UC-Berkeley Sociologist Suggests Trump is ‘Weaponizing’ Shame of White Rural Voters
“masterful ability to shift shame into blame”
It is amazing how crazy Trump makes some people. Can you even imagine having these thoughts?
The College Fix reports:
UC Berkeley sociologist: Trump ‘weaponizing’ shame of white rural voters
A University of California Berkeley sociology professor claims in a new book that Donald Trump is “weaponizing” the shame of white rural Americans.
In “Stolen Pride: Loss, Shame, and the Rise of the Right,” Arlie Hochschild details her journey to “the heart of Appalachia” where, according to The New Press’s description, “a proud people in a hard-hit region suffer the deep loss of pride and are confronted with a powerful political appeal that makes it feel ‘stolen.’”
In a recent excerpt in Time, Hochschild (pictured) refers to a “pride paradox,” personified by a 40-something coal miner’s grandson, angry at the Obama and Biden administrations for being anti-coal (because climate change), who is forced into a menial job, and then reads an op-ed about him being a “deadbeat” for “not supporting his family and paying taxes the town needs for its sewer repairs.”
This individual also reads on social media and elsewhere how he allegedly is “ignorant, racist, sexist, or homophobic.”
Hochschild says this pride paradox is “central” to Donald Trump’s current candidacy, specifically his alleged “masterful ability to shift shame into blame” and convince voters to accept his “turn to the far right.”
Trump’s “anti-shame ritual” is comprised of four “moments,” according to the professor emerita:
In Moment 1 Trump says something transgressive. To take an early example, when he announced his presidential bid in 2015 he declared, “when Mexico sends its people…they’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.” In Moment 2, the punditry shames Trump, saying in essence, “You can’t say that! How disgraceful.” After Trump’s Mexican rapist remark, Macy’s announced that it would discontinue Trump’s menswear line. NBC—which hosted Celebrity Apprentice—announced it was severing ties “due to the recent derogatory statements by Donald Trump.” Univision revoked its promise to air Trump’s Miss America and Miss Universe contests.
In Moment 3, Trump turns to his followers saying in effect: They hurt me. I’m in pain, as you are. I’m suffering for you. Then comes Moment 4, the most important: Trump roars back at the shamers. “If NBC is so weak and so foolish,” Trump said in 2015, “as to not understand the serious illegal immigration problem…” and he unleashed accusations against a variety of enemies—Macy’s, NBC, the “treasonous press,” the “deep state,” and the Democratic party—saying, in effect, I will protect you against these causes of your distress.
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Comments
huh??
thats the whole point of anyone looking for votes is to connect with people who agree with them and in this case its rural americans who have benefited somewhat by lefty policies but overall want to see america crime free and maga
the left connects with its urban voters by encouraging criminality
disguised as justice
Yep Marxist Price Control Kamala promises low inflation but $25,000 free money to first time homeowners and child tax payments to parents. Is that stimulating voter greed instead of Shame? It certainly shows a misunderstanding of basic economics.
Academic lefties can’t understand why americans who they openly condescend to aren’t grateful for their fake concern.
So the analysis of President Trump’s behavior is based on a weird misunderstanding of why people are angry plus a vile misrepresentation of what he said.
All sociologists should feel shame about this.
Academics have no shame. The goal is to inculcate Marxism in American Universities to open the Overton Window to the workers Utopia. Trump really needs to push back on the socialist plans of the liberal elite. 15 minute cities. No gas stations, no gun or free speech rights unless they approve. We already need a counter revolution to roll back their gains.
If liberals didn’t try to make whites feel shame for being white, there would be no shame to weaponize. Kinda backfired there didn’t it?
My first thought was similar. His mistake is to assume that rural white voters actually feel (accept) the shame that the left continually heaps upon them. But they don’t. They just get angry at the left because it’s obvious to a fifth-grader that they are meretricious, nagging assholes. And that’s how (fake) shame turns into anger, it’s so much simpler.
“It is amazing how crazy Trump makes some people. Can you even imagine having these thoughts?”
Like the story of the woman who walked out of a beauty parlor in 1971, only to have her freshly done ‘do drenched in a downpour. She shook her fist at the sky and bellowed, “That damned Nixon!”
I assume that a sociologist (who are all lefties) at Berkeley (who are all far lefties) would have to be one of the most radical left-wingers in the country.
To walk down that hallway, masks are required for anyone to the right of Bernie Sanders.
So the sociologist recognises but fails to comprehend that Obama, Biden and the Left destroyed the economic future of the hypothetical 40 something coal miner’s grandson, then he gets shamed for being unable to get decent work that enables him to support his family and pay his taxes, then he get further shamed for holding non-Left views and held up as an object for ridicule by the Left.
Rather than recognise the Left is the problem, the oh so non-partisan academic contends the problem is, wait for it, Trump!
If said sociologist didn’t create the shame Trump would have nothing to weaponise. And here I thought the Left supported the Oppressed when they fought back against the Oppressors! Apparently this Leftist doesn’t like Trump empowering the Oppressed when the Oppressors are the Left.
And?
Another limousine liberal heard from–she and others like her have no idea what regular citizens deal with, nor do they care
Love the 40+ years old grandfather who apparently comes from a family that has kids in their early teens.
Then Miss Elite Berkeley Sociologist lists the legitimate reasons the 40+year old grandpa’s life has been turned upside down (although she missed the death of tobacco farming), and claims the poor man is deeply ashamed. Why would he be ashamed? He didn’t close the coal mines. He’s not the only one in this position.
He’s not ashamed. He’s angry. And anger will propel him to find a way out of the mess. You need anger to help make hard decisions.
None of this, of course, explains Dr. Ben Carson’s support, or that of Peter Thiel or Elon Musk. This sociologist seems firmly stuck in 2015. Almost ten years ago.
I’ve probably wasted a lot of time even replying to this bozo.