Malevolent vs. benevolent dispositions and conservative political ideology in the Trump era

[Larniavc]

The rise of Trump has led me to believe that America has become more and more callous with disregard to the most needy. I've recently been looking into this area and found this. It's relatively recent in a decently respected Journal. This snippet sums it up quite well.

• Conservative political ideology represented by symbolic and operational ideology and positive view of Trump
• Psychopathic traits and malevolent disposition predicted increased conservative political ideology
• Benevolent disposition predicted decreased conservative ideology--i.e., more liberal ideology
• Those viewing Trump favorably reported elevated malevolent and reduced benevolent dispositions, and less empathy

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0092656625000704?via%3Dihub

Clearly, this not saying that all Trump supporters are psychopaths.

 

[public hermit]

The rise of Trump has led me to believe that America has become more and more callous with disregard to the most needy. I've recently been looking into this area and found this. It's relatively recent in a decently respected Journal. This snippet sums it up quite well.

• Conservative political ideology represented by symbolic and operational ideology and positive view of Trump
• Psychopathic traits and malevolent disposition predicted increased conservative political ideology
• Benevolent disposition predicted decreased conservative ideology--i.e., more liberal ideology
• Those viewing Trump favorably reported elevated malevolent and reduced benevolent dispositions, and less empathy

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0092656625000704?via%3Dihub

Clearly, this not saying that all Trump supporters are psychopaths.

I agree and think our society is becoming more and more merciless. I wonder if conservatism has shifted from trying to maintain a certain status quo to primarily supporting whatever serves self-interest.

 

[Larniavc]

I wonder if conservatism has shifted from trying to maintain a certain status quo to primarily supporting whatever serves self-interest.

It must be. From across the pond American conservatism seems very different to over here. My MIL was a staunch conservative Christian but was as compassionate as the day is long. She never once said that there will always be poor people or asked whether she was her brother's keeper.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

The rise of Trump has led me to believe that America has become more and more callous with disregard to the most needy. I've recently been looking into this area and found this. It's relatively recent in a decently respected Journal. This snippet sums it up quite well.

• Conservative political ideology represented by symbolic and operational ideology and positive view of Trump
• Psychopathic traits and malevolent disposition predicted increased conservative political ideology
• Benevolent disposition predicted decreased conservative ideology--i.e., more liberal ideology
• Those viewing Trump favorably reported elevated malevolent and reduced benevolent dispositions, and less empathy

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0092656625000704?via%3Dihub

Clearly, this not saying that all Trump supporters are psychopaths.

It could also just be that self-centeredness is the default position for most folks and always has been, becoming particularly acute when a person's job, ideology and family well-being are perceived to have pressure applied from "outside" forces.

The survival instinct can become a real pain in the bass when a plural, divided nation begins to economically and ideologically dissimulate into a full-fledged "us vs. them" scenario.

Of course, True Christians™ should be able to be more charitable than the status quo survivalist, I'd think. (But that's just me "thinking").

 

[Larniavc]

It could also just be that self-centeredness is the default position for most folks and always has been, becoming particularly acute when a person's job, ideology and family well-being are perceived to have pressure applied from "outside" forces.

I don't doubt that. When I was young and poor and under the obvious pressures getting by I was incredibly focussed on money and very ungenerous. Now I'm older and richer with fewer pressures I'm far more generous and easy going with money. I might surmise that the general difficulties Americans have getting by with their low wages and poor conditions contribute to a 'survival mode' schema.

And then this schema is enshrined in the America Dream but is really the screw you I got mine mentality. America has perhaps breed generations of selfish people which might explain it's outlier status as a heavily conservative western nation if one adheres to the findings of the study.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

I don't doubt that. When I was young and poor and under the obvious pressures getting by I was incredibly focussed on money and very ungenerous. Now I'm older and richer with fewer pressures I'm far more generous and easy going with money. I might surmise that the general difficulties Americans have getting by with their low wages and poor conditions contribute to a 'survival mode' schema.

And then this schema is enshrined in the America Dream but is really the screw you I got mine mentality. America has perhaps breed generations of selfish people which might explain it's outlier status as a heavily conservative western nation.

It's unfortunately a foundational myth, enshrined as a norm within the so-called "American Dream" and it goes all the way back to the political ideology that made the American Revolution what it was.

