Shaming Trump Supporters

By: Joe Mauricio

 

It is turning out that shaming the Trump supporters is not a good political strategy. Though job loss and economic stagnation played a role in his victory, so did shame. The right has been very successful at persuading working people that they are vulnerable not because they themselves have failied, but because of selfishness of some other villains (African Americans, feminists, immigrants, Muslims, liberals, etc., and the list keeps growing).

Instead of challenging this ideology of shame, the left buttressed it by blaming white people as a whole for slavery, genocide, and a host of other sins, as though whiteness iteself was something about which people ought to be ashamed of.

So please understand what is happening here, as many Trump supporters very legitimately feel that it is they who have been the unfair reality.

The right’s ability to portray liberals as elitists is further straightened by the phobia toward religion that prevails in the left. Many religious people are drawn by the teachings of their tradition to humane values and caring over the oppressed.

The left needs to stop ignoring people’s inner pain and fear. The racism, sexism, and xenophobia used by Trump to advance his candidacy does not reveal an inherent malice in the majority of Americans. If the left could abandon all these shaming, it could rebuild its political base by helping Americans see that much suffering is rooted in the hidden injuries of class.

Democrats need to become more conscious and articulate about the suffering caused by classicism as we are abiut other form of sufferings.

They need to reach out to Trump voters in a spirit of empathy and contrition. Only then can we hold working people understand that they do not live in mentocracy. Donald Trump won the election because the liberals and Democrats are blinded by their own political correctness.

PH LEAPS 12 PLACES IN 2017 ECONOMIC FREEDOM INDEX

“Despite the challenging global economic environment, the Philippines has achieved notable economic expansion, driven by the economy’s strong export performance and inflows of remittances that have bolstered private consumption,” noted the Heritage Foundation in its 2017 Index of Economic Freedom released this week in Washington, D.C.

The Philippines improved to 58th place in 2017 from 70th in 2016 in the annual survey of 180 countries published since 1995 by the Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based think-tank. The 2017 Index graded economies based on 12 independent factors called Economic Freedoms, with the addition of Judicial Effectiveness and Fiscal Health this year. The Philippines showed improvements in property rights (+19.2); monetary freedom (+2.9); and labor freedom (+.1).

While noting the problems posed by absent entrepreneurial dynamism, still needed institutional reforms, and a weak judicial system in the Philippines, the Heritage Foundation also highlighted positive developments. It recognized that the Government is pursuing a series of legislative reforms to enhance the overall entrepreneurial environment and develop a stronger private sector in order to generate broader-based job growth.

American singer and songwriter Joy Villa made a huge statement at the 59th annual Grammy Awards. Villa showed up covered in a long white cloak, later removing it to reveal a patriotic red, white, and blue gown on the red carpet. Trump’s popular campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again” was bedazzled down the front of the dress, followed by “TRUMP” sparkling across the train of the dress. The custom dress was made by fashion designer, Andre Soriano.