Well, haven’t you ever noticed that Trump always blames others? He blamed his 2020 loss on his claim the Democratic stole the victory from him. He actually won the 2020 election. And he began setting the stage for that lie months before the election, and, for that matter, he set up that lie as an excuse if he lost the 2016 election. This was what has been called the Big Lie. And at its core? Donald Trump belief, his insistence, that he is a victim! And a large number of his supporters are now married to that lie. Yet, it’s not true. So they are victims here. They have been snared by a lie by Trump, and are now seriously misinformed citizens. They are, in that respect, married to an alternate reality that does not exist: Trump did not win.
Another manner in which Trump capitalized on the emotion of victimhood is due to the fact that he is, after all, a right wing populist demagogue. He understood, it’s a skill set many demagogues possess, that large segments of the American population felt left out, felt alienated, were not happy with the direction of the country, were emotionally involved in the culture wars, and angry by much of what they were seeing in American culture in the 21st century. Demagogues have a consummate ability to play on the anxieties, anger, fears, etc that are a part of that segment of our population. And many times, people have not even verbalized their fears and anxieties to themselves, but they naturally resonate with what the demagogue delivers with his words. But a demagogue does all this for his/her benefit. It has nothing to do with love of country on Trump’s part. He couldn’t care less about his country.
A demagogue like Trump, is the ultimate cynic. He thinks very poorly of human nature, and knows how to utilize his understanding of human nature to manipulate his followers(perhaps we could admit much like marketing and politicians in general). His followers completely miss the fact that he cares not one iota for them. He is using them. They are victims. Willing victims maybe, but they’re Trump’s victims. With his ingrained cynicism, his breathtaking narcissism that makes him the center of the universe, he is prepared, and always has been, to use people anyway he pleases, to suit his purposes. And so many have had the wool pulled over their eyes.
I do believe people must always be prepared to accept responsibility for their decisions, including enthusiastically embracing Trump, but self awareness is often at a premium. The demagogue knows how to victimize those for whom self awareness is at a premium.
You provide disaffected citizens with a man who speaks their language, stirs up their anger, appeals to their fears and anxieties in the face of the modern world, and tells them “only I can fix our problems” and you have the makings of a populist movement led by a man who is in it entirely for himself. It’s a cult of victimhood. Trump is the Victim, and his followers feel the same way and some even believe he is God sent to save America at this time.
I remember one of his first rallies. He pointed to some demonstrators in the audience and told the assembled crowd “those are the worst that America has to offer”. They were not. They were our fellow Americans objecting to a demagogue’s words of hate. He was intent that moment on dividing Americans against Americans. He has always been a great divider, not a unifier.
Bear in mind, not every Trump supporter is going to relate to him as a cult member relates to their leader, I can use the term in a more loose sense, as in cult-like. That said, when you have a substantial percentage of the electorate now convinced that our elections are no longer honest, that’s due to listening to Donald Tromp, a liar like no other. Those of his followers that have been duped by him have, in a very real sense, been victimized by him….
So, looks like I ventured into a tome after all, lol. But now maybe you know what I was trying to say, since you asked. I’m not sure what is troubling you, though. All these angry remarks in several threads. My personal background was in the social sciences. I could not help but want to understand Trumpism and our present moment. It’s important to me. Because I always say: never sleepwalk through that portion of history that is your’s to live. I hate that “woke” has become a dirty word, because being awake in the era in which one lives allows one to understand the present with so much more clarity than otherwise. And understanding history is a huge help in that effort: the past truly informs the present. I just want to see the present moment in America and the world with as much clarity as my efforts can muster. Everything I do when I’m musing like this has that target as my goal. Don’t be angry about it, lol…
View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4oXZXT3D0UE
