"Women for Trump" - what motivates women to support the ultraright?
Submitted June 20, 2020, 8:42 p.m. by AuroraHillsWhen I first saw Women for Trump, my first thought was "what's next - Jews for Hitler?".
I'd like to know why so many women support a misogynistic asshole. I am no expert on women's anything, but I'd like to know what they are thinking.
51 comments recovered from the Pushshift database.
Keyword: "thinking"
They're not doing that.
Well, they're not feminists for a start. They're likely supporters of the patriarchy and think it works just fine for them, at least as long as they have a man providing for them. They buy into the idea that women are inferior and should be submissive, and that men are superior and should be dominant. They don't question the system or even recognize that things could be different. They probably vote for whoever their husband votes for, and don't question it.
I mean, there were women who fought against the efforts to get women the right to vote, because they felt it was unladylike and that women weren't capable of making such decisions without a man involved.
Then again, there are also women who will vote for Biden, despite all the videos of him touching girls and women and the sexual assault accusation against him...
And, for what it's worth, there were Jewish people who supported Hitler.
You lost me at Biden. The Supreme Court hangs in the balance. RadFems should hold their collective noses and vote Dem for the sake of reproductive autonomy.
Voting for the lesser of 2 evils instead of based on principles is how we got Trump, but it's your vote.
Please set me straight if I am very much mistaken, but I suspect that maybe /u/thegifthatkeepson wanted to keep the women's vote from being diffused among multiple candidates, thus allowing Trump to win a second term.
Is this correct? Because that's what I'm reading over here.
I don't know, but there's no such thing as "the women's vote." Women do not all vote the same way, as is clear from this post.
It seems strange to criticize women for voting for Trump, but then to say "vote for the other major corporate-owned party candidate" but not be ok with any criticism of that stance.
The worry about votes being spread among other candidates was brought up when Hillary Clinton lost, except the numbers didn't really back up that claim. Yet another bad candidate who just wanted to maintain the status quo and not support any progressive policies that most Americans actually want.
If most Americans wanted them most Americans would have voted for them in the primaries.
I disagree with your “no third candidate/Hillary” comment. Anecdotally I know far too many “progressives” who voted for Jill Stein or didn’t vote at all because they couldn’t vote for Bernie. Hell, Susan Sarandon came out and publicly admitted as much. And at the end of the day Hillary won the popular vote but lost to the totally screwed electoral college. Why? Because the margins were that slim. How can we ensure Trump doesn’t steal this election? Vote en masse for THE DEMOCRAT to the point that it is a landslide that cannot be disputed. This is the year for us to unite and dethrone AN ACTUAL RAPIST who is LOCKING UP BABIES BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF THIER SKIN. Your principles are not more important than saving immigrant lives and preventing the eroding of female bodily autonomy.
Yes. That is what I’m referencing. History tells us third party candidates like Nader (left) and Perot (right) split the base and deliver the election to the candidate with no challenger. The reality of a two party system forces a “less of two evils” decision. If we can change the system, great, vote your heart, but it’s a two party system right now so use logic and reason to best protect our very fragile rights to abortion and therefore, female bodily autonomy.
No, people refusing to vote from the choices at hand instead of the choices they wished were on the ballot is what put a white supremacist pedophile rapist in the office of the presidency. It’s the same thing that will do it this time.
So women should vote for yet another sexual abuser under the 'lesser of two evils' argument? Fuck this, I'm voting Green Party.
You are a person of low morals.
No u
Please don't fight eachother. This system is just a fucking mess and putting women between a rock and a hard place. Neither of you have low morals.
Morality? The difference between “right and wrong”? Voting for a third part candidate that bolsters a would be dictator rapist is morally abhorrent to me. I guess it depends on how you see the world and how it works.
Because I don’t back a rapist?
No u
Stay respectful or don't post.
Great. Just like Nader/ Bushie Jr or Perot/ Clinton. Please read up on the historical contributions third party presidential candidate have made to their moral counter parts. Spoiler: the other guy wins.
I am aware and frankly I still will not be voting Dem. The DNC deserves the loss after shooting themselves in the foot by backing a sexual abuser.
US really needs another system for counting the votes. D'Hondt or whatever.
Good to see another green person! I'm with the "Greens for Dialogue" group which is standing up for the Georgia Greens and in favor of a discussion about trans issues rather than giving them the boot.
if you actually felt threatened by the trump administration (ie brown and black minorities who are legitimately terrified of the possibility of another trump term because they fear for their lives) you would not vote third party. I used to feel just like you, in fact I voted third party last election... but now realizing the reality that my loved ones (minorities) could actually be in danger if trump wins, I cannot bring myself to vote third party this time
I can’t believe feminists are talking about any other option. Another rumpT presidency will leave indigenous women and their children separated and in cages without recourse. I can’t stop thinking about those little girls they dragged from one of the facilities and into cars with men in the dead of night.
