This Political Theorist Predicted the Rise of Trumpism. His Name Was Hunter S. Thom

while the author becomes a bit hyperbolic in pronouncing that hunter s thompson forsaw the era of 'trumpism', the deplorable aspects of the hells angels compared to many of the tRump supporters is difficult to ignore
this was an interesting - and brief - article

https://www.thenation.com/article/t...e-of-trumpism-his-name-was-hunter-s-thompson/

Just as there was no rational way to defend Harleys against foreign-made choppers, the Angels saw no rational grounds on which to defend their own skills or loyalties against the emerging new world order of the late 20th century. Their skills were outdated; their knowledge was insubstantial; their powers were inferior. There was no rational way to argue that they were better workers or citizens than the competition; the competition was effectively over, and Angels had lost. The standards by which they had been built had been definitively eclipsed.

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It’s not hard to see in the demographics, the words, and the behavior of Trump supporters an ethic of total retaliation at work. These are men and women who defend their vote by saying things like: “I just wanted people to know that I’m here, that I count.” These are men and women whose scorn of “political correctness” translates into: “You can’t make me talk the way that you want me to talk, even if that way of talking is nicer and smarter and better.” These are men and women whose denials of climate change are gleeful denials of scientific expertise in a world where scientific experts have unquestioned intellectual respect and social status. These are men and women who seemed to applaud the incompetence of Trump’s campaign because competence itself is associated with membership in the elite.

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The military and the police draw mostly from poor and working-class communities to fill their ranks, and their use of violence is something the motorcycle guys understand. It is one aspect of American life they can easily imagine themselves being a part of.

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Re:  This Political Theorist Predicted the Rise of Trumpism. His Name Was Hunter S.



It would be great if you guys would just stop with the liberal arrogance.

Re:  This Political Theorist Predicted the Rise of Trumpism. His Name Was Hunter S.

justabubba said:

while the author becomes a bit hyperbolic in pronouncing that hunter s thompson forsaw the era of 'trumpism', the deplorable aspects of the hells angels compared to many of the tRump supporters is difficult to ignore
this was an interesting - and brief - article

https://www.thenation.com/article/t...e-of-trumpism-his-name-was-hunter-s-thompson/

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Okay, so I read the article.

Now let ME cite some quotes:

...that kind of politics is “nearly impossible to deal with” using reason or empathy or awareness-raising or any of the other favorite tools of the left.

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left-liberal elites...embrace of technological advancement and individual liberation looked like a “revolt” to the mass of Americans

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...rather than gracefully accepting their place as losers in an increasingly technical, intellectual, global, inclusive, progressive American society

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and one that you provided:

 “You can’t make me talk the way that you want me to talk, even if that way of talking is nicer and smarter and better.”

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Trying to tie rational concerns with very real socio-economic problems caused by automation, free trade, globalism, etc. to a reactionary mind-set demonized as "Trumpism," while using all the buzz words meant to exemplify the innate "goodness" of Progressive-Left ideology is typical of their "good vs evil" methodology.

Of course you would agree with the author's interpretation, based on an appeal to authority because "his dad knew Hunter S. Thompson." It clearly appeals to your ideological principals, typified by the frequent use of denigrating terminology (ex. "tRump" supporters) for those who don't agree with "obvious truth" of the rightness of your positions. :roll:

The problem is, both you and the author oversimplify. 43% of eligible voters did not vote this election. More than 51% of those who did vote opted other than Hillary. Meanwhile, Ms. Stein (the closest to a "real" Progressive-Leftist) only got a little over 1% of those who voted.

I agree that much of the vote for Trump was a backlash, and some small portion of that backlash may very well have be caused by some of the economic points raised in the article. But IMO most of the backlash was against the holier-than-thou attitudes of the Progressive-Left in trying to define freedom of expression, association, and other individual liberties as only acceptable within their...how did the author put it? "Nicer, smarter, and better" parameters.

But correlation does not equate to causation. Liberty is not defined by Progressive ideals of what is "nicer, smarter, and better." That's where the real backlash came from.

The sooner those on the Progressive Alt-Left realize this, the better. :yes: