Inquisitive would be one of the best words to describe me, so when I discovered sociology as an area of study I knew I had found my calling. Sociology studies social explanations for human behavior, so we explore all the social forces in play when looking at a situation. Having said all this, I present…
The Musings of a Sociology Major;
Donald Trump’s Supporters
Donald Trump has somehow managed to become a viable presidential candidate because of the overwhelming support he has received from less educated, white, working class men and their families. According to The Atlantic, the 49 percent of American's that support Trump are poor, white and haven't gone to college.
This support was gained through his campaign strategies which had the previously mentioned men convinced that they can have another opportunity to live the American Dream. According to Marx, this is a classic case of conflict theory. These white men want to be better off in the world, they see Donald Trump—an American businessman with an extremely successful life—and think anything he says must be true because he is so successful. This is an illustration of the idea that “those who own the means of material production will also own the means of mental production.”
Trump is so wealthy and has so many easily accessed assets that he is putting to use on his campaign to spread his ideology and racist messages, and people are listening. The ideals of the people following him are being affected due to the economic system that they exist in and the economic system they want to move into. This creates the internal conflict that drives them to support Trump in spite of the nonsense he spews on a daily basis.
He is so notorious for his rude comments that this page is dedicated to recording his insults and false statements. He frequently bashes other races and cultures and poisons his supporters views of the world around them. Trump supporter’s violent tendencies stem from a frustration with the society and communities they live within. They allow this frustration to be shown through acting out against peaceful protesters at his rallies. This frustration comes from instability at home monetarily, which can cause stress in the long run. This does not excuse the behavior, but does help to pinpoint that social explanation for their behavior.
A majority of Trump’s supporters lack formal education and are in the working class, these statistics alone should make people sit up and take a look at our nation’s economic and education systems. They claim to be built for equality, but as we have seen this election season the people who’ve gotten the short end of the stick seem to be outweighing those who are well off.
