< The way you describe it, it sounds like "elites" is yet another aspect of "victimhood". In order to be susceptible to the (purposefully vague) rhetoric, you have to feel like a victim. And you might be especially ripe for the rhetoric if you have _not_ already identified your perpetrator. This way, the demagogue can use the term "elites" and rely on a kind of "recursive explanation" trick to pass the buck down the inferential road. >
Many Trump voters, e.g. midwest blue collar folks, don't appear to want to present it as victimhood. They came to expect a standard of living, but it was no longer sustainable given the evolution of the economy. They want to believe it wasn't their failure, so if a demagogue provides them with a story that he knows the perpetrator and will crush them (a Mexican! An Elite!), then that's just perfect. < I listened to part of an interview with Frauke Petry this morning on NPR. It strikes me that she has a very clear idea who the perpetrator(s) is(are). It's difficult for me to believe someone like her would be susceptible to the rhetoric of someone like Trump or even a dilettante like Bannon. So, do these (otherwise seemingly intelligent) people _also_ use the necessarily vague symbol "elites" in the same way? Or are they more tightly/particularly bound? > She's not susceptible, but she is looking for people that are. Marcus ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove