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Totally agree. Many (very successful) venture capital firms experience failure on anywhere from 50% to 80% of their ventures, but the success of the few good ones far exceed the cost of the failures.
Article written on December 16. Trump has done nothing but gain since then. I don't like him, but it's pretty clear that it's not just about "white male power". All sticking to that story has done is provide more support to Trump.
I think what you're saying is in line with what the article is also trying to get across, though. The title of the article ("The Election and the Death Throes of White Male Power") is kind of a misdirect.
From the article:
"This moment, this election, these years represent the death throes of exclusive white male power in the United States."
"The public spectacle of this presidential election, and the two that have preceded it, are inextricably linked to the racialized and gendered anger and violence we see around us."
"Whatever their flaws, their political shortcomings, their progressive dings and dents, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton mean a lot. They represent an altered power structure and changed calculations about who in this country may lead."
"This is our country in an excruciating period of change. This is the story of the slow expansion of possibility for figures who have long existed on the margins, and it is also the story of the dangerous rage those figures provoke."
'White Male Power' is not 'in the death throes'. EXCLUSIVE white male power is (i.e. we no longer live in a world where it is impossible to have a black or female president). Trump has done nothing but gain because he is pandering to the rage and fear this causes for a certain contingent in this country.
Article written on December 16. Trump has done nothing but gain since then. I don't like him, but it's pretty clear that it's not just about "white male power". All sticking to that story has done is provide more support to Trump.
And I would consider the possibility that some of the people yelling things like "Sieg Heil" might well be plants.
I didn't take it that the article said that was what Trump is all about, but rather that his popularity is a symptom of that mindset.
I think he's playing a game to see how far he can get with it. I have nothing against him personally. As a matter of fact, I spoke with him on the phone back in 2014 and he told me he thought I was terrific. Lol, I am not making this up. I never met him, but I met his daughter and a few others from the Trump Organization regarding a real estate matter.
There are numerous reasons to be anti-Trump, but for the life of me I don't get the belittling of the movement behind it. From a political science perspective we would be much better served to understand it.
I could not agree more. Here is what I think is going on.
First, a snapshot of the Trump supporters...and I say this in reference to the BULK of his supporters, not all. But his supporters are for the most part:
White
Male
Blue Collar/Not Highly Educated
Upset...no, angry...at BOTH Major Political Parties
One of Trump's most notable shticks in his campaign is that he is anti-political correctness. Since the dawn of the millennium, we have heard a lot in this country in the fields of academia and media about ideas such as "white privilege" and "male privilege", which can be seen as part of a political correctness agenda. Now, for the prototypical Donald Trump supporter, these ideas are completely foreign and unrecognizable in their lives. They say, "I'M privileged? Are you f---ing kidding me?" because, indeed, it would be absurd to call them privileged. They have had to struggle and fight along the way for most of their lives. They have simply heard enough of what they regard as utter bulls--t and have finally reached their breaking point.
These are the people who have been left behind and ignored for the longest time. Their manufacturing and agricultural jobs have been taken away, and their communities have been hollowed out. No one, neither party, has come to their assistance. The Democrats have been mostly concerned with helping minorities and women. The Republicans have ignored them in favor of cozying up to "Big Business"/"Corporate America." Both parties have failed them in trade and have sent their jobs overseas (and in case you have not noticed, Trump...and Bernie Sanders...talks about this ALL of the time).
They look around and have concluded, possibly quite accurately, that no one in Washington cares about them. So, along comes Trump, who is not a politician, and they see the opportunity to blow the whole system up. They are jumping at the opportunity because nothing else has worked for them and there is an air of desperation about them. Sure, plenty of these supporters have nasty racist tendencies, and Trump's language made that an easier connection to them right off of the bat, but there are plenty of non-racists in there as well who are willing to dismiss or deny the things that he has said because they are battered and down and out.
A lot of this country, from rural areas all over to the Rust Belt, has been screwed over, and they know it. Yet, because they are not members of a historically disenfranchised community, the powers that be refuse to acknowledge it or try to fix it. Donald Trump's rise is a result of the failures of both parties.
If I could give the archetype for the Donald Trump voter, I would say it's the "THEY TOOK OUR JOBS!" people from South Park. And that cuts multiple ways. Trade took their jobs. Illegal immigrants took their jobs. Advances in technology took their jobs. They are angry, and rightly so. To them, the concerns over protecting minorities are trivial or even counterproductive. The problem with Trump though is that, in addition to the racism, I just don't think that there is reason to believe that if Trump is elected, he will actually do what he says he will do in regards to trade and bringing back manufacturing. Given the fact the he IS Corporate America and has close personal relationships with plenty of other people just like him who will remain in the private sector, I think he will just throw them favors.
This is simply what happens when people are left behind and no one fights for them. It has been a long time coming, and hopefully the scare of a Donald Trump presidency is actually a blessing in disguise and helps wake up both parties to stop ignoring a large portion of the country and taking their vote for granted. And for the record, in case it wasn't clear enough, I am NOT a Donald Trump supporter by any stretch of the imagination. But I do think there is some merit to be found in what he has done.
'White Male Power' is not 'in the death throes'. EXCLUSIVE white male power is (i.e. we no longer live in a world where it is impossible to have a black or female president). Trump has done nothing but gain because he is pandering to the rage and fear this causes for a certain contingent in this country.
That's the narrative, but that's exactly what I'm saying is not true. The "certain contingent" is quite small. On the other hand, there's a whole lot of people who have been getting called "racist" whenever they oppose whatever Obama says, and "sexist" if they object to anything from Hillary (or if they just exist, if male). They've been told to sit down and shut up, they've been derided for "clinging to their guns or religion", they've been told basically they are unimportant relics of the past. Those are the people with the rage and fear that Trump is tapping into. And every time you go and say "Trump and his supporters are racists and sexists!" you strengthen his support. Not because they all are racists and sexists, but because they're tired of watching the race and sex cards being used to shut them down.
Yeah, the actual racists support Trump too. But that's not where his main support is from.
I am with the OP. I am a legal immigrant who went through the very long immigration process (15+ years). I am female, college educated, Asian. I've lived in this country for 25 years. I see the United States from the outside AND from the inside. I see gross injustice in the system against law-abiding citizens. This government punishes people who play by the rules, rewards law breakers and cheaters, and it's speaking from both sides of its mouth when it comes to immigration. I am sick of a government which doesn't even obey its own rules. When I watched Trump's rally videos, I found that he is right about many issues, from immigration to international trades; and most American are totally ignorant about these issues because the American TV news is so simplified. Why these 2 issues important? Because many people's livelihoods depend on that. I've seen many American lost their jobs and descended into poverty/welfare (which they hate), because they lost their jobs to illegals or factories relocated to Asia or Eastern Europe. I am voting for Trump.
I have no problem with an outsider running for president and winning. I have a big problem with a loud-mouth, narcissistic bully who acts like he is 16 running for president and winning. And do actually trust this guy with his hand on the button.
And check out the bullet points that define narcissism. Trumpolini exhibits each and every one.
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