To beat Trump, we need to know why Americans keep voting for him. Psychologists may have the answer
To beat Trump, we need to know why Americans keep voting for him. Psychologists may have the answer
US culture is an incubator of ‘extrinsic values’. Nobody embodies them like the Republican front runner, writes Guardian columnist George Monbiot
US culture is an incubator of ‘extrinsic values’. Nobody embodies them like the Republican frontrunner
Many explanations are proposed for the continued rise of Donald Trump, and the steadfastness of his support, even as the outrages and criminal charges pile up. Some of these explanations are powerful. But there is one I have seen mentioned nowhere, which could, I believe, be the most important: Trump is king of the extrinsics.
Some psychologists believe our values tend to cluster around certain poles, described as “intrinsic” and “extrinsic”. People with a strong set of intrinsic values are inclined towards empathy, intimacy and self-acceptance. They tend to be open to challenge and change, interested in universal rights and equality, and protective of other people and the living world.
People at the extrinsic end of the spectrum are more attracted to prestige, status, image, fame, power and wealth. They are strongly motivated by the prospect of individual reward and praise. They are more likely to objectify and exploit other people, to behave rudely and aggressively and to dismiss social and environmental impacts. They have little interest in cooperation or community. People with a strong set of extrinsic values are more likely to suffer from frustration, dissatisfaction, stress, anxiety, anger and compulsive behaviour.
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Trump's team realised how many racists exist in America when they saw how popular his birther campaign was. These people are overwhelmingly conservative.
The interesting thing about America is that it was founded on the idea that people are equal, religion has no place in politics and conservative rules were holding back the common man. They fled the monarchies of Europe to create a more egalitarian society but ended up creating a divided and racist society with a capitalist aristocracy.
The interesting thing about America is that it was founded on the idea that people are equal
While our early national rhetoric certainly hammered the idea that all humans are equal, our early national actions discriminated against everyone except for landowning white anglo-saxon protestant men.
We have been an oligarchy from the start. Albeit an oligarchy with a phenomenal Public Relations department
Our founders did flee European monarchies - but they didn't do it for the equitable reasons you describe. They fled the dictatorships of the aristocrats in order to create a new dictatorship - a dictatorship of the merchant class. Said another way, a dictatorship of the wealthy. Said yet another way, a dictatorship of the bourgeoisie. That is what the United States of America is, and that is what we have always been.