I NEED SOME HELP FROM THE RIGHT-WING

I read Medium every day, especially the social and political articles. Both liberal and conservative writers seem to spend their time declaring who the other side is, why they are that way, and sometimes what they need to change. I have been one of those writers.

Some of these articles have some useful input. At least, for me.

But with a few exceptions in occasional comments, I rarely if ever hear the people who are the subjects of those articles telling us who they think they are and why they are the way they are and do the things they do.

The purpose of this article is to elicit those explanations.

I am an independent, though I admit my tendencies are left of center. I am definitely not a fan of Trump or what I think is Trumpism.

But what I see more and more is arguments made by both sides as generalizations, some cruel, some less so. “Deplorables” and ”libtards . . . “idiots” and ”snowflakes” . . . “culties” and ”commies”. In this argument by generalization, all Democrats are the same and all Republicans are the same. And yet we all know that cannot be true.

As a matter of disclosure, I will say that my beliefs are that Trump is responsible for the deaths of many Americans and has served only himself. But obviously, millions of Americans do not see him that way. And I want to know why.

Not so I can pick a fight with you, but so that I can understand.

I know that, for the most part, Trump’s followers are not dumb, and it’s clear that they are passionate about their beliefs. I cannot dismiss people like that through generalizations. But I really want to know what America looks like from the other side.

I’ve written in earlier articles that I live in a village which is all Trump (except for me). These people are not my enemies. They are my friends. We have helped each other, and I have a lot of respect for some of them. Many of them have skills I could never approach. And they don’t punish me for being the village “intellectual”. If danger arose, they would have my back. (Good thing since they have the guns, and I don’t.)

But none of these people, and no one I have read on Medium, has explained to me the attraction to Trump despite the things he has done and said.

So I’m asking that you, through the comments to this article, explain it to me. I won’t fight with you. I really want to know.