berg80
Diamond Member
- Oct 28, 2017
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The article is based on the idea that trump has coopted ideas originated on the Left.
Trump took this idea and flipped it on its head. Now cultural studies professors are the evil oppressors, and evangelical Christians are the persecuted oppressed. As so many have noted, MAGA is identity politics for white people. It turns out that identity politics is more effective when your group is in the majority.
Postmodernism. Many postmodernists argued that there’s no such thing as capital-T Truth. Statements are constructed narratives for the imposition of power. What matters is whose narratives gain social dominance. As Jonathan Rauch noted in a brilliant essay in Persuasion, Donald Trump, who probably has never heard of the postmodernists, took that idea and ran with it. Truth is whatever he says it is. Kellyanne Conway talked about “alternative facts.” Rudy Giuliani, that notorious postmodernist, said that “truth isn’t truth.”
I vividly remember the interview Chuck Todd did with Kellyanne when she introduced the term "alternative facts" as something that had legitimacy. He was incredulous. Today, almost the entire belief system of trump's base is comprised of alternative facts.
It's a brilliant piece if you have the opportunity to read all of it.
Hey, Lefties! Trump Has Stolen Your Game.
Identity Politics. This is based, first, on the idea that your group identity explains your worldview more than your individual consciousness. It is based, second, on the idea that history is a struggle between oppressor and oppressed groups. It is based, third, on the idea that victimized groups are innocent and oppressor groups are evil. You are defined by how much your group is oppressed. Over the last few decades identity-based departments flourished in American universities — women’s studies, African American studies, etc.Trump took this idea and flipped it on its head. Now cultural studies professors are the evil oppressors, and evangelical Christians are the persecuted oppressed. As so many have noted, MAGA is identity politics for white people. It turns out that identity politics is more effective when your group is in the majority.
Postmodernism. Many postmodernists argued that there’s no such thing as capital-T Truth. Statements are constructed narratives for the imposition of power. What matters is whose narratives gain social dominance. As Jonathan Rauch noted in a brilliant essay in Persuasion, Donald Trump, who probably has never heard of the postmodernists, took that idea and ran with it. Truth is whatever he says it is. Kellyanne Conway talked about “alternative facts.” Rudy Giuliani, that notorious postmodernist, said that “truth isn’t truth.”
I vividly remember the interview Chuck Todd did with Kellyanne when she introduced the term "alternative facts" as something that had legitimacy. He was incredulous. Today, almost the entire belief system of trump's base is comprised of alternative facts.
It's a brilliant piece if you have the opportunity to read all of it.
