I know why poor white people chant Trump Trump Trump

Don Tyson didn’t make poor people in town feel inferior, but outsiders did. I’m not surprised, considering how socially acceptable it has become to mock poor whites, especially those born and raised in the South. Instead of fighting for better education for the white underclass, we call them ignorant rednecks. Instead of fighting for them to have better health care, we laugh at their missing teeth. Instead of fighting for them to have better housing, we joke about tornados hitting trailer parks.

Neither Reagan nor Congress was willing to touch Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid; they were too popular among the middle class. This left a tiny portion of the federal budget for social programs on the chopping block, including food stamps, vocational education, and subsidized housing, among others. From fiscal year 1980 to fiscal year 1987, federal funding for these programs plummeted by 35.6 percent.

“My entire life, I’ve watched politicians bragging about how poor they are, how they came from nothing, how poor their parents and grandparents were. And I said to myself, if they can stay so poor for so many generations, maybe this isn’t the kind of person we want to be electing to higher office. How smart can they be? They’re morons.”

— Donald Trump, New York Times, 1999, “Liberties; Trump Shrugged”

When we have been pushed down for so long, it can become impossible to see whose hands are keeping us there. Is it really welfare queens or immigrant laborers or Muslims, as Trump claims? I say no, because those people have so little power. Maybe the answer lies not in looking up, but in looking sideways and recognizing that our poor neighbors, who may be different than us, are struggling too. Maybe if we all look up together, we can see more clearly that the hand of oppression belongs only to those who have always had money, power, and control. Those are the real enemies.

Cameron wrote:Good read, thanks for sharing.

Don Tyson didn’t make poor people in town feel inferior, but outsiders did. I’m not surprised, considering how socially acceptable it has become to mock poor whites, especially those born and raised in the South. Instead of fighting for better education for the white underclass, we call them ignorant rednecks. Instead of fighting for them to have better health care, we laugh at their missing teeth. Instead of fighting for them to have better housing, we joke about tornados hitting trailer parks.

This rings very true to me. I am sometimes guilty of it myself. If divide and conquer weren't successful, they wouldn't keep doing it, I guess.

Also, fuck Ronald Reagan:

Neither Reagan nor Congress was willing to touch Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid; they were too popular among the middle class. This left a tiny portion of the federal budget for social programs on the chopping block, including food stamps, vocational education, and subsidized housing, among others. From fiscal year 1980 to fiscal year 1987, federal funding for these programs plummeted by 35.6 percent.

And fuck Donald Trump, too:

“My entire life, I’ve watched politicians bragging about how poor they are, how they came from nothing, how poor their parents and grandparents were. And I said to myself, if they can stay so poor for so many generations, maybe this isn’t the kind of person we want to be electing to higher office. How smart can they be? They’re morons.”

— Donald Trump, New York Times, 1999, “Liberties; Trump Shrugged”

The problem is, when Donald Trump essentially says that poor people are poor because they are stupid, lots of poor Trump supporters hear that and think he's only talking about other poor people, somehow.

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When we have been pushed down for so long, it can become impossible to see whose hands are keeping us there. Is it really welfare queens or immigrant laborers or Muslims, as Trump claims? I say no, because those people have so little power. Maybe the answer lies not in looking up, but in looking sideways and recognizing that our poor neighbors, who may be different than us, are struggling too. Maybe if we all look up together, we can see more clearly that the hand of oppression belongs only to those who have always had money, power, and control. Those are the real enemies.

I read this and nod along, but then it occurs to me that I'm not the one that needs convincing, I didn't vote Trump. I hope we can get a substantive response from a Trump supporter who is actually willing to read to the end, but it's kind of a long piece, so I'm not expecting that.

One final thought: fuck Hillary Clinton and everyone who supported her during primary season. We could have had Bernie, but she (and they) fucked it up.

Don Tyson didn’t make poor people in town feel inferior, but outsiders did. I’m not surprised, considering how socially acceptable it has become to mock poor whites, especially those born and raised in the South. Instead of fighting for better education for the white underclass, we call them ignorant rednecks. Instead of fighting for them to have better health care, we laugh at their missing teeth. Instead of fighting for them to have better housing, we joke about tornados hitting trailer parks.

