Podcast recommendations
“The Rise of 'Middle Finger Politics'”
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Saturday, March 30, 2024
・1 comment
I saw James Joyner's post this morning and immediately thought of this week's article. ezra klein show: The rise of “middle-finger politics.”
The whole conversation is interesting, and it shows a strong link between President Trump's political positions and those of figures like David Duke and Patrick Buchanan in the 1990s. There is ample general discussion about the ongoing and existing support (in historical and comparative terms) for Trumpesque populism.
Trump's skills as a showman are also drawing attention.
One of the most insightful points made by my guest, John Ganz, is the extent to which President Trump has utilized mobster movie motifs.
His New York accent conveys to people a kind of folksy but very intelligent and cunning. And it seems like he knows what he's talking about. He's a bit of a gangster. So I think the archetype of gangsters that we see in movies is that they're bad guys, but they're also good, they're kind of fun, they know how to get things done, and they're not bullshit. they. We have a very affectionate, almost like, image of gangsters in American culture. And he's a gangster in a way. He's a bit of a gangster.
This to me was very insightful and is a better metaphor than saying he is a religious person for his followers (religion is the tool he is using and MAGAites are willing to do). (despite the fairly obvious way that you're expanding it with ). Those of us living in the United States often view gangsters as heroes (or at least antiheroes that we root for).Aren't gangsters the main characters in many big movies? People love them. godfather.* Were you not rooting for Henry Hill? goodfellas?Walter White was a hero until you realized, yes, he really was it's not.**
Ganz also said:
There's a kind of smart masculinity about Trump that I find interesting. I can't say I empathize with it, but I can certainly see the appeal. I mean, it's the same reason we like things like Tony Soprano. It's like there's something atavistic about it. There's something stupid about it. I know that's kind of stupid. But there's a kick to it. Yeah.
I think this echoes another observation Ganz made.
It's strange to think like this, but I think Mr. Trump is a candidate who values his family. And I think a lot of liberals look at him and say, “He's such a terrible father, he's got all these divorces and all these kids.” Yeah, so how can they be so hypocritical? And they often talked about family values. And now look at Trump.
Trump's family is similar to many American families. There's also divorce. There are many children left over. He may not like his ex-wife very much. He may not actually like children that much. And he still manages to feed them and looks like a big, strong man.
I think he represents the changes in the family structure due to divorce and new family values that are in some ways very old and patriarchal, like Big Daddy. He is the head of the clan, CLAN. [CHUCKLES] Yeah. So I think this is appealing to a lot of Americans who want to take care of their families in the same way. The family writes extensively.
patriarchal thing Really It resonates with a certain segment of the population. In fact, Fareed Zaharia appeared on Colbert this week to promote his new book and point out that perhaps the biggest global change in culture and politics is the rise of women. And there is no doubt that there are concerns on the right not only about the decline in the relative status of men, but also about issues such as the birth rate. See also Hungarian concerns on this topic and things like this. new york times: China's male leaders are signaling to women that their place is at home.
The other thing is this long exchange about anger and humor.
Ezra Klein
And I want to come back to this idea of middle finger politics here. Because this feels to me like a trap that liberals are falling into with Trump. What's funny about him is how much he infuriates them.
John Ganz
Oh, sure.
Ezra Klein
That energy is actually released in interaction.
John Ganz
Yeah.
Ezra Klein
It’s — I have small children. What's the first joke a little kid tells? It's some kind of completely nonsensical setup, and that joke is “poop.”
John Ganz
right.
Ezra Klein
Absolute jokes have a bit of shock value.
John Ganz
Oh, sure.
Ezra Klein
Can you believe what I just said? Can you believe we're saying this together?
John Ganz
Yeah.
Ezra Klein
On a higher level, a lot of the energy, when I look at them at Trump rallies, I think, can you believe what we're doing together and the response? If there was no reaction, if my child didn't think there was a reaction to me saying naughty words, it wouldn't be funny.
John Ganz
right.
Ezra Klein
He doesn't think the word “bagel” is funny.It's a strange thing to say, but John Gantz
Well, there should be a reaction.
Ezra Klein
There has to be a reaction. And it feels like a deep bondage, and you are locked in interaction with it.
John Ganz
Yes, I understand. Mr. Trump's insight, and the insight of many people, and this may be the key insight of populists, is that there is something sneaky about power, unless you can walk the line and get through it. I think that means no. Trump is despicable. People love it because he says obscene things.
But I think this is what happens with the way populist politicians campaign. Therefore, it is difficult to say, “Don't react.” They he does two things. They have small tactics that are very effective. The idea is that if you get a reaction, take advantage of it. And if you don't get a response, step back a bit and see what happens.
One thing I remembered about this interaction and the additional discussion they had was that it was very reminiscent of what made Rush Limbaugh (and a lot of talk radio) tick. As a side note, the way people like Alex Jones (or even Maury Povich and similar apolitical but inhumanity-mongering daytime TV energy) is just perfect for me. Even Dr. Oz and his ilk claim to be able to teach us everything that the elites won't (after all, someone to promote pseudoscience will have to teach the masses. (partly based on the idea that genuine The obvious, common-sense answer: the truth that smart people fear, or that elite science types who think they're so smart are actually too stupid to understand.
All of this leads to the following observation Klein made earlier in the podcast:
Political scientist Larry Bartels distinguishes between the idea of a populist wave and a populist reservoir, and often when one of these figures wins, it feels like a big populist wave is sweeping the world. .
However, it can also be viewed as a reservoir. This feeling is always there. There will always be insiders and outsiders, there will always be elites and non-elites, there will always be impenetrable institutions, there will always be a rural-urban divide. And at different moments, often related to changes in media structures and communication structures, things happen that make it difficult for the elites to rein in that dynamic, right?
I think this is accurate and, as Klein points out, is why we see similar phenomena over time and across cases. And here I have to point out that combining weak political parties (and only two matter) with institutions that give enormous power to numerical minorities (e.g. primaries and the Electoral College) Thus, the factions surrounding the reservoir in question not only take over one of only two political parties, but also take over the government.
In any case, I recommend having the entire discussion.
*Oddly, it reminds me of Tom Hanks' character. You've got mail Flirt with Meg Ryan's character using the phrase godfather, “Go to the mattress” – what could be more romantic than a gangster quote? We love gangsters.
**spoiler alert Breaking Bad: Even in the final episode, when it's clear that Walter isn't a good guy (and he even admits it), we still root for him as he fights Uncle Jack and his band of neo-Nazis. can.Sure he kills everyone, but they worth it And who needs laws and courts to solve it when a trunk-mounted automatic rifle can take care of things quickly and easily?