It's time for us to let go of revolutionary ideals (...with a poo-storm of citations of my alleged use of Genetic Fallacy not withstanding).

 

[Larniavc]

It's unfortunately a foundational myth, enshrined as a norm within the so-called "American Dream" and it goes all the way back to the political ideology that made the American Revolution what it was.

It's time for us to let go of revolutionary ideals (...with a poo-storm of alleged citations of Genetic Fallacy on my part not withstanding).

It's good to agree with you for a change

 

[Maria Billingsley]

The rise of Trump has led me to believe that America has become more and more callous with disregard to the most needy. I've recently been looking into this area and found this. It's relatively recent in a decently respected Journal. This snippet sums it up quite well.

• Conservative political ideology represented by symbolic and operational ideology and positive view of Trump
• Psychopathic traits and malevolent disposition predicted increased conservative political ideology
• Benevolent disposition predicted decreased conservative ideology--i.e., more liberal ideology
• Those viewing Trump favorably reported elevated malevolent and reduced benevolent dispositions, and less empathy

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0092656625000704?via%3Dihub

Clearly, this not saying that all Trump supporters are psychopaths.

I don't think it is most of America. Lets narrow this down .
It is a known fact that among the 48% of the electorate who are conservative voters, 84% identify as Christian, and half are aligned with the current movement. So what is implied here is why so many Christians have chosen to align themselves with this demagoguery. Why follow a leader who appeals to emotions, prejudices, and fears rather than to their rational thought , empathy and wisdom?
Regrettably, this reasoning is deeply flawed, stemming from eschatological error. It mistakenly places an earthly leader in the improbable position of ushering the world into the Kingdom of God.

Blessings

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

It could also just be that self-centeredness is the default position for most folks and always has been, becoming particularly acute when a person's job, ideology and family well-being are perceived to have pressure applied from "outside" forces.

As someone who lean Left I have to acknowledge the pathology of both Left and Right. Of course, there are also good and healthy manifestation on both sides. But with regard to national budget priorities we can definitely see a pattern of indifference to the plight of the poor in the clothing of a top down "supply side" economic that favors the wealthy.

 

[ViaCrucis]

As someone who lean Left I have to acknowledge the pathology of both Left and Right. Of course, there are also good and healthy manifestation on both sides. But with regard to national budget priorities we can definitely see a pattern of indifference to the plight of the poor in the clothing of a top down "supply side" economic that favors the wealthy.

Things have certainly gotten worse under Trump. But I have clear memories of pre-Trump times. I had debates, on these very forums with other members who argued that altruism is wrong, and argued emphatically that altruism is contrary to Christian morality; these members were also, at the time, arguing strongly in favor of Ayn Rand's views when Rand was in vogue among conservative circles not all that long ago. I can remember having discussions with members, on these very forums, who argued that the poor are parasites, based on rhetoric they heard on Fox News, which referred to the impoverished people of America as parasites because they depended on social welfare programs.

Things have gotten worse under Trump; in part because before Trump there was, at the very least, an attempt to put on a mask to at least pretend there is some kind of moral presentation; but with Trump the mask is gone. The moral bankruptcy of the American Right-wing which holds to no moral principle of any kind, which abhors all Christian ethics, and which thrives on nothing but naked hate and fear is simply more obvious than it used to be. But it's been this way for a long time, it's just that before the Trump era it was under the surface, and now it's crawled out of the cave and now lumbers on the surface. It is a malevolent and cancerous growth that has been festering and growing for decades. Being fed by the worst and darkest elements of human nature, it is sinful and grotesque, an abomination. But it's here now, naked, and flaunting itself. It hates everything and everyone, it regards all things decent and morally good repugnant to itself, and if I may put on my theologian's hat for a moment: It is a spiritual darkness that is straight from the deepest, darkest recesses of hell. This is spiritual darkness, this is what it looks like when Satan gets his claws in the churches, and scratches his way into the hearts of those with power and influence.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Richard T]

The rise of Trump has led me to believe that America has become more and more callous with disregard to the most needy. I've recently been looking into this area and found this. It's relatively recent in a decently respected Journal. This snippet sums it up quite well.

