2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Do you have loved ones who voted for Trump who you KNOW are NOT racists/sexists/bigots? [View all]Amishman
(5,829 posts)It doesn't impact their life, they don't see its effects, to them it just doesn't matter.
It is as distant to them as the near extinction of the Socorro Dove. Try to talk to them about it, and they will zone out just like we might when stuck with that cousin who will only talk about baseball. And even if you can get them to really listen, it still won't be real - because they didn't live it or see it.
Screaming that every Trump voter is a bigot just creates a sense that they are under attack for who they are. It makes racial/cultural hate real to them... And they feel they are the victim! Definitely counter productive.
This broad brush labelling of rural America and/or Trump voters is inherently divisive and deepens the divide. It also could easily turn off those who sat out the election. To have not voted this election means either the stakes were not high enough for that person to care or they were so repulsed by both sides that they could not support anyone. The former category is a lost cause; if this election won't motivate them, nothing will. The latter category won't be enticed by negativity and drama.