Archived version: https://archive.ph/XeqEM (But this source is really worth subscribing to if you’re in the Southland.)
Many factors explain why people across Western democracies vote for politicians like former President Trump, including economic concerns, rural resentment and racial animosity. Although Trump supporters have been characterized as “left behind,” “stigmatized” or even “marginalized,” these ascriptions are dangerously off base.
For one, they fuel the self-victimization narratives common among radical right movements, driving conspiracies and support for this ideology. Moreover, they neglect that historically powerful groups such as white people, men and Christians are overrepresented among Trump supporters. Even today, these groups remain privileged politically, economically and culturally. By objective measures, most Trump supporters are not left behind, stigmatized or marginalized.
I disagree. In the wake of the '08 financial crisis entire communities were left decimated. Those same communities were then victimized by pharmaceutical companies pushing opiates. The right offers easy scapegoats for these people: immigrants, LGBTQ folks, the “deep state”.
The American left doesn’t offer an alternative. Instead of pointing out that the real criminals are billionaires and giant corporations, they try to side step the real issues and engage with distraction of the culture war.
I think a perfect example of this was the Democrats’ “demonstration” after George Floyd’s murder. Instead of pushing for police reform, they just wore kente cloths and raised their fists. They only way in which they were an alternative to the GOP was by not being openly racist. While I prefer that, and I think those that don’t are wrong, it’s understandable that angry, hurt, and uneducated people would be willing to be led astray by someone who actually offered solutions (evil as they are).