Hofstadter saw “the paranoid style” as one that secularises a religious good-versus-evil view of the world, drawing on anti-intellectual legacies in American political discourse. Part of the explanation can be understood through what historian Richard Hofstadter identified decades ago as the paranoid style in American politics. The grandiose sense of self, the slippery relationship with facts, haste to blame and humiliate others, to win at any costs, and the incandescent rage at being confronted or corrected are narcissistic characteristics Trump has exhibited in this campaign.īut how does Trump get away with the type of campaign he’s running? Why, if he’s a narcissistic demagogue, has he found an audience who respond to his politics? What is the paranoid style? Perhaps this is why, when Clinton claims Trump is not fit to be president, it’s not surprising he comes back harder, manipulates the truth, makes unfounded claims and appeals to extreme emotions. Some have argued Trump is the last political hope for angry white men, an opportunistic populist demagogue who appeals to the disaffected in America’s polarised politics, and a narcissist.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |