Why America is confused over Donald Trump

There is some interesting research about authoritarianism.

Matthew MacWilliams, a doctoral candidate at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, conducted a poll in which Republicans were asked four questions about child-rearing. With each question, respondents were asked which of two traits were more important in children:

• independence or respect for their elders;
• curiosity or good manners;
• self-reliance or obedience;
• being considerate or being well-behaved.

Psychologists use these questions to identify people who are disposed to favor hierarchy, loyalty and strong leadership — those who picked the second trait in each set — what experts call "authoritarianism." That many of Trump's supporters share this trait helps explain the success of his unconventional candidacy and suggests that his rivals will have a hard time winning over his adherents.

Thus the confusion. We all want our children to have the latter traits but we also want them or we should want them, to also be of the former. The difficulty is in having the intellect to judge when to be which. An issue conservatives in general have missing. 

We need to compartmentalize, to have an overarching mentality allowing us to shift appropriately at the right times. Lacking that you find yourself embedded in less sophisticated pursuits like authoritarianism, conservatism, racism, a seeking for the pure and simple, the righteous, the saving grace of one far above us to "guide" us as in a political leader or a deity.

"For authoritarians, things are black and white," MacWilliams said. "Authoritarians obey."

Authoritarians prefer purity and simplicity in thought and thus the eventual rise and misconstrued application of simplicity and purity that rears its ugly head as bigotry and racism among their rank ranks.

Life is not black and white and some cannot handle that because it requires thought and an acceptance that life is generally messy and we have to deal with that on a constant and ongoing basis. 

There are no easy and simple answers.

Which means that neither Donald Trump, conservative politics, or the Republican party are the answer.

This is clearly where I seem to break with so many people now a days and I wonder why and where their humanity and American spirit went? 

When we are our most as people is when we are at our most dire, fearful, distressed, or unhappy. 
Many people especially Trump followers and many on the right are showing their colors, an ugly blending for many of them of mere whiteness, with no room for color at all. Purity is a child's view of life. 

Real life is messy, not binary, not black and white, but a morass of grey, or varied and many colors, of complexity that is far more sophisticated than soundbites like, "We'll bomb them real good!"

Or,
"They're different than us, not as privileged, not as great not as us not as pure not as perfect because we think we are GODS!"

Which only makes you an asshole and a half and then some and you have no place in America. Less of a place is here for you in fact than there is and always has been for immigrants. Especially those in dire need.

We are a country of the many and not the few.

Now we just have to realize that and return not to the greatness we can be but the oneness we should be.

#DonaldTrump #Democrats @GOP