Meanwhile, 44 percent backed the American tradition of competing branches of government as a model, if sometimes ā€œfrustrating,ā€ system.

Why would people want to live under an authoritarianā€™s thumb? Itā€™s rooted, experts say, in a psychological need for securityā€”real or perceivedā€”and a desire for conformity, a goal that becomes even more acute as the country undergoes dramatic demographic and social changes. People also like to obey a strong leader who will protect the groupā€”especially if it is the ā€œrightā€ group whose interests will be protected. Recall the Trump supporter who, during the 2019 government shutdown, complained, ā€œHeā€™s not hurting the people he needs to be hurting.ā€

  • foggy@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    a decade later, somewhere on 4chan

    be me
    hardcore Trump supporter
    Trump wins, Iā€™m ecstatic
    world starts going to hell, WW3 kicks off
    married with three sons, trying to keep everything together
    decide to start a construction company, war efforts boost business
    build a bunch of buildings, making bank
    get elected to local office, life is on the up and up

    land a huge contract, biggest yet
    build the place, turns out itā€™s a gay bar
    fml
    media catches wind, calls me part of the ā€œwoke agendaā€
    sons get drafted into the war, proud but terrified
    trying to keep the family safe as the world burns
    business takes a nosedive, firebombed by extremists
    every building Iā€™ve ever built gets torched
    house goes up in flames, barely escape with wife

    wife blames me for everything, says Iā€™m the reason weā€™re targeted
    receive word from the front lines
    ā€œAll three of your sons killed in friendly fireā€
    caskets arrive the next morning
    wife loses it completely, leaves the country, Iā€™m left alone

    arrested, accused of contributing to ā€œtrans agendaā€
    just a foreman trying to get by, now rotting in jail
    every dream turned to ash
    life was supposed to be perfect
    now Iā€™m just a broken man with nothing but regret

    tfw everything falls apart because of one misguided decision

    sadpepe.jpg