Why Trump Appeals to So Many Americans, IMO

Many years ago, I think I was 17 or 18, I read an article in the National Geographic magazine that enlightened me on human nature. In it, a white anthropologist interviewed a nearly naked black man, a member of a primitive New Guinea tribe who candidly told the white man that he regarded him as ugly and stupid; stupid because the anthropologist knew nothing about the jungle.

The man's opinion jolted me because I realized that, based only on his photograph, I had judged HIM as ugly and stupid.

We humans have a need to feel superior to others. I think it's within us all when we're born. It doesn't matter whether we're born into a modern society or a primitive one. It occurs in a range from low to high. One of the reasons that it escapes detection is that we have different names for it:

• Philosophers are likely to call it egotism.
• Theologians are more likely to call it vanity or pride.
• Psychologists will call it narcissism.
• Psychiatrists refer to a superiority complex.
• The rest of us are more likely to call it arrogance.

Psychologists sum up the narcissist this way:

Narcissism is characterized by a grandiose sense of self-importance, a lack of empathy for others, a need for excessive admiration, and the belief that one is unique and deserving of special treatment.

I think psychiatrists are onto something when they say that the superiority complex always masks a feeling of inferiority.

I think Donald Trump appeals to Americans who, like him, have a stronger-than-average need to feel superior to others.

While watching video of the assault on the Capitol, I heard the chant "We're number one!" It reminded me of the Olympics in Sydney when that chant was heard often from Americans in the crowd when an American won the gold. I remember also a sign on the streets of Sydney that read: "America, No. 1 in Arrogance."

Maybe we Americans are not number one in arrogance but I think we deserve a shot at the title.

joe1776 said:

Many years ago, I think I was 17 or 18, I read an article in the National Geographic magazine that enlightened me on human nature. In it, a white anthropologist interviewed a nearly naked black man, a member of a primitive New Guinea tribe who candidly told the white man that he regarded him as ugly and stupid; stupid because the anthropologist knew nothing about the jungle.

The man's opinion jolted me because I realized that, based only on his photograph, I had judged HIM as ugly and stupid.

We humans have a need to feel superior to others. I think it's within us all when we're born. It doesn't matter whether we're born into a modern society or a primitive one. It occurs in a range from low to high. One of the reasons that it escapes detection is that we have different names for it:

• Philosophers are likely to call it egotism.
• Theologians are more likely to call it vanity or pride.
• Psychologists will call it narcissism.
• Psychiatrists refer to a superiority complex.
• The rest of us are more likely to call it arrogance.

Psychologists sum up the narcissist this way:

Narcissism is characterized by a grandiose sense of self-importance, a lack of empathy for others, a need for excessive admiration, and the belief that one is unique and deserving of special treatment.

I think psychiatrists are onto something when they say that the superiority complex always masks a feeling of inferiority.

I think Donald Trump appeals to Americans who, like him, have a stronger-than-average need to feel superior to others.

While watching video of the assault on the Capitol, I heard the chant "We're number one!" It reminded me of the Olympics in Sydney when that chant was heard often from Americans in the crowd when an American won the gold. I remember also a sign on the streets of Sydney that read: "America, No. 1 in Arrogance."

Maybe we Americans are not number one in arrogance but I think we deserve a shot at the title.

Click to expand...

Most people are this way, including me if I must be honest. It is natural. But we as humans don't have to conform to our own instincts. We can feel one way and act another.

joe1776 said:

Many years ago, I think I was 17 or 18, I read an article in the National Geographic magazine that enlightened me on human nature. In it, a white anthropologist interviewed a nearly naked black man, a member of a primitive New Guinea tribe who candidly told the white man that he regarded him as ugly and stupid; stupid because the anthropologist knew nothing about the jungle.

The man's opinion jolted me because I realized that, based only on his photograph, I had judged HIM as ugly and stupid.

We humans have a need to feel superior to others. I think it's within us all when we're born. It doesn't matter whether we're born into a modern society or a primitive one. It occurs in a range from low to high. One of the reasons that it escapes detection is that we have different names for it:

• Philosophers are likely to call it egotism.
• Theologians are more likely to call it vanity or pride.
• Psychologists will call it narcissism.
• Psychiatrists refer to a superiority complex.
• The rest of us are more likely to call it arrogance.

Psychologists sum up the narcissist this way:

Narcissism is characterized by a grandiose sense of self-importance, a lack of empathy for others, a need for excessive admiration, and the belief that one is unique and deserving of special treatment.

