There is an oft-repeated critique of voters, especially those on the far right, that they vote against their own self-interest. This coincides with the phenomenon of a large cohort of Americans who are drawn to populist leaders advocating for an anti-democratic, authoritarian government. Amanda Taub, writing at Vox.com in 2016 as Donald Trump was surging into the lead in the Republican Presidential primary, described the work of Matthew MacWilliams, a Ph.D. student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, in this area:
Authoritarianism [refers] not to actual dictators, but rather [to] a psychological profile of individual voters that is characterized by a desire for order and a fear of outsiders. People who score high in authoritarianism, when they feel threatened, look for strong leaders who promise to take whatever action necessary to protect them from outsiders and prevent the changes they fear.
The reaction to fear is only one manifestation of how voters’ choices are often emotional, influenced by the need to remain in step with the group that they choose to identify rather than reason. Journalist Ezra Klein wrote about Yale law professor Dan Kahan’s research into this behavior. Kahan calls this theory Identity-Protective Cognition: "As a way of avoiding dissonance and estrangement from valued groups, individuals subconsciously resist factual information that threatens their defining values." In other words, people vote against their own self-interest to maintain their identity with their “tribe”.
Do we think, then, that people consider empirical evidence or well-reasoned arguments when making political choices?
Emotions are definitely at work here. I know white Jewish seniors who are politically conservative . They are Trump supporters . They are terrified of antifa and BLM. When I mention the right wing extremists they shrug it off , even though those groups are viciously anti Semitic . I assume that these folks identify as members of the white “ tribe” and feel safe within it’s confines. They hold on to this to the point of delusion.
I always find it a head-scratcher when American Jews support fascist-leaning politicians. Just another example of people voting against their self-interest.
Emotions are definitely at work here. I know white Jewish seniors who are politically conservative . They are Trump supporters . They are terrified of antifa and BLM. When I mention the right wing extremists they shrug it off , even though those groups are viciously anti Semitic . I assume that these folks identify as members of the white “ tribe” and feel safe within it’s confines. They hold on to this to the point of delusion.
I always find it a head-scratcher when American Jews support fascist-leaning politicians. Just another example of people voting against their self-interest.