Measurable in Trump supporters, psycho-social phenomenon can have consequences for democracy, authors say

Political observers are quick to blame hyperpartisanship and political polarization for leading more than 2,000 supporters of Donald Trump to riot at the US Capitol on 6 January 2021.

But according to a recently published study, “racial resentment” – not just partisanship – explains the violence that broke out after the 2020 election.

Angered over the claim, promoted by Trump and his closest allies, that heavily Black cities had rigged the 2020 election in favor of Democrats, white voters – some affiliated with white-nationalist groups and militias, and others acting alone – stormed the US capitol in an attempt to halt the certification of the 2020 election.

“What Trump and Republicans did was they tried to make the point that something nefarious was going on in areas that were primarily African American,” said David Wilson, dean of the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, who published the study with Darren Davis, a professor of political science at Notre Dame.

  • kandoh@reddthat.com
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    6 months ago

    If you ever poke your head into right wing discords you can see they are entirely consumed by racial grievances.

  • Zombiepirate@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Good to know it wasn’t “economic anxiety” that lead those fascists to try and overturn a legitimate election.

    Just old fashioned, homegrown, corn-fed American racism.

  • ZeroCool@vger.social
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    6 months ago

    Can’t say I find this surprising but it’s still a valuable finding. Research like this is important if we’re going to make sure history never forgets exactly what the average Trump supporter believed and why they betrayed the country on 1/6.

  • Skyrmir@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Kinda sad really, but traveling up the east coast this year and we can see it in the towns we visit. The social gatherings are more segregated than usual, and they weren’t integrated to begin with. Folks all looking at each other with a side eye, especially along the black/white divide.

    There’s too many shit stirrers in this stew.

  • gedaliyah@lemmy.worldM
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    6 months ago

    https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/the-guardian/

    Overall, we rate The Guardian Left-Center biased based on story selection that moderately favors the left and Mixed for factual reporting due to numerous failed fact checks over the last five years.

    Detailed Report

    Bias Rating: LEFT-CENTER Factual Reporting: MIXED Country: United Kingdom Press Freedom Rank: MOSTLY FREE Media Type: Newspaper Traffic/Popularity: High Traffic MBFC Credibility Rating: MEDIUM CREDIBILITY