Identity and Gender Politics 3: Why The Left Shouldn't Bend Over Backwards For White Males (or other Trump supporters)
Elsewhere in this piece, I have written about the failure of the Liberal Left to reach many white males, and worse, that it has frequently alienated them. I’m not alone in stating that particular fact. Indeed, if there is a theme to a lot of the soul searching that has been going on after the election, the need to reach the white male and other Trump supporters seems to be a constant.
I agree with that. I think we should make a much greater effort to reach white males, and particular poor ones. At the very least, the Liberal Left needs to stop insulting them on a regular basis.
That said, I am not convinced that the Liberal Left can woo back white male or any other Trump supporters. I think we can reach a fraction of them, and that would be helpful and important. Given the narrowness of Trump’s victory in the last election, every vote could help. (Imagine, for instance, if just ten percent of his voters had gone our way.)
But, look at the postings in pro-Trump regions of the web. Note the hatred, the fury, and the absolutely certainty of what is being said. Quite simply, these people cannot now and never well be wooed away from their positions. They cannot change their minds. They will, forever, hate minorities, refer to Hilary Clinton as “Killary,” and believe that President Obama was a Kenyan-Islamist-Communist.
So, I would propose that the Liberal Left make a strong and respectable pitch for the white male and white male working class vote...
But, it would make more sense to go after the 50% of the American population which did not vote at all in the last election. Those people did not state a preference. They have, in other words, no strong beliefs to be overcome.
It is up to us, then, to offer them belief ...and a place in the world.
I agree with that. I think we should make a much greater effort to reach white males, and particular poor ones. At the very least, the Liberal Left needs to stop insulting them on a regular basis.
That said, I am not convinced that the Liberal Left can woo back white male or any other Trump supporters. I think we can reach a fraction of them, and that would be helpful and important. Given the narrowness of Trump’s victory in the last election, every vote could help. (Imagine, for instance, if just ten percent of his voters had gone our way.)
But, look at the postings in pro-Trump regions of the web. Note the hatred, the fury, and the absolutely certainty of what is being said. Quite simply, these people cannot now and never well be wooed away from their positions. They cannot change their minds. They will, forever, hate minorities, refer to Hilary Clinton as “Killary,” and believe that President Obama was a Kenyan-Islamist-Communist.
So, I would propose that the Liberal Left make a strong and respectable pitch for the white male and white male working class vote...
But, it would make more sense to go after the 50% of the American population which did not vote at all in the last election. Those people did not state a preference. They have, in other words, no strong beliefs to be overcome.
It is up to us, then, to offer them belief ...and a place in the world.
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