The state senate in I believe Tennessee has passed a ban on abortion past the 6th week of pregnancy. Do these so called feminists even care about other women at all?
I'm voting with my conscience. After some of the pandering Howie has been doing though, i'm not even sure he's a good candidate. The greens are getting split up over the issue of transgender rights. However, it may relieve you, Margiejamison that I vote in a very blue place. When i lived in a more mixed place, i did vote with the dems.
The DACA thing is shit, at least the Supreme court has been stepping up and Robert has been voting with the liberals. Tennessee ruling is horrible, i don't believe many understand that with a 28-day cycle, 6 weeks is only 2 weeks late.
I think the republican women must be a single issue voter and very adamantly against reproductive rights, but i really couldn't say for sure.
They are likely Christian extremists or “back the blue” law and order boot locker types. That’s my guess.
Might be worth asking them. I enjoyed Arlie Hochschild's 'Strangers in Their Own Land'. She tries to understand the values and mythology behind republican supporters by actually talking to them.
One possibility is that people strongly identify with their traditional roles, and want to perform them well because it gives them a source of pride and meaning. Performing traditional femininity well can have some other benefits, too (think benevolent sexism); being protected, provided for, admired, 'cherished', desired... as long as your protector remains benevolent, of course. Now, I'd say none of this is a substitute for real power and autonomy, but that's me.
Wym by mythology? I’m kinda confused
Hochschild suggests that we all use stories to understand the world, and that there is a underlying, unifying story to both conservative and progressive worldviews--something that helps them understand things in a systematic way. She also makes an attempt to describe the progressive story.
Ohhhh. Thank you, that makes sense
I think it's almost a survival mechanism. Similar to how kids will try and fit in even when the kids they're trying to align themselves with don't have their best interests in mind..they want to be on the "winning team", less likely to be a victim. So the thinking goes, the reality being different. However, these women value some of what can be seen as perks or comforts that come with the beliefs, like a house and marriage taxes, possible security of family, social acceptance. A lot of these women were taught early as girls to be obedient to men in a way your average girl isn't, like a duty to God and instilled that their very soul depends on this subservience.
You know, I never thought about it that way before. I guess that's it...they prefer peaceful slavery to dangerous liberty. When we consider men's propensity to violence against women, maybe they just bow the knee and hope that the key to their slave chains lies in the hands of a benevolent patriarch? Especially when we consider the horrible things that men do to women who are seen as "uppity" in order to put them "in their place".
Yes, absolutely. I live in a place crawling with conservatives and this is it. Conservativism and gender roles are like the 11th commandment. Many women know men can be (are) bad but just know God will give them a good one. Many others genuinely are taught and believe that any bad behavior men do is either rare or justifiable. Men's atrocities get justified away just like religious ones.
If you're really interested in this topic, I recommend reading Andrea Dworkin: "Right Wing Women" where she explains the issue (it's from 1982, but I think it still fits). The argumentation is similar to the one /u/TheDandyCats made - it's a self defense mechanism. If you search for the book on google, you'll quickly find the pdf (if not, write me).
Really wish they'd put that book back into print - I want it on my Dworkin shelf! It's eye-opening and really helps to drive home the point that we are in this for all women, even the ones who don't seem like they want the help.
heh
Someone already mentioned Andrea dworkin’s “right wing women” but she provides a great explanation. Compliance to social expectation and ceding control to men is sort of like a survival technique. Because they are scared of what happens if they don’t comply.
Women are obviously more resistant today, but right wing women still clearly exist. They are dealing with reverberations of zero-agency from the not so distant past.
I've also read about women in relationships with right-wing men who were forced to vote for certain candidates over others. I don't think there is a lack of abusive control tactics in hetero relationships on the right. Look at Trump and Melania, she's def not being given free rein to behave as she likes. She's expected to be an accessory.
In the pretty conservative rural area I am in, a lot of women vote with their husbands and they act pretty obediently. They go around all "My husband said" or if they don't have a husband "[Any woman's husband] says that" it's like they don't form their own opinions very much at all.
I'm sorry if it's sexist for me to say that but that's just what I have seen over the decades living here.
White supremacy. Which white feminism supports unfortunately.
From the few Trump supporters I know, they have deep internalized misogyny. One of them proudly stated she didnt believe women were capable of being president.
I think some right wing women vicariously get off on the power men have.
"Our troops"
"My man"
"My boys"
Right wing / Christian / trad communities do a lot to sort of give women a place in that power structure. Yes its lowest on the totem pole, but there's still a place for them.
I’m a dude but I feel like it’s mostly a battle between who is less terrible. So depending on the views of those women, they might think trump was a better option than Hillary. But I wouldn’t compare the situation to “Jews for hitler” because that was quite different.
That said I don’t think trump has been a great president by any means. I’m just trying to look at it from their view.