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trump supporters deserve to be more criticized than they are. But, because in many cases they are duped, because they think they are being patriotic, doing good things, defending the country, and so on, in other words despite their huge negligence falling for lies and some bad views they hold, they are more misguided than intentionally harmful, there's something tragic about them.
If trump had somehow used crime and force to overturn the election and stay in office, Democrats might look a lot like some of the trump supporters, calling for resistance to save the country, some might even try violence out of frustration, and they'd be the ones getting killed and arrested and shunned by the whole country as traitors, while trump basked claiming he was legitimate.
We see a lot of them paying a heavy price. The pillow guy just seeing his products being dropped from stores, many facing long jail sentences for listening to trump to charge the capitol, at least one killed. In their minds, that price is a noble sacrifice for their country, and as wrong as that is, it is very sad to see people who think that getting hurt so much.
I mean, it's almost nothing compared to, say, how much harm was caused by people falling under Hitler's spell, but the point is similar.
People tend to want to dehumanize opponents, and some of the worse trump supporters are especially terrible. But I find it more sad how many people are so hurt by being gullible.
I guess I would also say that as completely wrong supporters of slavery were, there is some room for some sympathy for southerners who felt they were under tyranny and wanted to secede for that reason. They had some things in common with our colonists who declared independence from England.
It's possible to be very against a lot about someone and yet have some sympathy also, and probably important to do so.
That doesn't mean not opposing them just as much if needed, but it's a better understanding of them.
Wars often are similarly tragic - people killing other people for bad reasons, whether it's because a corrupt force is trying to get things for itself, or things like people who want independence against people who want to protect their country from being weakened by losing part. You might find sympathy for each, and it's sad the harm as war is used to settle it.
Rather than just saying, 'look at those horrible people rioting', say 'look at the harm from the lies being told by corrupt Republican leaders for their own benefit'.
I think sad is more important than hate for this.
Which doesn't mean, don't hate the racism, fascism, or other things involved.
But there's more to it, and you can fight them while also having some sympathy for the 'devils'.
After WWII, FDR wanted to destroy all of Germany's industry and only farming. But I think we're glad there was a road to redemption for them; only 15 years later, US presidents were going to the nuclear brink to protect Germans in Berlin who we were killing en masse that recently.
We're much better off whenever we can help trump cult victims out of the cult, than things like just defeating or arresting them, as much as that is needed at times. You can care about trump cult victims while opposing them. Want to help them as well as prevent them causing harm. That doesn't mean making bad 'compromises'.
Even in our revolutionary war, only a third of the colonists supported rebelling, a third opposed - popular understanding of history re-writes that as simply, 'the colonists rebelled' but it's not right. There are some things in common with these divisions. If a minuteman had to shoot a fellow colonist who was a loyalist in the war, it didn't mean it wasn't tragic.
You also want to see the same from them for their fellow Americans they disagree with, not people like the guy at the riot who said there's only one answer, killing his opponents.
If trump had somehow used crime and force to overturn the election and stay in office, Democrats might look a lot like some of the trump supporters, calling for resistance to save the country, some might even try violence out of frustration, and they'd be the ones getting killed and arrested and shunned by the whole country as traitors, while trump basked claiming he was legitimate.
We see a lot of them paying a heavy price. The pillow guy just seeing his products being dropped from stores, many facing long jail sentences for listening to trump to charge the capitol, at least one killed. In their minds, that price is a noble sacrifice for their country, and as wrong as that is, it is very sad to see people who think that getting hurt so much.
I mean, it's almost nothing compared to, say, how much harm was caused by people falling under Hitler's spell, but the point is similar.
People tend to want to dehumanize opponents, and some of the worse trump supporters are especially terrible. But I find it more sad how many people are so hurt by being gullible.
I guess I would also say that as completely wrong supporters of slavery were, there is some room for some sympathy for southerners who felt they were under tyranny and wanted to secede for that reason. They had some things in common with our colonists who declared independence from England.
It's possible to be very against a lot about someone and yet have some sympathy also, and probably important to do so.
That doesn't mean not opposing them just as much if needed, but it's a better understanding of them.
Wars often are similarly tragic - people killing other people for bad reasons, whether it's because a corrupt force is trying to get things for itself, or things like people who want independence against people who want to protect their country from being weakened by losing part. You might find sympathy for each, and it's sad the harm as war is used to settle it.
Rather than just saying, 'look at those horrible people rioting', say 'look at the harm from the lies being told by corrupt Republican leaders for their own benefit'.
I think sad is more important than hate for this.
Which doesn't mean, don't hate the racism, fascism, or other things involved.
But there's more to it, and you can fight them while also having some sympathy for the 'devils'.
After WWII, FDR wanted to destroy all of Germany's industry and only farming. But I think we're glad there was a road to redemption for them; only 15 years later, US presidents were going to the nuclear brink to protect Germans in Berlin who we were killing en masse that recently.
We're much better off whenever we can help trump cult victims out of the cult, than things like just defeating or arresting them, as much as that is needed at times. You can care about trump cult victims while opposing them. Want to help them as well as prevent them causing harm. That doesn't mean making bad 'compromises'.
Even in our revolutionary war, only a third of the colonists supported rebelling, a third opposed - popular understanding of history re-writes that as simply, 'the colonists rebelled' but it's not right. There are some things in common with these divisions. If a minuteman had to shoot a fellow colonist who was a loyalist in the war, it didn't mean it wasn't tragic.
You also want to see the same from them for their fellow Americans they disagree with, not people like the guy at the riot who said there's only one answer, killing his opponents.