I think psychiatrists are onto something when they say that the superiority complex always masks a feeling of inferiority.

I think Donald Trump appeals to Americans who, like him, have a stronger-than-average need to feel superior to others.

While watching video of the assault on the Capitol, I heard the chant "We're number one!" It reminded me of the Olympics in Sydney when that chant was heard often from Americans in the crowd when an American won the gold. I remember also a sign on the streets of Sydney that read: "America, No. 1 in Arrogance."

Maybe we Americans are not number one in arrogance but I think we deserve a shot at the title.

Click to expand...

Regarding that need to feel superior, no one lords
their superior morality & intelligence over me more
that do liberals. So I don't think that's the difference
with MAGAs. Listen to them...thoughtfully.
What I hear from them....
- Says what he feels, & echoes their feelings.
- Anti-liberal & anti-socialist.
- Pro-Israel.
- Pro-Ameristan (they believe Dems aren't).
- Secure borders.
- Pro-business.
- Pro-military & police.
- He fights liberals (they hate liberals).

Caution:
I don't buy their reasons.
This is just what they tell me.

janesix said:

Most people are this way, including me if I must be honest. It is natural. But we as humans don't have to conform to our own instincts. We can feel one way and act another.

Click to expand...

Agreed. For me, it's been a life-long battle against an above-average problem.

Revoltingest said:

Regarding that need to feel superior, no one lords
their superior morality & intelligence over me more
that do liberals.

Click to expand...

I can't agree with that as a general rule because the idea that all people are equal in worth is the basic premise of the progressive-liberal movement. Feeling superior to others and feeling equal to them are mutually exclusive attitudes.

Now, I do acknowledge that the feeling of moral superiority is an arrogant position and that a minority of liberals do act that way.

joe1776 said:

I can't agree with that as a general rule because the idea that all people are equal in worth is the basic premise of the progressive-liberal movement. Feeling superior to others and feeling equal to them are mutually exclusive attitudes.

Click to expand...

Tis common for humans to have inconsistent beliefs.
But that might not be what's going on here. "Equality"
has multiple meanings. They generally believe in
equality of rights under the law. But they don't always
believe that non-liberals are equally intelligent or moral

Now, I do acknowledge that the feeling of moral superiority is an arrogant position and that a minority of liberals do act that way.

Click to expand...

Well, that's a partial detente.

Revoltingest said:

Tis common for humans to have inconsistent beliefs.
But that might not be what's going on here. "Equality"
has multiple meanings. They generally believe in
equality of rights under the law. But they don't always
believe that non-liberals are equally intelligent or moral

Click to expand...

People aren't equal in intelligence or moral character but neither of those things are standards in measuring human worth.

There is no standard enabling us to measure human worth. Therefore, there's no basis for acting superior or feeling inferior.

Revoltingest said:

Regarding that need to feel superior, no one lords
their superior morality & intelligence over me more
that do liberals. So I don't think that's the difference
with MAGAs. Listen to them...thoughtfully.
What I hear from them....
- Says what he feels, & echoes their feelings.
- Anti-liberal & anti-socialist.
- Pro-Israel.
- Pro-Ameristan (they believe Dems aren't).
- Secure borders.
- Pro-business.
- Pro-military & police.
- He fights liberals (they hate liberals).

Caution:
I don't buy their reasons.
This is just what they tell me.

Click to expand...

You forgot a few:

-anti-immigrant (the wall, family separation etc)
-sexist (grab em by the ***** remark etc)
-anti-Mexican ("rapists and thugs" remarks)
-anti-Black (BLM comments; "fine people on both sides" remarks at Charlottesville etc)
-anti-what they perceive to be "elite" (McDonald's his favorite food, steak well-done etc)
anti-trans (removing civil rights protections from trans)
-anti-environment and pro mining/drilling/oil
-and among some, a bizarre belief that Trump is somehow "holy" or "annointed"

Orbit said:

You forgot a few:

-anti-immigrant (the wall, family separation etc)
-sexist (grab em by the ***** remark etc)
-anti-Mexican ("rapists and thugs" remarks)
-anti-Black (BLM comments; "fine people on both sides" remarks at Charlottesville etc)
-anti-what they perceive to be "elite" (McDonald's his favorite food, steak well-done etc)
anti-trans (removing civil rights protections from trans)
-anti-environment and pro mining/drilling/oil
-and among some, a bizarre belief that Trump is somehow "holy" or "annointed"

Click to expand...

I listed things they actually said to me were
reasons for supporting Trump. I've not heard
of the reasons you listed.
Have any actually told you of those reasons?

