cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/28103966

Generated Summary below:

Main Topic: How to engage in productive conversations with Trump supporters and introduce them to new ideas.

Key Points:

  • Despair as a Foundation: Totalitarian movements, including Trump’s support base, are built on despair. Addressing this despair is crucial.
  • Rational Argument Ineffectiveness: Rational arguments are unlikely to change the beliefs of Trump supporters.
  • Focus on Material Concerns and Empathy: The best approach is to address their immediate material concerns and express empathy for their suffering.
  • Micro-Level Organizing: Organizing around specific issues, like workers’ rights at a Walmart, can be more effective than broad political arguments.
  • Acknowledging Real Suffering: The suffering and disenfranchisement experienced by many Trump supporters are real and should be acknowledged.
  • Irrationality and Pain: Trump support is rooted in irrationality, pain, dislocation, and disenfranchisement, not rational thought.

Highlights:

  • The speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding the despair and suffering that drive support for Trump.
  • The speaker suggests focusing on immediate, tangible issues and injustices in people’s daily lives rather than engaging in abstract political debates.
  • The speaker uses the example of organizing workers at Walmart to illustrate how to connect with Trump supporters on a practical level.

About Channel:

Chris Hedges, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, author and commentator provides compelling story telling, archive interviews & show content covering US foreign policy, economic realities and civil liberties in American society.

  • jimmydoreisalefty@lemmy.worldOP
    32·
    15 days ago

    He says to organize around specific issues, like workers’ rights, instead of having broad political arguments.

    Whether they are Donald Trump supporters, Biden supporters, third-party supporters, independents, or nonvoters, we can be brought together to improve working conditions and for general strikes.

    Chris Smalls did this when he created the Amazon Labor Union (ALU).

    Edit: improved sentence flow and added all political groups

    • surph_ninja@lemmy.world
      2·
      15 days ago

      I know. And I think we’d have a better chance selling that to many Trump supporters. A lot of them just want significant change, and aren’t married to Trump’s vision of that, but they’ll reject any candidate who they believe represents the status quo.

      I think too many of the Biden supporters are white collar reactionaries who reject any proposed radical change. They’d hurt more than they’d help.