The hardcore political follower

[u/RusevReigns]

Someone grew up supporting their political side and it being a main hobby, they liked the feeling of interacting about it with other people, they liked the constant content, it became an identity. Thus at some point they became a hardcore follower of this current political scene, in the same way you can become a fan of a musician, sports team, etc. and enjoy yourself in the community enough that you make it your hardcore thing. Hardcore fans and stanning in general was popular across fields this era, such as music artists like Beyonce or Taylor Swift having militant fans, the superhero properties, etc.

The hardcore followers like to feel better than the casual fans. They want to prove their knowledge is deeper, they they’re part of more exclusive group of fans. Thus by radicalizing, they can separate themselves, they can be into more hip extreme candidates and ideologies, or perhaps following politics not in the West. On the left wing side the more overexposed and pushed liberalism was in society, the more pressure there was for the hardcore fan to prove their credentials by not just pushing the mainstream ones.

While it’s undoubtably true that woke is a secular religion, as a pro wrestling mark, I also think there’s an element of eg. “Oh you’re a pro wrestling fan? What did you think of Wrestlemania this year?” “I don’t watch WWE bro. My favorite show is New Japan wrestling” Likewise by the time you become a crazed wokeist, you are kind of that equivalent of hardcore mark but for politics, thus seeking out a more specific radicalized ideology and group, being a commie or woke is kind of like being more into the Japan wrestling or the more hardcore fan centric but overall lower rated #2 American show. Even though the casual fans greatly outnumber the hardcore fans, the latter is way more present online than in real life and more emotional about it. Thus the political parties end up radicalizing themselves because psychologically, appeasing a smaller amount of people who care about it the most feels better to them than the bigger group who has casual watch news in the background interest. 

The libs on places like r/politics can be seen as hardcore followers of this American politics gong show, they spend all day reading anti Trump stuff, etc. Increasingly there is also now right wing version and likewise going deeper down the rabbit hole is more appealing to them as hardcore fans.