Philosopher-at-large: Breaking the Maga spell
Sasha Mudd
Following Donald Trump’s victory, a familiar narrative has emerged: Democrats failed to connect with the concerns of working-class voters.
To remedy this, they must take seriously working people’s preoccupations and interests as they define them, without imposing elitist assumptions about what their “true” interests are or ought to be.
The problem is there can be a gap between what voters feel they want and the truer interests they would acquire if they had more information, say, or were less angry. Far from respecting them, taking Trump voters’ stated concerns at face value risks a shallow, one-dimensional view of who they are or might yet be. It also ignores how power dynamics shape perceived self-interest in the first place.