Donald Trump and the Republican Party’s Big Break

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

By Yoon Seok-Hee – The AsiaN Correspondent

Two common mistakes made when discussing the US presidential race. 1) Trump supporters are uneducated, racist whites. 2) Hillary has got this in the bag. Sure, Hillary is leading a lot right now, but according to a lot of polls quarter of the electorate supports Jill Stein of the Green Party or Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party. Historically, third party candidate supporters learn to settle with either of the two parties by November.

Donald Trump and his centipedes are just waiting for the electorate to feel fed up and “disgusted” with terrorist incidents, civil unrest, and Hillary’s scandals. Jonathan Haidt, psychologist and author of <The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion> claims that most human moral decisions are first arrived at subconsciously, instinctively, and only afterwards explained through rational reasoning. For example, people who think homosexuality is immoral may have a lot of rationalisations, but the argument actually comes from a subconscious reaction to homosexuality.

Trump loves to use the word “disgusting” in his speeches. He is appealing to the disgust many voters feel towards a changing world, a world in which America is less important, a world in which Whiteness is less privileged, and a world in which Christianity is not the accepted centre of spiritual life. According to Haidt, responding logically to fears and disgust of globalisation and diversity is psychologically difficult. Furthermore, calling White voters who wish to protect their moral values from harm and contamination ignorant racists only exaggerates their fear. Unless we actively address their fear and loathing, we are one “disgusting terrorist” away from a Trump victory in November.