Dr Russell Razzaque exploring the psyche of MAGA.
He explains that authoritarianism isn't a stable personality trait. It is activated by fear. When we are fearful we feel the need for someone to be an authority. Trump is an expert at stoking fear and fabricating scenarios that engender fear. He presents himself as the man who can make America great again, by eradicating all that threatens.
The unifying factor for MAGA is a sense of loss of status. The MAGA majority are white males who used to have a dominant status within the social hierarchy. As women and immigrants and other groups of the oppressed become empowered by democratic social progress those who previously had an automatic right to superior status feel that these democratic processes are a threat to them.
They want a return to their former status of dominance. That is what Trump promises them as he sets about disenfranchising all those who have risen through the enactment of democratic values.
All that Trump has to do is push others down. He is not required to create policies that benefit the whole of America.
The psychology of this, pushing others down, so that those who feel resentful can feel good about themselves again and reassert their right to dominate, won't make America great again, but instead devolve into a dark dystopia that benefits no-one.
Somehow democracy has to deepen and become a place in which everyone can feel valued and at liberty to be the best they can be. The democracy project is not over, but needs to acknowledge its past failings, become wiser, stronger and even more compassionate.
