There has to be a psychological or sociological term that explains...

[MrScorpio]

Why Trump supporters believe that he's such a great "businessman," when by every conceivably objective metric, quite the opposite is true.

He's had shady business dealings his entire life, he's stiffed people when it was more profitable to be square with them, he's declared multiple bankruptcies has has failed business ventures in ways that others have profited, been sued by people he's cheated countless times, he lies and schemes and brags about things that he has no real knowledge of and has even written books that proves all of the above.

By any stretch of the imagination, he's a despicable person and without any moral compass whatsoever. His handpicked spokespeople are all ignorant and truth-deficient and even his own children are reprehensible human beings.

He's literally the very last person that should ever be elected president, and if he were this November, that just might be the case. And, regardless of what side of the political spectrum that one resides on, none of this is a secret.

The only thing that explains why people would do such a thing as voting for Donald Trump would be the fact that they're demonstrably ignorant, hateful of both Hillary Clinton and of America itself and are unable to conceive of consequences beyond their own noses.

So what do you call this phenomenon that explains his support? I'm sure that some of you can put a name to it. Dunning-Kruger, perhaps?

[TygrBright]

1. Confirmation bias. n/t

[MrScorpio]

3. This isn't just for you, it's for all the other repliers as well, but can you also list examples?

That would be instructive.

[TygrBright]

13. Sure.

"Confirmation bias" is the tendency to interpret available evidence to support already existing beliefs.

So when a Trump voter learns that Trump's taxes are being audited, they don't assume there's a possibility of something hinky in the actual returns as they relate to actual financial transactions. They assume that since they already know the IRS is corrupt, evil, and a shill for Big Government Lie-berals, the IRS is actually "targeting" Trump, because he made SO MUCH MONEY!

When they hear that a subcontractor who put out upwards of fifty grand to do some construction job on a Trump contract is suing Their Hero to actually get PAID for the work done, they automatically assume that since Trump's a "great businessman", the contractor is some kind of incompetent who's just going after Trump because they can't make money any other way and he's such a big fat successful target and they're jealous of his success.

When they hear that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Trump University, they just know it's because some sleazy lawyers went out and rounded up people who attended the courses but then didn't really "try" to use what they learned, so they didn't get rich and want their money back, so they and the lawyers are colluding to try and scam Trump.

IOW, having an unshakable belief that because everything in his apartment is gold-plated and his wife poses wearing a fur bikini and brandishing a gun on an airplane wing and his kids kill animals for fun and his name is on everything, HE IS REALLY SUCCESSFUL, every new fact gets reinterpreted by them in whatever narrative (how ever unconnected to reality) further supports that belief.

When your political party spends nearly four decades conscientiously destroying the quality of basic public education, combined with the unbridled mongering of fear as a tool to control the ignorant, you get no sympathy-points (from me, anyway) if the ignorant everythingphobes you've created in vast numbers end up taking over your party's political process.

wearily,

Bright

[MrScorpio]

15. Excellent reply

Thanks!

[dixiegrrrrl]

26. I can explain it from another point of view.

Trump makes Failure pay. He just goes along sleazing, and when the hammer falls, sidesteps, covers up, and keeps moving.

What does midtown USA think of that?

Here's how I found out.

We have a wealthy businessman in the county who made the front page of the paper because he got caught hiding 8 million bucks in a Swiss account,
and not paying enough in taxes.

The locals around here were rooting for him!
Apparently the belief is that it is your god given right to avoid taxes, and to give as little to the Gov. as you possibly can.
That is why so many exchanges are done in cash around here.

So the more Trump bamboozles, the more he is a hero for not supporting Gov't.

[Glassunion]

2. Delusion

[pdxflyboy]

4. Figured out.

It's called Fox News Delirium.

[elleng]

5. Psychological or sociological terms not necessary,

just lack of information AND deliberate misinformation provided by msm, as well as disabling education.

A Well-Informed Electorate Is a Prerequisite for Democracy, and repugs have deliberately been taking steps to make it as unlikely as possible.

https://tcf.org/content/commentary/a-well-informed-electorate-is-a-prerequisite-for-democracy/

[lpbk2713]

6. Partisan politics.

Some are so hard core GOP they would vote for any red candidate.

[NightWatcher]

7. Cognitive dissonance. They are trained not to think critically.

Religion and rw media train them to believe what they are told, regardless of what facts may be presented.

[Act_of_Reparation]

10. Cognitive dissonance is a state of discomfort or mental stress arising from contradictory beliefs.

I don't see many Trump supporters stressing over their beliefs. Methinks this does not apply.

[NightWatcher]

14. And to relieve the stress they disregard any facts that aren't compatible with their beliefs

That's why they discredit the "liberal version" of the truth. They write it off as not actually a fact but instead is a lie that some liberal media is pushing.

