Imwashingmypirate wrote: ↑Mon Mar 11, 2024 2:29 pm
I don't have any idols or people I live vicariously through. Maybe that's why I don't have any excitement in my life beyond my kids.
Same here. I don’t understand this when I see it in other folks, but I have to assume that since the behavior is the majority condition then I’m one of the odd ones for not participating, willingly or subconsciously. I wouldn’t otherwise be able to explain the completely common sort of societal adoration that exists for movie stars, political figures and other notable folks. So I’m weird and I accept that. : D
As it relates to Trump specifically, I’m guessing that many (not all) of his followers vicariously enjoy
the possibility of being aggressive, or insulting, obnoxious, or a cheat or adulterer,
sans consequence. Those behaviors are somewhat baked into our basic
survival success programming but we suppress them for the sake of a modern civil society. They’re always bubbling under the surface for some, though, and those folks might safely satisfy the urge to ‘act’ on them via their vicarious enjoyment of Trump’s behaviors.
The problem, though, is that if you get enough folks willing to put energy in to satisfying those particular emotions rather than objectively seeing the danger in doing so and resisting the temptation, then you start to see a general breakdown in social behavior, right? At least that’s the only way that I know how to explain it. I wish that I had a kinder way of seeing it but one never seems to emerge.