Gretchen, I'm not sure that it helps but I do agree with you that probably or certainly perhaps, the majority have not made rational and objective choices. In my view, which I have stated variously several times on this and other platforms, there are serveral factors which have combined to cause this irrational migration of votes to Trum…
Gretchen, I'm not sure that it helps but I do agree with you that probably or certainly perhaps, the majority have not made rational and objective choices. In my view, which I have stated variously several times on this and other platforms, there are serveral factors which have combined to cause this irrational migration of votes to Trump by so many for whom it is clearly not in their own interests.
I have no belief in hell or heaven or good or evil so let me put that to rest at once. I have never stated that voters for Trump or even Trump himself is evil. Neither do I see any merit or benefit in blame. It is a negative concept that, inevitably, only has negative results and makes matters worse rather than better, as well as making it more difficult ever to resolve difference and find at least some honest and reasonable compromise.
Key factors, in my view, are the conditioning of the North American population to a materialist society and one that equates 'success', not with a sound and worthwhile appreciation of 'life' but rather with wealth, status, fame, power and control. If one needs any evidence that these 'attributes' make for a healthy, rewarding, engagement in the wonders of 'life' and a beautiful planet, then one need only consider the reality that so many who have some or all of them are terribly unhappy, turn to drugs or alcohol, become corrupt in reaching for even more, commit suicide purposely or through accidental excess and so often become grotesque figures.
'The American Dream' has long been a fiction, if indeed there was ever a time when it wasn't. There has always been a large gap between those with and those without and, predominantly, the notion of a 'middle class' is fraudulent in as much as most who must work to survive only gain enough return to allow them to keep on doing it - like mice on a tread-wheel, if you will. Yes, some may work in relative comfort and cleanliness with minimum physical effort whilst others toil in heat, dirt, cold, danger, physically difficult or demoralisingly boring jobs. I understand that. I was raised in a slum and have had more different occupations than I can remember. However, in reality, there is little difference for in both cases, the opportunities, encouragement and understanding that this is about living, not "life" and its wonder, is rare indeed and mostly absent altogether. Instead, the majority who create the wealth and enable the nation to prosper are the ones who gain least from it.
That is another key factor. These people, particularly those who have least - they hurt. They struggle. They are constantly in pain. They are controlled by a society which charges them for everything and that charge always includes a penalty - a profit for someone else who does little and probably deserves even less. If they cannot get work or cannot cope with the nature of the type of job available to them, they are abused as 'bludgers', 'a burden on society', 'lazy', 'useless' and worse. In other words, they are blamed for being a position not of their own making. It shouldn't be hard to understand why some of them turn to crime. However, even then, they are treated differently. Bob Dylan makes an apt reference to this in his song: Talkin' New York: “Now, a very great man once said; That some people rob you with a fountain pen; It didn't take too long to find out; Just what he was talkin' about” - and those people will often receive little or no punishment, particularly no incarceration because they can afford top lawyers and have powerful friends or they simply pay a fine that doesn't create any problem for them: "Steal a little and they throw you in jail. Steal a lot and they make you king." (Sweetheart like you.)
So, all these factors combine to create a populace - the masses, if you like - 'ready to rumble' - angry, hurt, bewildered, deceived and so particularly susceptible to the snake oil salesman that offers them a quick and cheap cure - the magic that will fix anything - and they jump to it. That's the core of Donald Trump's appeal. Not a policy or plan or rationality or compassion or caring, even for those who have voted for him - one only has to see how he treated his supporters during his first term. The thing is, that in these circumstances, a mass of people who in any case are relatively unsophisticated in political manoeuvre and often not well educated, being all fired up and *needing* attention, well-being, understanding and a helping hand, will easily fall victim to the confidence trickster and will back any horse that someone, particularly from their peer group or who looks the same as they are, tells them is a winner.
So, yes, I apologise for the lengthy response but I do agree with you, they are fleeced victims and, sadly, some can be and will be verbally and physically abusive in extreme ways and react by turning their anger onto those whom they are deluded into thinking are actually the cause of their misfortune and disadvantage, rather than those who actually cause it. So, rather than recognise and turn their anger on Trump - a billionaire, despite having several times been bankrupt, i.e. having lived well on the money of others which, in most cases they will never have recovered or, at best, received only a few cents on the dollar - and someone who lives in a mansion and flies in a private jet and etc. - all the things they have little or no hope of ever achieving; instead they turn on those even more disadvantage than themselves but who look different and so can easily be 'framed' as culpable by snake-oil salesman, Trump. Thus, they take their anger out on immigrants and people who have jobs, (despite those jobs often being ones they wouldn't do themselves), and people of the LGTBQI+ community and others of difference. Trump only has to point them in a direction and they'll follow.
This election, if it tells us anything worthwhile, tells us in BIG BLACK LETTERS which we oughtn't to be able to miss, that this society is SICK. Sound values, compassion, healthy moral concepts, respect for others and caring for those in need have given way to 'anything goes if it gets me what I want', 'I'm alright Jack so F you', 'He has it so I want it too', 'Why should I be the patsy all the time' and etc.
Put simply, we have a take, take, take society instead of a give, give, give one. Not only may so many not have a life, they may not even have living and, disastrously and pervertedly, that only causes them to become even more selfish and encourage more take and less give, which actually results in their lot becoming worse.
Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister during WWII, said something that I feel would be far better printed on the currency than 'In God We Trust', for it is far more pragmatic and achievable and actually tells us what is important. Churchill said:
"What we get gives us a living. What we give gets us a life."