The thread's title...
Why Trump Appeals to So Many Americans, IMO
Are we trying to understand why this is,
or just listing dislikeable things about him?

Revoltingest said:

I listed things they actually said to me were
reasons for supporting Trump. I've not heard
of the reasons you listed.
Have any actually told you of those reasons?

Click to expand...

They tell me by agreeing with and supporting Trump's positions and comments. They obviously don't refer to themselves as racists etc.

Orbit said:

They tell me by agreeing with and supporting Trump's positions and comments. They obviously don't refer to themselves as racists etc.

Click to expand...

They tell you this in person?
Or are you inferring this from the situation you describe?

I'm going by actual discussions with them.
That would be more illuminating than conjecture.

Revoltingest said:

They tell you this in person?
You must know very different people.

Click to expand...

My mom is a rabid Trump supporter, and lives in a rural area where most others are also. I also live in a (different) rural area with a ton of Trump supporters who feel very free to voice their opinions.

Orbit said:

My mom is a rabid Trump supporter, and lives in a rural area where most others are also. I also live in a (different) rural area with a ton of Trump supporters who feel very free to voice their opinions.

Click to expand...

What specific reasons did mom cite for supporting Trump?
Not the hoohah grabbing item you listed?

I know that "hoohah" is acceptable
to the mods cuz it isn't asterisked out.

Revoltingest said:

What specific reasons did mom cite for supporting Trump?
Not the hoohah grabbing item you listed?

Click to expand...

She excuses that particular comment for reasons that are unclear to me. She supports Trump because he hates all the same people she does, and she is thoroughly brainwashed by watching Fox News constantly. But if you ask her if she hates anyone, she says she doesn't--right after villifying Nancy Pelosi like she is the devil incarnate. Some people aren't good at introspection.

joe1776 said:

Many years ago, I think I was 17 or 18, I read an article in the National Geographic magazine that enlightened me on human nature. In it, a white anthropologist interviewed a nearly naked black man, a member of a primitive New Guinea tribe who candidly told the white man that he regarded him as ugly and stupid; stupid because the anthropologist knew nothing about the jungle.

The man's opinion jolted me because I realized that, based only on his photograph, I had judged HIM as ugly and stupid.

We humans have a need to feel superior to others. I think it's within us all when we're born. It doesn't matter whether we're born into a modern society or a primitive one. It occurs in a range from low to high. One of the reasons that it escapes detection is that we have different names for it:

• Philosophers are likely to call it egotism.
• Theologians are more likely to call it vanity or pride.
• Psychologists will call it narcissism.
• Psychiatrists refer to a superiority complex.
• The rest of us are more likely to call it arrogance.

Psychologists sum up the narcissist this way:

Narcissism is characterized by a grandiose sense of self-importance, a lack of empathy for others, a need for excessive admiration, and the belief that one is unique and deserving of special treatment.

I think psychiatrists are onto something when they say that the superiority complex always masks a feeling of inferiority.

I think Donald Trump appeals to Americans who, like him, have a stronger-than-average need to feel superior to others.

While watching video of the assault on the Capitol, I heard the chant "We're number one!" It reminded me of the Olympics in Sydney when that chant was heard often from Americans in the crowd when an American won the gold. I remember also a sign on the streets of Sydney that read: "America, No. 1 in Arrogance."

Maybe we Americans are not number one in arrogance but I think we deserve a shot at the title.

Click to expand...

I don't know about trump, but I feel it's completely a survival of the fittest thing more than psychological/cultural. I don't believe judging others needs to be a moral concern unless it's affecting how you treat people and the biases that enforces it.

In general, we "fear what we don't understand." So, it's not a question of what's right or wrong. It's more "My brain is not familiar with X. This must be a threat Y. Should I run or should I fit (should I humble and understand or should I be defensive). Our cultures (western, eastern, otherwise) tends to put people in boxes that are not like "them." While it comes out negative whether cultural discrimination or politics, the biases are still there nonetheless.

Instead of seeing judging others as an "inherently/psychologically" bad thing/sin, maybe see it as something humans do. That -does not mean- it justifies to see people harshly, stupid, or so have you. It's just seeing it at a different perspective that it isn't "you" whose doing the judging (you're not inherently bad that needs to be fixed), we're just in an environment that stereotypes (whether naturally as in group-survival or not (interesting link Survival of the Fittest: Groups versus Individuals).

