In Episode I, I suggested Trump's supporters have been brainwashed by their betters; in Episode II, that they simply find him entertaining.
One more theory occurs to me: Trump's supporters—though themselves victimized—think he's the victim.
Blame it on sympathy, the emotion Adam Smith described as the part of our imagination that lets us picture what others feel.
Sympathy elevates our humanity, Smith says—and as every fundraiser knows. It allows us to feel for sick children, frightened refugees, and abandoned pets.
But it has its downside, the philosopher says, giving rise to irrational beliefs.
We sympathize with the dead, for example, imagining how miserable we'd be, were we dead. This "illusion of the imagination" gives rise to our belief in an afterlife.
We make a similar mistake, Smith says, when we imagine the "rich and powerful."
We imagine their perfectly happy lives, and relish that imaginary happiness so strongly we come to believe the rich and powerful deserve their wealth and privilege. So we grieve for "every injury that is done them."
We could care less about the plight of the poor and powerless; thinking about them provides no vicarious joy.
The rich and powerful, however, aren't perfectly happy, Smith says; in fact, they're often miserable, cunning and vicious.
But they know how to exploit our sympathy—our illusions about them—by continually claiming victimhood.
Sympathy deludes us, Smith says—and leads us to love our oppressors.
Sympathy: that's how Trump's fans can still believe his crap.
Don't miss Episode IV
