complexity (which includes diversity).
@karen_stenner and @JonHaidt and others have written extensively on this.
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Psychologists tell us that about a third of the population has an 'authoritarian disposition.'
They're averse to complexity (which includes diversity).
@karen_stenner and @JonHaidt and others have written extensively on this.
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The research of political psychologists shows that the 1/3 exists across cultures. See: https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/02ff25_370d387d81714d29bad957ba03cf8e48.pdf "The Authoritarian Dynamic" by Stenner and Haight, originally appeared in a book called Can it Happen Here: Authoritarianism in America.
https://twitter.com/LorraineG330/status/1343741059982123008
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https://twitter.com/LorraineG330/status/1343741059982123008
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No matter how you frame the problem facing the US: Voter suppression, Mitch McConnell's obstructionism, income inequality, the spread of disinformation, it basically boils down to this:
A large percentage of Americans do not want a liberal democracy, by which I mean
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A large percentage of Americans do not want a liberal democracy, by which I mean
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This group tends to have power beyond its numbers. Some of this is the nature of the group. They tend to fall in line. They're single-minded and value uniformity. They follow an authority.
They'll always find a way to seize power beyond their numbers.
https://twitter.com/amart865/status/1343750486365794304
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They'll always find a way to seize power beyond their numbers.
https://twitter.com/amart865/status/1343750486365794304
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I linked to @karen_stenner and @JonHaidt essay, here: https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/02ff25_370d387d81714d29bad957ba03cf8e48.pdf
I'll take the liberty of boiling it down to a few tweets.
First, they define the authoritarian disposition, then they describe the authoritarian dynamic.
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I'll take the liberty of boiling it down to a few tweets.
First, they define the authoritarian disposition, then they describe the authoritarian dynamic.
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To understand the authoritarian dynamic, we start with a definition of a normative threat, which is something that threatens “sameness and order.”
When confronted with a normative threat, authoritarians have a strong reaction.
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When confronted with a normative threat, authoritarians have a strong reaction.
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They can be violent and cruel and tolerate cruelity in others.
The dynamic occurs because liberal democracy naturally becomes more diverse and complex.
Trump governs by creating normative threats, which rile those with authoritarian dispositions.
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The dynamic occurs because liberal democracy naturally becomes more diverse and complex.
Trump governs by creating normative threats, which rile those with authoritarian dispositions.
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The growing diversity triggers fears in authoritarian persons, creating backlash. Hence, a cycle.
Thus, according to the authors (essay in)Trump happened because liberal democracy in America exceeded many people’s capacity to tolerate it.
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Thus, according to the authors (essay in
)Trump happened because liberal democracy in America exceeded many people’s capacity to tolerate it.12/
We laugh at the absurdity of this kind of thing but actually, it seems to me that it serves a purpose: It keeps Trump's base riled and angry.
https://twitter.com/johnkruzel/status/1343590550960820227
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but actually, it seems to me that it serves a purpose: It keeps Trump's base riled and angry.https://twitter.com/johnkruzel/status/1343590550960820227
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Here @karen_stenner broke her ideas down more simply:
https://www.hopenothate.org.uk/2020/11/01/authoritarianism/
(But I did it in a few tweets
)
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https://www.hopenothate.org.uk/2020/11/01/authoritarianism/
(But I did it in a few tweets
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