Article in question from CBC
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/adam-gopnik-anti-elitism-antisemitism-anti-urbanism-1.7458841
Trying to make sense of the current political storm, this article helped me.
I keep coming back to the question: what’s the end goals/motivations of Trump supporters? They know he wants to break the government and, yet, thinks it’s worthwhile. Why? Motivation will be multifaceted and we read all kind of proposition from dementia to dark gothic MAGA (as a plot from billionaires to each be king of their own techno-feudal city state). I don’t want to be naive but don’t want to be fear mongering either. Any agenda is enabled by the population and sufficient support.
This article’s take on anti-elitism as a rejection from the uneducated mass of educated immigrants because they perceive them as competition and as being responsible for their failure to achieve success… it leaves me a bit depressed because it takes effort to open up to any difference (immigrants, sexual orientation… ) and the mass of average (poorly) educated population doesn’t have the ressources to make this effort. And then the division in our population can be exploited by dangerous individuals for further pain.
How do we fight this now (and frankly forever because this weakness is intrinsic to this world, for every generation)?
I understand anti-elitism as being anti-intellectual, like all of the other “anti” groups. There is no logic and reason involved because there is no logic and reason in hate.
The problems are a lack of education, and extreme propaganda. The only reason people like Trump exist is because the majority is ignorant. Which is true regardless of the populist in front of you.
Pierre Poilievre is a perfect example of how we as Canadians are very close to making the same mistakes the US did, and we desperately need to educate our people better before that happens.