The Guardian recently asked Trump supporters to explain in detail the rationale behind their support. What emerged is one of the most fascinating articles I’ve read all year. Not only are the demographics not what you’d expect, but their reasons for support were much more varied, complex and nuanced than you might imagine.
One surprisingly common response consisted of people who supported Trump despite the recognition that his presidency could be an unmitigated disaster. Many of them believed the American populace was in need of such a disaster in order to shed its apathy and become politically active.
Interestingly, I’ve harbored similar thoughts on various occasions. For example, perhaps it will take someone as in your face authoritarian and shameless as Trump to wake certain millennials to the fact there are bigger problems in this world than micro aggressions. It’s a major gamble, but we as a country definitely need to get off our asses and change the direction we’re headed in. It’s possible that Trump could serve as that wake up call, but it’s also a huge risk.
Read the rest here.