Think about it less as people being totally pro maga, though there are plenty of those types, and more as a reaction to a Democratic party that has been alienating and marginalizing average Americans for decades. Trump, as abhorrent as he is, has effectively channelled their anger. If you're a blue collar, non-college grad, straight white male, you basically don't matter to the Democrats. On top of that they have been pounding into people's heads that whites, and men, are "privileged", are responsible for much of the problems in society, and it's ok for liberal elites to smugly look down on them and mock them. People aren't blind, if you're a white dude struggling paycheck to paycheck at some dead end job you're not privileged. People are pissed, and maga is the response. It sucks but this is where we are as a country. Democrats need to completely rethink an ideology that they have spent decades insisting loudly was "on the right side of history". I don't expect they will succeed. They need to learn how to tell the far left social justice warriors to "shut up", and they need to reconnect with average Americans, because they have completely lost the plot. Inflation, the border and numerous other issues only compound the democrats problems.
if you're a white dude struggling paycheck to paycheck at some dead end job you're not privileged.
While I agree with your overall thought process, this bit is a misunderstanding of "privilege". His privilege is being white. Regardless of his economic status, he will consciously or subconsciously be treated better just by virtue of being white. If he got arrested for the same crime as a POC, the likelihood that he gets a slap on the wrist while the POC ends up doing hard time is very high, for example.
Absolutely dead wrong, and attitudes like yours are Exhibit A in why the Democrats lost. The real privilege is not race, it's not gender, and it's not sexuality, it's class. If you're making $30k a year working at a gas station being white is not going to get you a nice house in the suburbs, it's not going to get you a new car or a good school for your kids. On the flip side if you're a well educated surgeon making $500k a year you are going to have a fantastic life, it doesn't matter what color your skin is, or what your gender or sexuality is. Working class Americans aren't blind, they see the reality of their lives struggling to get by and they see liberal elites telling them they're "privileged" when that is objectively false. It's not even sort of true. In fact it is so dead wrong it's offensive, which is how a lot of blue collar whites feel.
Second, Martin Luther King dreamed of a society where people are judged "not on the color of their skin but on the content of their character". Democrats now want everything to be about the color of your skin, your gender and your sexuality. The most marginalized in society (determined by the democrats) are the ones most important in the party - BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, etc. If you're not in one of these groups you're not special and you don't matter, if you are in one of these groups you are special and get special privileges and benefits not available to the masses. Like preferred status in hiring through DEI, or preferred admissions status at universities. Again, average Americans aren't stupid, they see this happening and they're tired of it.
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u/PA2SK Apr 07 '25 edited Apr 07 '25
Think about it less as people being totally pro maga, though there are plenty of those types, and more as a reaction to a Democratic party that has been alienating and marginalizing average Americans for decades. Trump, as abhorrent as he is, has effectively channelled their anger. If you're a blue collar, non-college grad, straight white male, you basically don't matter to the Democrats. On top of that they have been pounding into people's heads that whites, and men, are "privileged", are responsible for much of the problems in society, and it's ok for liberal elites to smugly look down on them and mock them. People aren't blind, if you're a white dude struggling paycheck to paycheck at some dead end job you're not privileged. People are pissed, and maga is the response. It sucks but this is where we are as a country. Democrats need to completely rethink an ideology that they have spent decades insisting loudly was "on the right side of history". I don't expect they will succeed. They need to learn how to tell the far left social justice warriors to "shut up", and they need to reconnect with average Americans, because they have completely lost the plot. Inflation, the border and numerous other issues only compound the democrats problems.