Neither Reagan nor Congress was willing to touch Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid; they were too popular among the middle class. This left a tiny portion of the federal budget for social programs on the chopping block, including food stamps, vocational education, and subsidized housing, among others. From fiscal year 1980 to fiscal year 1987, federal funding for these programs plummeted by 35.6 percent.

“My entire life, I’ve watched politicians bragging about how poor they are, how they came from nothing, how poor their parents and grandparents were. And I said to myself, if they can stay so poor for so many generations, maybe this isn’t the kind of person we want to be electing to higher office. How smart can they be? They’re morons.”

— Donald Trump, New York Times, 1999, “Liberties; Trump Shrugged”

When we have been pushed down for so long, it can become impossible to see whose hands are keeping us there. Is it really welfare queens or immigrant laborers or Muslims, as Trump claims? I say no, because those people have so little power. Maybe the answer lies not in looking up, but in looking sideways and recognizing that our poor neighbors, who may be different than us, are struggling too. Maybe if we all look up together, we can see more clearly that the hand of oppression belongs only to those who have always had money, power, and control. Those are the real enemies.

The_Dude wrote:Who do poor minorities vote Democrat?

Anyone got a good online psycho analysis?

Cameron wrote:

The_Dude wrote:Who do poor minorities vote Democrat?

Anyone got a good online psycho analysis?

If you've got one, I'll read it. If not, either read the link in the OP and comment on it, or shut the fuck up and let the grown ups talk.

GRR Spartan wrote:I have no doubt that Trump can end funding for programs like the Great Lakes Initiative. Whenn we see serious degradation of water quality along with exploding populations of non-native species there will be a significant number of low income white demographic who will still support him.

He's fighting for them. He says it all the time and they don't bother to see how his decisions don't help them.

DWags wrote:I was going to put this in the voting against self interest thread, but thought it was fascinating enough for a thread discussion.

It really does have its roots in the civil war and how elite rich plantation owners and politicians were able to scare poor white folk into fighting for "states rights". They convinced them that an enslaved black man taking his job for free was way better than a free black man savaging their loved ones and taking jobs for way less pay. They were able to convince them they had a voice. All they had to do was die for it. Sign up, die for it.

Their voice would be heard. Even if it wasn't.

Anyway. Many more reasons too.

Long read. I've mentioned the article before.

Why poor white folk voted for Trump.

Blanch32 wrote:

DWags wrote:I was going to put this in the voting against self interest thread, but thought it was fascinating enough for a thread discussion.

It really does have its roots in the civil war and how elite rich plantation owners and politicians were able to scare poor white folk into fighting for "states rights". They convinced them that an enslaved black man taking his job for free was way better than a free black man savaging their loved ones and taking jobs for way less pay. They were able to convince them they had a voice. All they had to do was die for it. Sign up, die for it.

Their voice would be heard. Even if it wasn't.

Anyway. Many more reasons too.

Long read. I've mentioned the article before.

Why poor white folk voted for Trump.

Such liberal coaster nonsense. I couldn't get through it. the California dude lived in Arkansas once and now he's an expert on American racial history. his theorys are such hindsight developed in a vacuum.

look, dems have moved on from working whites and it bit them in the ass. enough said

Cameron wrote:

Blanch32 wrote:

Such liberal coaster nonsense. I couldn't get through it. the California dude lived in Arkansas once and now he's an expert on American racial history. his theorys are such hindsight developed in a vacuum.

look, dems have moved on from working whites and it bit them in the ass. enough said

Didn't even read enough of it to see that the author is female, yet you feel confident in criticizing it.

Blanch32 wrote:i refuse to post on your Nazi RoddeD board any more nigel. you and the The Dowager Lady Margret, Countess and Prefict of Northumbria make it the worst

Watch Out Pylon! wrote:

Blanch32 wrote:i refuse to post on your Nazi RoddeD board any more nigel. you and the The Dowager Lady Margret, Countess and Prefict of Northumbria make it the worst