• Conservative political ideology represented by symbolic and operational ideology and positive view of Trump
• Psychopathic traits and malevolent disposition predicted increased conservative political ideology
• Benevolent disposition predicted decreased conservative ideology--i.e., more liberal ideology
• Those viewing Trump favorably reported elevated malevolent and reduced benevolent dispositions, and less empathy

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0092656625000704?via%3Dihub

Clearly, this not saying that all Trump supporters are psychopaths.

Right Wing Authoritarianism and Terror Management Theory to an extent predict this. All one needs to do is create some sort of danger zone and the default position will be that people return to biases and trust only those that are more like themselves. The best way to defend against this is to know who you are in God and not be led by media and political types that are placing the blame on others.

 

[Richard T]

I don't think it is most of America. Lets narrow this down .
It is a known fact that among the 48% of the electorate who are conservative voters, 84% identify as Christian, and half are aligned with the current movement. So what is implied here is why so many Christians have chosen to align themselves with this demagoguery. Why follow a leader who appeals to emotions, prejudices, and fears rather than to their rational thought , empathy and wisdom?
Regrettably, this reasoning is deeply flawed, stemming from eschatological error. It mistakenly places an earthly leader in the improbable position of ushering the world into the Kingdom of God.

Blessings

Yes, that is a good part of it. It worries me because it seems like these very same people might be the most gullible to accepting a far different world order in the future.

 

[Hans Blaster]

I agree and think our society is becoming more and more merciless. I wonder if conservatism has shifted from trying to maintain a certain status quo to primarily supporting whatever serves self-interest.

What has been called "conservative" for a long time in the US hasn't been about conserving the status quo in some time. It is a movement bent on resetting things to some imagined superior past state. If anyone had any doubts, watching the first 6 months of the Trump administration tear things up (starting with "doge") should leave that plain.

 

[Ophiolite]

"We have met the enemy and he is us."
Pogo

 

[ViaCrucis]

Here's a quote from a book I have recommended many times.

"Why Trump, many wondered, including many evangelicals themselves. For decades, the Religious Right had been kindling fear in the hearts of American Christians. It was a tried-and-true recipe for their own success. Communism, secular humanism, feminism, multilateralism, Islamic terrorism, and the erosion of religious freedom—evangelical leaders had rallied support by mobilizing followers to fight battles on which the fate of the nation, and their own families, seemed to hinge. Leaders of the Religious Right had been amping up their rhetoric over the course of the Obama administration. The first African American president, the sea change in LGBTQ rights, the apparent erosion of religious freedom—coupled with looming demographic changes and the declining religious loyalty of their own children—heightened the sense of dread among white evangelicals. But in truth, evangelical leaders had been perfecting this pitch for nearly fifty years. Evangelicals were looking for a protector, an aggressive, heroic, manly man, someone who wasn’t restrained by political correctness or feminine virtues, someone who would break the rules for the right cause. Try as they might—and they did try—no other candidate could measure up to Donald Trump when it came to flaunting an aggressive, militant masculinity. He became, in the words of his religious biographers, 'the ultimate fighting champion for evangelicals.'" - Kristin Kobes DuMez, Jesus and John Wayne

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

Things have certainly gotten worse under Trump. But I have clear memories of pre-Trump times. I had debates, on these very forums with other members who argued that altruism is wrong, and argued emphatically that altruism is contrary to Christian morality; these members were also, at the time, arguing strongly in favor of Ayn Rand's views when Rand was in vogue among conservative circles not all that long ago. I can remember having discussions with members, on these very forums, who argued that the poor are parasites, based on rhetoric they heard on Fox News, which referred to the impoverished people of America as parasites because they depended on social welfare programs.

Things have gotten worse under Trump; in part because before Trump there was, at the very least, an attempt to put on a mask to at least pretend there is some kind of moral presentation; but with Trump the mask is gone. The moral bankruptcy of the American Right-wing which holds to no moral principle of any kind, which abhors all Christian ethics, and which thrives on nothing but naked hate and fear is simply more obvious than it used to be. But it's been this way for a long time, it's just that before the Trump era it was under the surface, and now it's crawled out of the cave and now lumbers on the surface. It is a malevolent and cancerous growth that has been festering and growing for decades. Being fed by the worst and darkest elements of human nature, it is sinful and grotesque, an abomination. But it's here now, naked, and flaunting itself. It hates everything and everyone, it regards all things decent and morally good repugnant to itself, and if I may put on my theologian's hat for a moment: It is a spiritual darkness that is straight from the deepest, darkest recesses of hell. This is spiritual darkness, this is what it looks like when Satan gets his claws in the churches, and scratches his way into the hearts of those with power and influence.