Maybe our biases exist to teach us something. Of course we don't have to stay in our comfort zone. I do think it's more about human nature and "accepting" we are bias without needing to fall into those biases because of our environment (our brains are always try to survive in a threatening environment) that harm ourselves and others.

Orbit said:

She excuses that particular comment for reasons that are unclear to me.

Click to expand...

Let's agree that excusing or ignoring something
doesn't count as a reason they support Trump.

She supports Trump because he hates all the same people she does, and she is thoroughly brainwashed by watching Fox News constantly. But if you ask her if she hates anyone, she says she doesn't--right after villifying Nancy Pelosi like she is the devil incarnate. Some people aren't good at introspection.

Click to expand...

Hatred of liberals is one big reason I listed.
When I'm with Trump supporters, I spend a lot
of time defending Democrats as....
- Not socialists (most of'm).
- Not evil.
- Not tools of Satan.
- Not hating Ameristan.
- Not trying to destroy Ameristan.

Orbit said:

She excuses that particular comment for reasons that are unclear to me. She supports Trump because he hates all the same people she does, and she is thoroughly brainwashed by watching Fox News constantly. But if you ask her if she hates anyone, she says she doesn't--right after villifying Nancy Pelosi like she is the devil incarnate. Some people aren't good at introspection.

Click to expand...

If people knew what caused their behavior and were always truthful about it, psychologists would have had all the answers to human nature years ago.

joe1776 said:

Many years ago, I think I was 17 or 18, I read an article in the National Geographic magazine that enlightened me on human nature. In it, a white anthropologist interviewed a nearly naked black man, a member of a primitive New Guinea tribe who candidly told the white man that he regarded him as ugly and stupid; stupid because the anthropologist knew nothing about the jungle.

The man's opinion jolted me because I realized that, based only on his photograph, I had judged HIM as ugly and stupid.

We humans have a need to feel superior to others. I think it's within us all when we're born. It doesn't matter whether we're born into a modern society or a primitive one. It occurs in a range from low to high. One of the reasons that it escapes detection is that we have different names for it:

• Philosophers are likely to call it egotism.
• Theologians are more likely to call it vanity or pride.
• Psychologists will call it narcissism.
• Psychiatrists refer to a superiority complex.
• The rest of us are more likely to call it arrogance.

Psychologists sum up the narcissist this way:

Narcissism is characterized by a grandiose sense of self-importance, a lack of empathy for others, a need for excessive admiration, and the belief that one is unique and deserving of special treatment.

I think psychiatrists are onto something when they say that the superiority complex always masks a feeling of inferiority.

I think Donald Trump appeals to Americans who, like him, have a stronger-than-average need to feel superior to others.

While watching video of the assault on the Capitol, I heard the chant "We're number one!" It reminded me of the Olympics in Sydney when that chant was heard often from Americans in the crowd when an American won the gold. I remember also a sign on the streets of Sydney that read: "America, No. 1 in Arrogance."

Maybe we Americans are not number one in arrogance but I think we deserve a shot at the title.

Click to expand...

I think this is a very valid observation. I also think that there have been some very strong cultural forces fueling this need for, and sense of self-importance. Not the least of which is a century of industrial strength commercial advertising, telling us all how superior we are or will be (when we buy this product). And how important is it to be, and to show everyone else how superior we are (so you'd better buy this product right away!). I think it's also being fueled particularly in the white middle and working class people because they are feeling, keenly, the loss of their past privileged position in society, due to an economy that has become more and more competitive and brutal in the last 40 years or so. And due to "liberal" reforms in attitudes toward minorities. They are feeling very ignored and very unsafe, socially and economically. And they're blaming all those people who used to be "beneath" them in the social-economic 'pecking order'. And of course all those "liberals" that liberated them and made them equals.

Trump and the republican party has been preying on these fears and resentments and feeding this need for a sense of superiority and privilege for a long time, now, and using it to inspire anger and loathing toward their political opponents (to win elections). And its worked so well that the republican party has gained massive control of government and pushed the whole nation far, far to the right. And now they just can't stop doing it even though it's destroying the country and tearing our whole society apart.

At this point, everyone on RF should thank me.
I've been following OAN coverage of recent events
out of fascination for their perspective, & to better
understand why they think as they do.
I generously do it so that you don't have too.

joe1776 said:

We humans have a need to feel superior to others. I think it's within us all when we're born.

Click to expand...

I must be an exception
It was not there when I was born
It is not there now either

So, I think that "some humans" might "feel superior to others", but not all humans
Maybe some babies have it when they are born; but how could I ever claim "all"?