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My sister is a sweetheart who loves animals, nature, people, and has given so much of her time and money to take care of our mother.
She voted Trump and it seems like she would do it again. Why?
She's a fundamentalist evangelical Christian. You have to understand the Christian slant if you're setting out to understand Trump voters. It's not the only lens to see the MAGA phenomenon through, but it's a big one.
Why are those two tied together so tightly, even though it's glaringly obvious that Trump isn't a Christian himself and doesn't espouse their values? He gave them all the things they wanted. And he'll keep doing it.
You'll find plenty of other people backing Trump as well, and many will be total assholes and pond scum. The liberal tears crowd, the trolls. Probably the ones many commenting here are talking about. But I suspect these types are only the vocal minority and it's people like my sister who are a much more silent majority. They are beloved people in their communities, they are not the monsters you would make them out to be. It takes an open mind to understand their position. Make sure you're ready to explore and understand without judgement, or else you might as well just write them off and find something more productive to use your time with.
I'm sure your sister is a lovely person but how blind can she be after all that has happened? Is she voting for Trump or is she just brainlessly voting republican? And in either case, why? Where's her culpablity?
She really is, and the others who want to tar and feather any and all Trump voters could learn something knowing her.
But your hunch is likely correct. Christian fundamentalists do not vote Democrat. Democrats support choice, and in their frame of reference God already chose and we don't get a say. Abortion is a big one, despite there being nothing in the Bible to indicate a solid position on the matter.
Aside from the religious dogma, I doubt she spends any time on the internet or listening to political punditry. With less information to go by, she probably sees the hate as a part of the left's own orthodoxy and something that can be dismissed. As much as the left has going for it, there is some fierce orthodoxy and tone deafness that fuels the right wing's disdain and drives their dismissal of us.
Can you be culpable if you were not aware? I know that doesn't fly in matters of law but I think a person can be forgiven to an extent if they don't know the depths of a matter as well as others.
I can tell you love and respect your sister, which can sometimes be hard when you're ideologically opposites.
I do think you're excusing her a little too easily. Don't we all have a responsibility to be informed, especially about who we vote for?
Ideally, yes. Practically? Not going to happen. We can't expect it, we can only hope that's what people are doing.
This fact is why you hear some people say that not everyone should be allowed to vote. There is a staggering amount of ignorance in our society, that's just how it is.
It's easy to excuse people when you have love in your heart. This may be what's missing in our society.