[Act_of_Reparation]

16. I think you're reaching a bit far there.

An illustrative example:

A person really wants to vote in the national election, but come election day their car breaks down and they are unable to make to the polling station in time. The following day, when their friend asks them whether or not they voted, they say, "No. But it doesn't make a difference, anyway. Our votes don't matter".

That's cognitive dissonance.

Trump voters don't seem to hold contradictory opinions, at least where his qualifications are concerned. They are convinced he's fit for the job and simply dismiss any legitimate criticism to the contrary as misinformation, bias, or stupidity. They're not conflicted over their beliefs. They're simply dogmatic, or paranoid, or stupid. Or all three.

[lindysalsagal]

23. "Still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest."

So true.

[C_U_L8R]

8. He justifies their hate

"You too can be a billionaire nazi".
They fall for that every time.

[Act_of_Reparation]

9. Gullibility.

End of story.

[backscatter712]

11. Right Wing Authoritarianism.

Yes, it has been studied in psychological circles, and is a real thing.

Some relevant reading material:

The Authoritarians by Bob Altemeyer. (book available free online)

[MFM008]

12. They are all maggots

.....

[Warpy]

17. Propaganda

The man is a master of self promotion even if he is a rotten businessman who knows his tax returns will reveal just how bad at it he really is.

A lot of people just don't bother to question the propaganda and take everything at face value.

Dunning Kruger is when an ignoramus is supremely self confident and knows everything. It fits Trump but probably not most of his followers.

[Nevernose]

18. He's a psychic cold reader

Last edited Mon Sep 26, 2016, 08:04 PM - Edit history (1)

So in addition to the aforementioned cognitive dissonance and confirmation bias, he's a classic "psychic" con man.

That's why he just goes up there and spreads so much barely coherent bullshit: he's letting the audience use their confirmation bias to pick and choose what they want to hear. That's how & why he's all sides of an issue simultaneously. All politicians tend to skirt the truth or not take a firm issue on some issues.

But Trump? If you were opposed to the Iraq war, so was he. If you were in favor of it, so was he. And a million other examples.

[lindysalsagal]

22. Very true. Never thought of that. Con man.

Be healed!!

[ck4829]

19. Cultural capital and the suckers who fall for Trump's extreme form of it

Cultural capital is distinct from economic capital (Access to material wealth) and social capital (Who you know) in that it is one's expertise and knowledge of norms, customs, values, etc. to make an appeal towards looking like something... being something really.

We all use cultural capital and it isn't a good or bad thing by itself; if we want to appeal to a certain group, we might wear certain clothes or we might pick up on knowledge that pertains to events about that group.

It's interesting in terms of social stratification because it goes to show being "wealthy" is really just constructed from capital capital, there was a thread here a while back about college education in Germany...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016104113#post2

Now the person I'm pointing you all to was banned for being a right wing disuptor, but this quote goes to show the point I am trying to make:

"A degree needs to always be viewed as an investment, unless one is wealthy and can pay for it easily. But otherwise, one needs to make sure the degree will allow one to get a job that will allow one to pay for the degree"

In centrist's world, college is about the non-rich only going to college so they can pay bills, so then why should the rich go to college at all? For cultural capital.

When you're not learning lever pulling 101 (In centrist's world); you're learning the arts, how to read news events and history, and not having to pay for college, you're also going to events and networking so you're building up social capital and learning quite essentially how to be rich.

Now how does this apply to Trump? He is cultural capital, everything he does is based off of it and you could say he is more cultural capital than economic capital.

Trump wants to give off the aura that he is rich and that is why he puts his brand (TRUMP) on everything and that if you associate with him, then by golly, you must be rich as well... Trump Vodka, Trump Hotels, Trump Water. He also wants to give off an image that he is an arbiter, that he is a decider of sorts... Trump beauty pageants and the Apprentice come to mind. And Trump has also gone out of his way to say that if you act like Trump then you will be rich too, Trump University comes to mind.

Trump is more brand than man, and I think that by being that, Trump has created support for himself.

[WinkyDink]

20. Because when he says he is for "you, the people," that HRC is basically Goldman-Sachs, and that

SHE has not spoken in the same way to the unemployed and the "forgotten"---when, in short, Trump SOUNDS more like an old-style Democrat, well, the masses might swing his way.

I'm just sayin.'

[lindysalsagal]

21. They only see him on TV, with beautiful women, in stunning landscapes and buildings.

And after that, no thought goes into it.

[lindysalsagal]

24. Like Mitt, he allows them to identify as "one of his tribe."

No matter how little a person has in common with someone famous, they can imagine themselves in the fame, by being a fan.

Totally irrational.

[Skittles]

25. same reason they think Hillary cannot be trusted

they believe what righwing whackjobs tell them