is it possible that the more likely explanation is just that these are her good-faith, informed beliefs?
in any case, i’m not sure why her supposed lack of information — or her supposed inability to get more or better info because she’s working so much — has anything to do with a consumer’s decision on whether to go to republique because they dislike or disagree with her beliefs.
is the idea that it would be OK not to go if her beliefs were informed? but because she’s working so much that she can’t get informed, it would be wrong not to buy pastries there?
i really don’t understand what is so unreasonable, “crazy,” or “kooky” about a person deciding not to buy something because they disagree with the seller’s stated politics
I think if you’re a blue-collar worker who’s job prospects have diminished meaningfully with the continued offshoring of US manufacturing and you’re looking for someone who gives you hope for a better outcome, then someone who talks about tariffs and being tough on other countries, etc., gives you that hope. Or if you’re someone who works in a service industry where tips are a meaningful part of your income and that same person tells you he’s not going to tax tips, then that gives you hope.
I’m not making a case for right or wrong. Like, are these people above going to get what they want voting for Trump? Maybe, maybe not. But that’s not my point. It’s merely to try to understand why he has managed to win 2 out of the last 3 elections. And I can understand why the people above voted as they did far more than some rich dude who wants to deregulate crypto and so votes for Trump bc his bags will be worth more.
My primary answer for rural Americans would be: cultural tradition. I don’t think city people understand how big a role religion, guns, the military, environmental exploitation, patriotism, freedom from government interference, etc. play in the everyday lives of rural Americans. Immigration can be viewed as a threat because it introduces new cultural ideas.
One irony is that I’ve heard very well-meaning liberal-minded people express reservations about traveling to certain places to avoid trampling on the local cultures and about criticizing cultures that seem oppressive by our standards. Maybe rural Americans too could be forgiven for “clinging to guns and religion” (Obama quote).
Yeah. For sure. I remember on my trips to the Midwest during the first Trump run, I’d chat with folks about why they supported him. It’s too reductive to just say all Trump supporters are racist or bad people. Guns were a huge issue. As was personal liberty. DEI gone crazy was often cited.
As someone who grew up in the rural South, I would say that animosity toward Californians is far more significant than animosity toward minorities. Overt racism does exist, and of course subtler forms of racism exist, but I do not think racism is a primary driver of political attitudes.
Yah. I feel like I’m pretty left-center on social issues. If you were to ask me, do I think DEI has gone too far, I would say yes. BUT, if you force me to choose between a party that has (in my mind) gone too far with DEI or one that would seek to eliminate it, I’ll choose the former all day. It sort of sucks that those are my choices…
Because I lived there and have family there. People who don’t go to college (i.e., most rural Americans) aren’t really concerned about affirmative action in universities or racial quotas at big companies. To the extent they care about the acronym DEI, it’s mostly opposition toward kids being taught ideas contrary to the traditional cultural values I set forth above (which include patriotism / love for USA).
Yeah. I won’t even pretend to know what % of Trump voters is overtly or secretly racist. But it’s clearly part of it. But as a lifelong Democrat, I’m more concerned about the party trying to figure out what the hell has gone so wrong that we can’t beat this guy… It doesn’t help that supposed candidates like Newsom are flat out buffoons.