-CryptoLutheran

And it claims to be God fearing Christian.

 

[stevevw]

I think as far as political ideology goes this trend has been around for a while but has become more polarised and extreme. It use to be I think that both sides of politics were more in the center. Now it seems the fringe has come to the center.

It seems each election as time has gone by elections have become a matter of almost life and death. Its a weird situation because as each party changes government there is this almost completely different ideology put in place. Then this is dismantled and the new one built.

Rather than what use to be best for all based on certain independent truth principles like Rule of Law.

Now each sides ideology is rejected with more extreme measures as a reaction against the previous opposing policies.

I think as a result of decades of social engineering that has now made the political personal. In making it personal its about everything, life and death, reality itself and most importantly spirituality. Its not just about world peace and order but a spiritual battle as well for how society, the world and reality itself should be ordered.

 

[Hans Blaster]

I think as far as political ideology goes this trend has been around for a while but has become more polarised and extreme. It use to be I think that both sides of politics were more in the center. Now it seems the fringe has come to the center.

Fringe to the center? That makes no sense.

It seems each election as time has gone by elections have become a matter of almost life and death. Its a weird situation because as each party changes government there is this almost completely different ideology put in place. Then this is dismantled and the new one built.

What pattern of changes have you been watching? Are you talking about some other country than the one mentioned in the OP?

Rather than what use to be best for all based on certain independent truth principles like Rule of Law.

Now each sides ideology is rejected with more extreme measures as a reaction against the previous opposing policies.

Huh?

I think as a result of decades of social engineering that has now made the political personal. In making it personal its about everything, life and death, reality itself and most importantly spirituality. Its not just about world peace and order but a spiritual battle as well for how society, the world and reality itself should be ordered.

I'm going to go back to my first reply: What are you talking about?

 

[stevevw]

Fringe to the center? That makes no sense.

It does on the political spectrum. You have the center and then as you go left and right of center you have the degree of extremes going out to the far right and left. The fringes can be from middle left and right and outwards. Or maybe a little more to the extremes.

But basically I think its a more extreme version of the basic idea of each party. The left being social welfare and public government controlled and going out to the extremes you get anything from hard socialism, Marxism to totalitarianism. The Right will go from hard conservatism to what they called Trump, Hitler lol. A dictatorship.

We have been seeing a trend towards polarisation and the extremes with each party and I think around the world. The opposng side is like the enermy thats going to destroy democracy and even kill its citizens if we let them in power.

I remember when the opposing side won, everyone on the losing side just got on with life like nothing had really changed. The parties had a lot more in common on policies and ideologies for that matter.

What pattern of changes have you been watching? Are you talking about some other country than the one mentioned in the OP?

No both America, my nation Australia which is usually around a couple of yeas behind the US. But also Britain, Canada, and some European nations. Mainly western ones.

I think theres a similar pattern in the election ccycles and parties as far as the two fundemental political ideologys being Left and the Right and within supposed free democratic nations.

Each nation to varying degrees have become more extreme on the Left and the Right and have some similar problems such as immigration and similar reactions from each side on policies dealing with these issues.

Like most on the Right are pro anti immigration policies and the Left pro immigration. In each nation a rise in mor extreme policies and conflicts and divisions as a result. The extreme fringe being the riots and terrorism on each side.

Huh?

I'm going to go back to my first reply: What are you talking about?

JUst musing, thinking out loud lol. It was ssomething that came to me when I read the OP and a few replies. I don't know lol. I think just stepping back and looking at all this and after Trumps election at the bigger picture.

I don't think people use to believe that there was something wrong with those who had a different political belief. It seems through the election opposing voters were being made out to be immoral or stupid or a threat, even to democracy and life.

Maybe it is a serious matter. But thats not the fault on one party or their voters. Thats a symptom of a system thats not working anymore or gone off the rials by both parties.

I mean even 20 years ago I don't think we thought our leaders and parties even opposing voters were that bad. They just had a different opinion and people accepted people with a different belief and view more than today I think.

I think we had more respect for the fundemental principles of democracy and Rule of law and the right to hold different beliefs. Now it seems those principles no longer apply.