It’s a Top 2 worst thing to come out of the last decade for American society. We saw some of our respected and trusted institutions throw it away to “get Trump” based on hyperbole that he was a dictator, fascist, orders of magnitude greater authoritarian, White Supremecist, neo-Nazi, certifiably mentally ill enough to be declared unable to do his job per 25A, and danger to democracy.
I have a theory though that what really drove this is the same phenomenon that drive many Trump supporters: shame.
Trump’s demeanor and attitudes were so crass that many highly educated elites saw him as reminding them of, and appealing to, the “worst” people in America, who they consider poor, uneducated, living in fly-over country, and so also racist, homophobic, God fearing, desiring to enslave women. Any candidate who attracts those people must be destroyed, and Trump proved to them that their nation was full of them. (This would also explain the weird phenomenon of white educated liberals falling for the illiberal and incoherent theories of anti-racism).
My advanced degree in armchair psychology leads me to think it’s crucial these people they hate so much are white. Many, many poor black, Hispanic, and Asian Americans hold backwards views, too. I think white “deplorables,” though, remind a lot of white social, economic climbers and elites of their own backgrounds and where they came from. Maybe they are embarrassed about those backgrounds now that they are hobknobbing with those they believe are purer bred on the two coasts and so must be the most vocal critics and activists— the Resistance!
I think we need to explain their behavior on a psychological level like this since this attitude and actions have been so widespread and so visceral.**
**or maybe this is just the caffeine kicking in and my brain is firing off too fast.