An article in The Guardian says that Trump voters should be publicly “shamed”. Just one more example of how politics takes 30 points off everyone’s IQ.
Here’s why the arguments for public shaming are wrong:
1. “Trump advocates lots of very evil policies.” I agree but so does Hillary. Do we publicly shame Hillary voters too?
2. “Trump’s views are even more evil than Hillary’s” I agree, but lots of very smart and well-meaning people feel otherwise. Because you see the world in a certain way, doesn’t mean that’s the only way to see the world. Politics always leads to other people holding views that we ourselves find almost incomprehensible. Trump’s an extreme case, but not the only one. You and I may think his anti-Hispanic and misogynist rhetoric is outrageous, but that’s no reason to shame the millions of hardworking Hispanics and tens of millions of women who voted for Trump. They simply saw his rhetoric in a different light from the way you and I saw it.
3. “By voting for Trump you are endorsing his vile racism.” Not at all. Most people I know who voted for Trump don’t like the guy—indeed they often suggest they only voted for him because they dislike Hillary even more. Voting is not about “endorsing”, it’s about lesser of evils. Voting for Hillary was not an endorsement of her vile opinions regarding the War on Drugs.
4. Public shaming increases the divisions in our society, making Trump-like figures even more likely in the future.
5. Public shaming of Trump voters is completely inconsistent with the left wing (near religious) belief that the shaming of the “Hollywood 10” back in the 1950s was a disgrace. You can’t have it both ways. The Hollywood 10 also had vile political views.
6. Public shaming of Trump voters also fails on utilitarian grounds; it lowers aggregate utility. That’s because anger directed at people lowers their utility by more than it raises yours.
7. Public shaming of Trump voters risks distorting public opinion polls, making it less likely that people like Hillary Clinton will be aware that they need to pour money into advertising in states like Wisconsin and Michigan.
8. Public shaming risks driving a wedge between friends and family members. In the old days, people took religious belief way too seriously. They’ve mostly stopped that, but replaced their stupid religious bigotry with stupid political bigotry.
So for all you people who want to shame voters with different opinions than you hold, I say shame, shame, shame on you!
(If you want to shame Trump himself, that’s fine. But don’t shame Trump voters.)