Why we shoudn't call Trump supporters "Stupid"
Because honestly, some of them are far far worse than merely clueless and ignorant
Name calling is disrespectful. That’s not a difficult concept to absorb. Calling someone a name, insulting them is not a way to win them to your side of the argument or even to be able to effectively communicate with them. We are told this constantly. We are constantly berated with the idea that we need to moderate our behavior and seek to appeal nicely to the MAGAs because that’s the only way we’ll be able to bring people over to our side and win electorally.
Some of that makes sense I have to admit. I don’t seek to hurt anyone’s feelings, I don’t aim to directly insult them.
But exactly when and where are they being asked to pay attention to our feelings? When and where are they being asked not to insult us? When and where are they asked not to call us names? Because from what I see — that isn’t happening, and they aren’t moderating themselves at all.
The “FJB”, “Let’s Go Brandon” and people who make stickers that show Joe Biden tied and bound in the back of a truck are not moderating anything. Have any of them apologized for any of that crap? Fuck, no.
They think that shit is “funny” but then they lose their minds over sea shells that spell “86 47?”
They say that they care about the economy and that’s why the voted for Trump, but their real issue is “two men kissing” and “boys in girls sports.” They’re hateful people. But we’re not allowed to hate them back?
Shouldn’t we hate people like this first guy, Todd Harder? Or the 3rd person shown here, Gerard Babb who doesn’t regret his vote for Trump even though he may lose his job on the Mack Truck assembly line.
Instead of these guys it’s these people I can have some sympathy for — but they are far more rare.
Isn't it the ultimate in White Privilege to have the luxury not to be concerned with what your actions do to other people?
The polls still show that most Trump supporters, even with all that has happened, do not regret their vote.
Mostly I wrote this diary is response to this video with a woman who makes most of the argument I’m quoting. Calling Trumpers “Stupid” hurts their feelings, and that’s not a way to convince them to think differently. Sure, that makes sense — but to be honest, that’s not the point.
I had two responses: This was my second one, on the issue of the Joe Biden economy and immigration:
On the Economy under Biden. Actually, it was great on almost every measure.The GDP was good, Unemployment was good. (Going down to 3.4%, it's 4.2% now) The deficit was reduced by $1.3 Trillion. The only thing that was a problem was inflation - and that wasn't Biden's fault. Inflation was international. It affected dozens of countries - following COVID - all at the same time.
At worst America was ranked at #13 on inflation, other nations had it far worse. I think they were slow reacting to it, but ultimately the Inflation Reduction Act brought inflation down from 9% to just 2.4% in just one year, (it's at 2.8% now) that reduction was faster than most other nations - including the entire G7.
Biden did better with vaccine distribution and recovery of the economy in just a single year than any other recession we've ever had.
How much better could he have done?
Could we have recovered any faster when we were already the fastest recovering economy in the world? The standard Biden was held too - was impossible.
Immigration isn't controlled by the President, people show up at the border and you either follow due process and the law that requires that they be offered Asylum or you don't. (And Trump is in the Don't Column)
Prices don't go down unless we're in a recession. There was practically nothing he could have done better. When people have unrealistic, fantastical expectations - you're are certain to dissatisfy them.
The economy and immigration were the main things that people said they voted over. Could the economy have been better? I honestly don’t think so. I think Biden did an absolutely amazing job recovering from COVID, bringing back jobs, investing in America, investing in Infrastructure, CHIPS jobs, Green Jobs, Manufacturing Jobs — all the things these people say that they wanted.
We didn’t make that argument strongly enough.
But it’s not that the didn’t try, they did — for a time — try to promote the idea of “Bidenomics” in how robust the recovered had been, but that push was quickly dropped. Somehow, the GOP can coalesce around terrible ideas like Austerity and More Tax Cuts for the Rich without blinking and eye — they can loudly promote these terrible policies unabashedly and repeatedly, despite all the factual and historical evidence to the contrary — and lying to people’s faces doesn’t bother them.
But we can’t tell people the truth and sound convincing. We can’t make them believe what’s happening in front of their very eyes.
That’s a problem. And we need a solution for it.
And Biden’s own cognitive issues and his refusal to stand down early making Kamala’s campaign short and difficult didn’t help either.
But then, there’s a bigger issue. Most MAGAs are frankly full of shit.
My First response:
"Stupid" is not about convincing anyone of anything. Sometimes it is a matter of fact. What we are living now is the result of decades of deliberate spin and disinformation. You either realize that is the case, or you do not. You either make informed decisions about media consumption or you do not.
When the "stupid" claim is not true - the other options are worse.
When they aren't stupid, their likely selfish, myopic and evil. They don't care about how the policies they support are harming other people. Either they don't realize that is the case, which is ignorant, or they want to cause that damage to others, which is Evil. They don't care until those policies come home to roost, until they lose their job or their business - only then do they suddenly see the light?
How many of you people care about all the children who will die because of starvation, disease, HIV and Cancer Research that were all cancelled because of Elon Musk and DOGE? Do you even notice? What did Joni Earnst say when confronted on Medicaid? "We all are going to die". Yeah, well sure that's true - but what matters is how we LIVE before that happens. Right?
What is the other option? “Oops, I didn't realize?” [Well, they should have, that’s no excuse.]
It's your job as a citizen to pay attention. It's your civic duty. You people fucking failed. Now you want sympathy and empathy? Where was your sympathy and empathy when you voted?
They're really nice people who what - just made a mistake? Fine, but will they admit that mistake? Will they pout and whine that they're so misunderstood or will they work to make things better next time? If the answer is "No" then what's the point of trying to convince them of anything? They're lost. Totally.
I've tried very hard, for decades, to reach out a polite understanding hand to the other side, and they honestly don't want it anymore. They slap it away. It's a pointless, fruitless effort unless they are willing to meet you halfway, and most of them are not.
We shouldn't call each other names, sure, but they're opening bid is to call us "Marxist," "Communist", "Socialist", “Pedophile”, “Criminal” and "Deranged". What do they expect in response to that - a "Thank you?" Nope.
They want to punish immigrants who have a lower crime rate than citizens? For what? They want to punish gay and trans people who have a lower chance of being a predator than people you already hang out with? For what? They want to erase every bit of American history that involves minorities - removing references to Jackie Robinson, Harriet Tubman and the Tuskegee Airman and perpetuate the false bigoted sterotype or "Rampant DEI" and "crime ridden Dem cities" when Red States have a higher crime rate, gun murder rate, suicide rate, teen pregnancy rate, infant mortality rate, maternal mortality rate, higher rates of Medicaid and SNAP usage, higher rates of Federal government dependance, unemployment, poverty, and school dropouts?
And then they want to lecture Blue States on how we do things? For what?
If they want to be respected, Earn it. Do Fracking Better.
If someone is capable of realizing they made an honest mistake — half the work is done. I have no problem reaching out to those people and making common cause with them. For the rest… Fuck those people.
That’s what I think about it.
Your thoughts?
Thank you for putting into words exactly how I feel.