Boo hoo hoo
by digby
This interview with a young Trump voter by Conor Friedersdorf is really something. This is just an excerpt:
Trump Voter: We are young, urban, and have a happy future planned. We seem molded to be perfect young Hillary supporters. But we’re not. Both of us voted Libertarian in 2012, and ideologically we remain so. But in 2016? We’re both going for Trump.
For me personally, it’s resistance against what San Francisco has been, and what I see the country becoming, in the form of ultra-PC culture. That’s where it’s almost impossible to have polite or constructive political discussion. Disagreement gets you labeled fascist, racist, bigoted, etc. It can provoke a reaction so intense that you’re suddenly an unperson to an acquaintance or friend. There is no saying “Hey, I disagree with you,” it’s just instant shunning. Say things online, and they’ll try to find out who you are and potentially even get you fired for it. Being anti-PC is not about saying “I want you to agree with me on these issues.” It’s about saying, “Hey, I want to have a discussion and not get shouted down because I don’t agree with what is considered to be politically correct.”
In my first job, I mentioned that I enjoyed Hulk Hogan to a colleague who also liked the WWE. I was not aware at the time, but Hogan had recently made news for his use of some racial or homophobic slur. I was met with a horrified stare. By simply saying I liked his showmanship, I was lumped into saying I too was racist or homophobic.
I feel like I have to hide my beliefs.
I cannot say openly that I identify with Republicans, lest I see friendships and potential professional connections disappear with those words. When I see Hillary Clinton, I see the world becoming less and less tolerant of right-leaning views.When I see Facebook censoring conservative outlets and then see The Atlantic defending the practice, that worries me. When I see the fear that reddit users have about admins banning subreddits because of political beliefs, that worries me.
Normally, I would be very concerned with the throwing of the potentially false accusations of rape. I am in the camp of “comfort the accuser, but don’t get ready to hang the alleged criminal until we’ve had due process.” I am concerned with some of Trump’s reversals, but this is not one of them. Why? If false, Bill Clinton will not suffer any real consequences from this. There will be no risk of jail for Bill, which is what the biggest worry is for false accusations. If Trump knew that these allegations were true, I’m not going to defend his conduct. But I will accept it.
This is a war over how dialogue in America will be shaped. If Hillary wins, we’re going to see a further tightening of PC culture. But if Trump wins? If Trump wins, we will have a president that overwhelmingly rejects PC rhetoric. Even better, we will show that more than half the country rejects this insane PC regime. If Trump wins, I will personally feel a major burden relieved, and I will feel much more comfortable stating my more right-wing views without fearing total ostracism and shame. Because of this, no matter what Trump says or does, I will keep supporting him.
Conor Friedersdorf: If you’re willing to keep the conversation going, here’s the biggest question I have: Why do you think Trump being elected would have a salutary effect on political correctness? It isn’t as if the behavior of illiberal college students or workmates responding to a Hulk Hogan comment depends on who is in the White House. In fact, President Obama has repeatedly criticized political correctness. Through what mechanism would change come if Trump is elected? And for context, what are those “more right-wing views” you feel unable to share openly?
Trump Voter: Having Trump in the White House would both give me more confidence to speak my own opinion and more of a shield from instantly being dismissed as a racist/xenophobe/Nazi (all three things I have been called personally).
Under President Obama, our national dialogue has steadily moved towards political correctness (despite his denunciations), but with President Trump, I think our national dialogue will likely move away from being blanketly PC. Even though, as you pointed out, Obama has criticized PC speech, he doesn’t exactly engage in un-PC speech like Trump does. I don’t expect a President Trump to instantly convert people, but when you have someone in the Oval Office giving decidedly un-PC speeches and announcements, I think that would change the discourse, don’t you?
As for mechanisms, I think Trump would likely do what he can to protect free speech. That could include vetoing bills, instituting laws preventing social media posts from costing people jobs (I never post on Facebook for fear of even a neutral post being interpreted negatively), overruling university speech policies. I’m unsure of whether or not Trump would pursue these policies, but I don’t think he’d oppose them if a Congressional rep or Senator proposed them and got the votes.
For context, my right wing views include:
Lower taxes for all, and with it a reduction of various benefits.
Reduction or an end to affirmative action in favor of a pure merit-based system.
Support for law and order, and an intense dislike of disruptive protests.
A temporary ban on Muslim immigration.
In favor of “melting pot” culture instead of multiculturalism.
Isolationist war policy and anti-NATO, in favor of improving relations with Russia.
For further context, I have left-wing views that precluded Rubio and Cruz from getting my vote:Pro access to birth control
Pro universal healthcare (despite the taxes this requires, it’s the only realistic way to combat rising prices)
Pro LGBT rights
I favor the absolute separation of church and state. (I’m a Christian who believes very strongly that my religion should not be pushed onto public policy.)One thing I fear is that if Trump loses, it may be seen as the reverse of what I just said: that America rejected a non-PC candidate (especially if he loses overwhelmingly). Clinton’s victory could be seen as a further vindication for the PC crowd that there is no tolerance for Trump’s type of views, and I fear it will hit other right-wing views.
You want to see what it’s really like to have your views belittled and denigrated? Try being a woman writing on line or in a business meeting full of men for one hour you spoiled, entitled little fuck. Or being a black person in a room full of white people. You can’t even imagine.
It’s all about him having to defend the fact that he’s a raving asshole. Yep. I can see why he loves Trump so much. Having to show good manners in public is just too much.
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