Trump is an obvious authoritarian - "strong man", dictatorial, cruel to his enemies, etc. I find that disqualifying in a president. But, millions of Americans want that. And indeed, they voted for Trump because they want an authoritarian ruler. Who? Those that are raised by authoritarians to be authoritarians themselves.
Here are the four questions that sociologists have found reveal the authoritarian personality:
- Obedience vs. Self-Reliance: Which is more important for a child to be? Obedience - trained to want an authoritarian
- Respect for Elders vs. Independence: Which is more important for a child to have? - Respect for elders - trained to want an authoritarian
- Well-Behaved vs. Considerate: Which is more important for a child to be? Well behaved - trained to want an authoritarian
- Good Manners vs. Curiosity: Which is more important for a child to have? Good manners - trained to want an authoritarian
There was a seminal book by psychologist Eric Fromm - "Escape from Freedom" written right after WWII where he wanted to discover what the hell happened that created the Nazis and Soviets? His answer was that these societies raised their children to value authoritarianism in the family and thus in society.
And here we are with an authoritarian government which was voted for an is approved by an authoritarian voter base.
But I believe that America has far more non-authoritarians than the authoritarians in the MAGA base, and this attempted police state takeover of the Land of the Free is going to fail.
