There may be a few who don't get it, but most do.
In 2016, lots of Trump voters may not have understood what they are voting for—but not this time.
Consider the definition of "liberal democracy" and the meaning of the slogan "Make America Great Again."
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In 2016, lots of Trump voters may not have understood what they are voting for—but not this time.
Consider the definition of "liberal democracy" and the meaning of the slogan "Make America Great Again."
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https://twitter.com/timpplex/status/1308796720910753792
Except for a few pockets here and there, for most of U.S. history, until the 1950s and 1960s, Americans lived in a hierarchy.
Think of slavery, Jim Crow, and women's place in the home.
Until the modern civil rights movement, what we now call voter suppression was legal.
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Think of slavery, Jim Crow, and women's place in the home.
Until the modern civil rights movement, what we now call voter suppression was legal.
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Think about what life was like in America in 1850 for a black woman.
People have the idea that the US has always been a liberal democracy . . . and then along came Trump, pulling the wool over his followers' eyes.
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People have the idea that the US has always been a liberal democracy . . . and then along came Trump, pulling the wool over his followers' eyes.
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We didn't start to move toward a true liberal democracy until Brown v. Board, the SCOTUS case that declared racial desegregation illegal, the modern civil rights and women's rights movement, and accompanying legislation.
Trump is riding the backlash from those changes.
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Trump is riding the backlash from those changes.
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Because Trump voters tend to be less educated, people have the idea that educating Trump voters will solve the problem.
How about a shockingly different idea: Re-educate those who favor liberal democracy so that they understand what it takes to keep democracy working.
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How about a shockingly different idea: Re-educate those who favor liberal democracy so that they understand what it takes to keep democracy working.
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If you're like me, before Trump, you had an idea of American history that went something like this:
The founders had some good ideas, but they left too many people out of "we the people." We started out with 'we the people' limited to white, mostly land-owning men.
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The founders had some good ideas, but they left too many people out of "we the people." We started out with 'we the people' limited to white, mostly land-owning men.
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We imagined the arc of history looks like this as more people came to be included:
The problem is that people started thinking all the hard work was done, we are a liberal democracy. We're in a boat and we don't even have to paddle.
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The problem is that people started thinking all the hard work was done, we are a liberal democracy. We're in a boat and we don't even have to paddle.
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The idea was that the boat is drifting toward an ever-expanding and increasingly diverse future.
People born after the modern Civil Rights movement inherited an expanding liberal democracy,
Sometimes people who inherit something feel entitled to their inheritance.
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People born after the modern Civil Rights movement inherited an expanding liberal democracy,
Sometimes people who inherit something feel entitled to their inheritance.
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They don't think they have to work for it. They believe the future is set.
Then, to use @TimothyDSnyder's phrase, "Trump broke the story."
People were shocked. Shock is 'pre-helpless.'
If you think "this wasn't supposed to ever happen!" you are taken by surprise.
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Then, to use @TimothyDSnyder's phrase, "Trump broke the story."
People were shocked. Shock is 'pre-helpless.'
If you think "this wasn't supposed to ever happen!" you are taken by surprise.
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You don't know what to do. You think nothing can be done.
Education needs to change so that people understand that forces trying to destroy democracy will always be present in a democracy.
Not everyone wants democracy. Democracy is grinding work requiring compromise.
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Education needs to change so that people understand that forces trying to destroy democracy will always be present in a democracy.
Not everyone wants democracy. Democracy is grinding work requiring compromise.
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Some people prefer a hierarchy. They think nature naturally forms a hierarchy. They don't think democracy is possible or desirable because they think it robs the people who are naturally at the top of the hierarchy and gives to the unworthy.
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They prefer a strongman who can get things done. Checks and balances naturally slow things down. Change doesn't happen quickly.
We need to educate the people who want liberal democracy so they understand that Trumps will happen in a democracy.
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We need to educate the people who want liberal democracy so they understand that Trumps will happen in a democracy.
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That way they don't dissolve into shocked panic when a would-be autocrat gets more than 40% of the population behind him.
They'll understand what needs to be done.
They'll understand the best way to reach people who think they're better off in a hierarchy.
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They'll understand what needs to be done.
They'll understand the best way to reach people who think they're better off in a hierarchy.
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Shaming people who find the strongman appealing is not the way to show them that democracy would better serve their interests.
We need to re-educate people who want liberal democracy so that they understand how to respond to a Trump.
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We need to re-educate people who want liberal democracy so that they understand how to respond to a Trump.
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When people reel with shock, they take the bait, allow Trump to spin them in circles, and inadvertently amplify his lies and his message.
It's natural. Americans who want democracy were simply not prepared for a Trump.
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It's natural. Americans who want democracy were simply not prepared for a Trump.
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I've noticed this too, which why I wrote yesterday's thread about the Strongman Con.
Believing the con amplifies and gives credence to the lies, which then creates a reality based on the lie, which helps bring about the very outcome you don't want.
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Believing the con amplifies and gives credence to the lies, which then creates a reality based on the lie, which helps bring about the very outcome you don't want.
https://twitter.com/NateSilver538/status/1308819601040519173
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