JOHN CHUCKMAN COMMENT: THE REPUBLICAN CONVENTION AND THE ROLE OF HUMAN CREDULITY IN POLITICS – I SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF EXPLAINING WHY AMERICAN EVANGELICAL RELIGIOUS PEOPLE SUPPORT A TOTALLY IRRELIGIOUS AND IMMORAL MAN LIKE DONALD TRUMP – A FEW MORE WORDS ON TRUMP’S CHARACTER – IRRATIONALITY’S ROLE IN SOCIETY AND POLITICS – NOTE ON INTELLIGENCE AND POLITICAL LEANING

John Chuckman


COMMENT ON TRUMP AND THE EVANGELICALS AND HUMAN CREDULITY IN POLITICS


I think I just solved a problem, one which has bothered me since I became aware of it.

And that is the loyalty of American Evangelicals to Trump, a totally irreligious and immoral man. He is embraced by people, many of them, who put religious conviction and principles first, or think they do.

Reading references to what has been staged at the Republican convention – I haven’t watched television for many years – It all became clear. The convention itself is staged to tell people about a reality that simply doesn’t exist. Trump’s concern for the American people. Trump’s decisive leadership. Trump’s good relations with minorities. Trump’s close family ties.

It is all virtually the opposite of what we can plainly see in the world plus what a record number (for so early in a political career) of important insider books have revealed, yet obviously there are many who believe it because they want to believe it, and perhaps they never look at reality or read books, just as Trump never does.

These are highly credulous people, and credulity, the more I think about it, is characteristic of many on the Right. It certainly is of the religious Right, people like the Evangelicals. After all, their own basic set of religious beliefs is pretty unworldly stuff - from virgin birth to dying for the sins of others and rising from the dead – yet they cling to them tenaciously.

And so it is with Trump, a prejudiced man, an inherently unfair man, a liar, a cheat, a thief, even an assassin, a man faithless to associates and family, someone out only for himself. Credulous types really do want to believe otherwise and welcome the kind of cheap-glitz stage show being presented by Republicans, a political version of a giant tent-revival meeting, complete with stand-up testimonials from some of the faithful.

Recall, in the early days of America’s current massive urban social protests, when Trump had the square in front of the White House cleared of protesters, and he marched himself over to briefly stand in front of a church for a photo-op, holding, of all things, a Bible.

To critical thinkers, and that certainly includes some people of faith, it was bizarre and comical, a Monty Python moment. You might share in the words of Charles Laughton from the film, “Witness for the Prosecution,” that “I’m astonished the Testament didn’t leap from his hand.” But Trump – lifelong conman, grifter, flim-flamer – understands instinctively human credulity. It comes as naturally as breathing for him. I think there can be little doubt that for millions that photo was reassuring and comforting.

Intelligence may just play a role too. It has been convincingly demonstrated by psychologists that more liberal or Leftish beliefs, in general, are associated with higher average intelligence than Right-wing beliefs.

Note that I am not saying Democrats didn’t do the same kinds of things in their convention. It’s just that the contrast between story and reality is so much more extreme with the Republicans, insanely so, because Trump himself is so extreme, insanely so. He is, almost certainly, the most ruthless and unethical man ever to be President, a true sociopath, and that is saying something because American history has a large cast of ugly characters, contrary to the pleasant stories presented in high school history and civics texts.

You would have a mighty hard time convincing loyal Trump followers – not the sleazy operators and criminal types who do know better and share the spoils with Trump, but the many humble types – that reality is entirely night-and-day different than what they watched. Here is one of many places where human irrationality plays an important part in society’s affairs.

We do see the same kind of irrationality in other parts of American society and politics, from the belief that Russia is evil and that China is a cheat to the belief that America’s Constitution is perfection and American society defends and preserves, for all, justice and respect for law.

No wonder we make so little progress.