re: #448 Dr Lizardo
What motivates the Trumpists is the sadism found in authoritarian personalities. The infliction of suffering and distress and their perceived foes brings them the greatest delight.
Alternatively, thereās also an element of masochism involved; not only to do they take pleasure in submitting to the strongman, they also thrill in being persecuted - indeed, being persecuted (or more appropriately, feeling that theyāre being persecuted) brings them the most sublime satisfaction imaginable.
They thrive on bullying others, especially when they feel those āothersā deserve to be bullied, and strutting about with a whip and meting out lashings is largely sufficient to keep their deeply-held feelings of inadequacy at bay.
Yeah, the persecution complex is really at the heart of all of this evil.
In conversations with my relatives in the midwest, what comes out more than anything else is this anger at feeling āpicked onā - an anger that comes from their immersion in the Fox/Hate radio toxic stew.
If every day, you were told that billionaires were hoarding all the money, yukking it up, and pissing in your face, after a while, youād be pretty mad at them. In this case, it would be true.
But the puppeteers of Fox/Hate radio have successfully turned blacks/Latinos/gays/women/college professors into the all-powerful bogeyman, and the yokels have swallowed this entirely, because all these groups are āotherā and all make them feel threatened and stupid.