Former President and, as SNL referred to him, Social Media Influencer Donald Trump, has been getting the bulk of the media’s attention for the past 4 years.
I live in Canada, and luckily I can sit back and watch as American politics put on a very entertaining, albeit quite frightening, show.
After the 2020 US election, I was pleased to see that the Biden administration defeated Trump. Upon further inspection of the election results, I noticed that Biden took 51.3% of the votes, leaving Trump with 46.9% of Americans support.
These results shocked me! How could such an arrogant, egotistic, neurotic liar who lacks many, if not all, positive virtues which make a person admiral, have nearly 50% of Americans approval?!?
Yes, it is beyond clear that he is not a typical politician, and I can understand why that may be attractive, yet he exhibits none of the beneficial traits that a typical Politian lacks. If anything, he exemplifies what people despise most about Politicians.
Now I am not saying that this is the reason all the 46.9% of Americans voted for Trump. There are other reasons: lack of support for the democratic agenda or his views on abortion and such, but those reasons do not explain why people so passionately defend a man who’s character is so deranged and laced with hypocrisy.
After letting this question — What is Trumps Appeal? — sit in the background of my mind while I observe the current state of many people, I think I have come to a conclusion.
Judgment:
No one enjoys being judged. This judgment leaves the person who is being judged feeling inadequate.
Explicate judgment is seen by most millennials, and more so by younger generations, as a fundamentally immoral act.
Explicate judgment is something that Trump takes part in regularly; through tweets, press conferences, and rallies, but there is a more cunning version of judgment that seeps into our lives.
This type of judgment — a necessity for any higher moral pursuit, and a result of any choice — can be what drives people forward if used correctly, but also is often what causes people to despise any ideal.
Why was it that Cain killed Able in the biblical stories; Why is it that you despise the do-gooder at work or school; Why is it that when someone exemplifies/presents a better way of life we reject them, even to a point of hatred? What is it about the “good guys” that we despise?
A study out of the Department of Psychology at the University of Guelph attempts to explain why we hate the good guys. They found that this behavior is a “social strategy that low cooperators use to avoid looking bad when high cooperators escalate cooperation”. This phenomenon is exhibited in many cultures across the world.
What is happening when ‘high cooperators escalate cooperation’?
They propose a set of rules to the game at play, whether that is the social game at work, or in life in general. These proposed rules are then perceived by the low cooperators as a criticism of the rules by which they are currently playing.
When a person exemplifies or even points out a better way to live (ie. appoints an ideal), it puts a spotlight on the inadequacies of others: it highlights the flaws in other people. No one enjoys looking at the plank in their eye; no one likes recognizing their flaws.
This is the implicit form of judgment that leaks into everyday life.
Back to Trump:
Like I mentioned earlier, Trump is excellent at explicitly judging other groups of people and individuals through racist, sexist, and homophobic comments. What he never has done is appoint an ideal.
Trump is so flawed in his character that it is almost impossible for him to implicitly judge others. He has yet to call his fans to live to a higher moral standard, or even act in a way that is morally just. He never communicates that he is better than you, because he is not. He doesn't try to hide his indecencies, he wears them proudly on his sleeves. He does not apologize for his indecencies and does not expect others too.
Other politicians often will, like true leaders, call upon the people to live up to a higher standard; to stop racism, to fight against sexism, to be better people. In doing so they are implicitly casting judgment on the vast majority of the population.
This judgment — with the recognition of one’s flaws — either invoke change in the individual or cause them to hold their ground and fight back.
Trump offers a safe place, where shame does not exist and hypocrisy can thrive. No one enjoys recognizing their flaws, and Trump is the only “Politian” who will never point them out.
Here a link to the UofG study I referenced: Why Hate the Good Guy? Antisocial Punishment of High Cooperators Is Greater When People Compete To Be Chosen — Aleta Pleasant, Pat Barclay, 2018 (sagepub.com)
If you have further comments or questions please email me at Tyler_vis@hotmail.com