General Discussion
Showing Original Post only (View all)We can't understand Trumpenstein's base without understanding toxic masculinity. [View all]
Some of the racist, sexist, and homophobic vitriol spewed at Trump rallies is performative, spewed by men who did not believe it, or at least with that intensity, but were afraid their masculinity would be questioned if they did not pose as an angry, hateful Trump supporter, who doesnt care about your feelings. Many of Trumps supporters engaged in the same kind of pissing contest as internet trolls, where the point was not actually to advance an idea, but to prove how tough you personally are through a specific demonstration of emotional disregard and potential, and occasionally actual, violence.
To put this another way, there are members of Trumps base, especially men, who truly dont believe in him, but feel obligated to attend his rallies, shout his slogans, and even vote for him to be real men for their friends and family. This is not to absolve them of responsibility, but to define a relationship with toxic masculinity in our search for a way out of it.
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-chronic-illness-killing-generations-of-men/