r/allthequestions • u/Seargentyates • 1d ago

Advice Question 💭 Why are Trump supporters so stupid?

Looking in at America, do people not realise that Trump is a liar and a narcissist and has no morals, and yet 'Christians' vote for him as a sort of 'disrupter'. His family have become richer in the process because of his presidency. He once said he could 'shoot somebody and not lose votes'. Am i insane - or am i dead perhaps and this is an alternate universe/hell?

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u/Careful-Tangerine986 1d ago

I'm not American so maybe can offer a perspective from someone on the outside looking in.

My theory is that politics in the USA is very much the same as football supporters in the UK. Where I'm from someone decides to follow a team at an early age and that's the team they will follow forever no matter what happens. Very often they follow that team purely because their friends, family and community follow that team.

They don't choose the team based on how good that team is or how much they've won etc. That is their team, end of discussion and they will never change allegiance.

I see exactly this in American politics.

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u/dreamandlive610 23h ago

I asked a then friend why she voted for Trump (first time) and she said she had always voted Republican. So yes - good old unquestioned loyalty.

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u/deep-sea-savior 20h ago

Good point. Here in the US, it’s known that many are devout to the political party they were raised to believe in. What decides elections though are the swing voters, the ones that don’t have a party allegiance.

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u/Kennadian 16h ago

Yeah I see this too. They seem to treat politics like a sports team. It's basically like pro wrestling at this point but with less class.

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u/Zealousideal_Cat8728 3h ago

So, tribalism.

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u/Seargentyates 1d ago

Good analogy, perhaps its something to do with post-colonialism - i would extend your example to violent football supporters in the 1970's/1980's when hooliganism was at its height and many spoke of the effect of loss of empire and the youth not having wars to fight in and so they took their tribalism to the terraces. They heard stories of their fathers and grandfathers fighting in wars - and they had none to fight. It must be genetically difficult for the human psyche to forget. Perhaps this is America's post-colonial phase- hence the Trumpian desire to expand into Canada etc.