If only people would look outward and, as did you in writing your comment, seek not to blame but to care and seek real causes rather than jumping up and down about symptoms.
Gretchen, I'm not sure that it helps but I do agree with you that probably or certainly perhaps, the majority have not made rational and objective choices. In my view, which I have stated variously several times on this and other platforms, there are serveral factors which have combined to cause this irrational migration of votes to Trump by so many for whom it is clearly not in their own interests.
I have no belief in hell or heaven or good or evil so let me put that to rest at once. I have never stated that voters for Trump or even Trump himself is evil. Neither do I see any merit or benefit in blame. It is a negative concept that, inevitably, only has negative results and makes matters worse rather than better, as well as making it more difficult ever to resolve difference and find at least some honest and reasonable compromise.
Key factors, in my view, are the conditioning of the North American population to a materialist society and one that equates 'success', not with a sound and worthwhile appreciation of 'life' but rather with wealth, status, fame, power and control. If one needs any evidence that these 'attributes' make for a healthy, rewarding, engagement in the wonders of 'life' and a beautiful planet, then one need only consider the reality that so many who have some or all of them are terribly unhappy, turn to drugs or alcohol, become corrupt in reaching for even more, commit suicide purposely or through accidental excess and so often become grotesque figures.
'The American Dream' has long been a fiction, if indeed there was ever a time when it wasn't. There has always been a large gap between those with and those without and, predominantly, the notion of a 'middle class' is fraudulent in as much as most who must work to survive only gain enough return to allow them to keep on doing it - like mice on a tread-wheel, if you will. Yes, some may work in relative comfort and cleanliness with minimum physical effort whilst others toil in heat, dirt, cold, danger, physically difficult or demoralisingly boring jobs. I understand that. I was raised in a slum and have had more different occupations than I can remember. However, in reality, there is little difference for in both cases, the opportunities, encouragement and understanding that this is about living, not "life" and its wonder, is rare indeed and mostly absent altogether. Instead, the majority who create the wealth and enable the nation to prosper are the ones who gain least from it.
That is another key factor. These people, particularly those who have least - they hurt. They struggle. They are constantly in pain. They are controlled by a society which charges them for everything and that charge always includes a penalty - a profit for someone else who does little and probably deserves even less. If they cannot get work or cannot cope with the nature of the type of job available to them, they are abused as 'bludgers', 'a burden on society', 'lazy', 'useless' and worse. In other words, they are blamed for being a position not of their own making. It shouldn't be hard to understand why some of them turn to crime. However, even then, they are treated differently. Bob Dylan makes an apt reference to this in his song: Talkin' New York: “Now, a very great man once said; That some people rob you with a fountain pen; It didn't take too long to find out; Just what he was talkin' about” - and those people will often receive little or no punishment, particularly no incarceration because they can afford top lawyers and have powerful friends or they simply pay a fine that doesn't create any problem for them: "Steal a little and they throw you in jail. Steal a lot and they make you king." (Sweetheart like you.)
So, all these factors combine to create a populace - the masses, if you like - 'ready to rumble' - angry, hurt, bewildered, deceived and so particularly susceptible to the snake oil salesman that offers them a quick and cheap cure - the magic that will fix anything - and they jump to it. That's the core of Donald Trump's appeal. Not a policy or plan or rationality or compassion or caring, even for those who have voted for him - one only has to see how he treated his supporters during his first term. The thing is, that in these circumstances, a mass of people who in any case are relatively unsophisticated in political manoeuvre and often not well educated, being all fired up and *needing* attention, well-being, understanding and a helping hand, will easily fall victim to the confidence trickster and will back any horse that someone, particularly from their peer group or who looks the same as they are, tells them is a winner.
So, yes, I apologise for the lengthy response but I do agree with you, they are fleeced victims and, sadly, some can be and will be verbally and physically abusive in extreme ways and react by turning their anger onto those whom they are deluded into thinking are actually the cause of their misfortune and disadvantage, rather than those who actually cause it. So, rather than recognise and turn their anger on Trump - a billionaire, despite having several times been bankrupt, i.e. having lived well on the money of others which, in most cases they will never have recovered or, at best, received only a few cents on the dollar - and someone who lives in a mansion and flies in a private jet and etc. - all the things they have little or no hope of ever achieving; instead they turn on those even more disadvantage than themselves but who look different and so can easily be 'framed' as culpable by snake-oil salesman, Trump. Thus, they take their anger out on immigrants and people who have jobs, (despite those jobs often being ones they wouldn't do themselves), and people of the LGTBQI+ community and others of difference. Trump only has to point them in a direction and they'll follow.
This election, if it tells us anything worthwhile, tells us in BIG BLACK LETTERS which we oughtn't to be able to miss, that this society is SICK. Sound values, compassion, healthy moral concepts, respect for others and caring for those in need have given way to 'anything goes if it gets me what I want', 'I'm alright Jack so F you', 'He has it so I want it too', 'Why should I be the patsy all the time' and etc.
Put simply, we have a take, take, take society instead of a give, give, give one. Not only may so many not have a life, they may not even have living and, disastrously and pervertedly, that only causes them to become even more selfish and encourage more take and less give, which actually results in their lot becoming worse.
Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister during WWII, said something that I feel would be far better printed on the currency than 'In God We Trust', for it is far more pragmatic and achievable and actually tells us what is important. Churchill said:
"What we get gives us a living. What we give gets us a life."
If only people would look outward and, as did you in writing your comment, seek not to blame but to care and seek real causes rather than jumping up and down about symptoms.
Thanks for the comment.
Take care. Stay safe. ☮️