I want to talk about something I’ve noticed and been thinking about a lot. There is an increasingly larger group on the left (& some on the right) who view Trump and his admin as evil, not just bad or wrong.
I don’t really want to get into a debate over whether that view is legitimate, but just how that view is imo leading that group into approaching politics in a very unhealthy way:
The people who hold that view have adopted an ends justify the means approach to every discussion even remotely related to Trump. While they have many legit critiques, they also defend attacks that they would never defend related to anyone else.
I think that’s a bad approach and costs them credibility, but the real problem comes from the next level on the slope: They also then get mad at me/others for pointing out the attack is dishonest.
“Why are you defending Trump?”
Me: Because it’s false….
"So what? Do you realize how dishonest Trump has been?" (= whataboutism)?
Me: Yes. That doesn’t mean I have to accept dishonesty and start acting like him.
Me: Because it’s false….
"So what? Do you realize how dishonest Trump has been?" (= whataboutism)?
Me: Yes. That doesn’t mean I have to accept dishonesty and start acting like him.
The even bigger problem is they then start to apply this logic further. Suddenly dishonest attacks against all Republicans are either justified or should be ignored because they are allied with Trump.
Example: Paul Ryan is evil for sending a Father's Day tweet.
Example: Paul Ryan is evil for sending a Father's Day tweet.
The next step is that you also can’t have any attacks, even legitimate ones against Democrats, because they are the ones opposing Trump and Republicans, who are much worse.
At that point everything becomes about emotion and is escalated to peak outrage. It becomes impossible to have an actual discussion on issues because the issues don’t really matter.
It's either you're with us or you're with them.
It's either you're with us or you're with them.
Now if you’re being honest, you will also realize that this is an exact mirror of how pro-Trump cultists act. No criticism against him is every justified and every attack on his opponents is defensible. Anyone critical of Trump must also be attacked.
This isn't new. I remember the reactions from some on the right when I would defend Obama from certain unfair attacks and there were cultists who would defend him from all legit criticisms, but it definitely seems elevated now.
The bottom line: This approach isn't just wrong imo, but it's also unproductive. It allows you to appeal to the tribe, but everyone outside that tribe will tune you out. Maybe you don't care, but the lost credibility is awfully hard to win back.
