Common traits I've noticed in educated people who follow Trump blindly

[lunatica]

I’ve come to certain conclusions of high level management people after working with and watching them for many decades. I first noticed it takes a certain kind of person to start on that career ladder (for the most part, since obviously there are exceptions). I’ve worked under many of them, both male and female, and they have certain traits in common. The good managers I’ve worked with simply reinforce my conclusions.

They are followers. This underlies their pursuit of leadership roles. They will do exactly what their bosses want, citing company “policy” as the reason. If their bosses are replaced they will adapt instantly to the new boss’ company “policy” even if it is diametrically opposed to the previous boss’ without batting an eye.

They kiss up and if the boss demands it, they kick down. They adopt whatever jargon and business practices their boss uses. They take credit for the good employees work simply by claiming it was their superior supervising skills that made those employees do so well.

They treat their employees well or badly in direct proportion to that employee’s usefulness to their career. The employees who are useful are treated well verbally and praised often, but abused in the outsized proportion of work they are given compared to the employees who aren’t quite as good or newbies learning the trade.

They play what I call the “pretend game” which is basically as follows: let’s pretend that I am superior to you in all things, from being knowledgeable and better than you on all levels, including intelligence, professionalism, abilities, and as a human being. In other words, you treat me like I treat my boss and we’ll all live happily ever after. Just don’t forget that in the hierarchy around here you are inferior to me, so you must show me the utter respect of my position, no matter how incompetent and useless I really am.

All these traits are in abundance in Trump followers, no matter whether they are uneducated MAGATs or “intelligent” educated people.

[Chipper Chat]

1. Plus they all watch Fox "News"

[NRaleighLiberal]

2. they are vulnerable to authoritarian systems

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. They are what's called "authoritarian followers."

A Canadian professor, Bob Altemeyer, wrote a book about authoritarianism, which you can download free here: https://theauthoritarians.org/Downloads/TheAuthoritarians.pdf The book, which was written in 2006, accurately predicted Trump and his cult.

"In North America people who submit to the established authorities to extraordinary degrees often turn out to be political conservatives, so you can call them “right-wingers” both in my new-fangled psychological sense and in the usual political sense as well. But someone who lived in a country long ruled by Communists and who ardently supported the Communist Party would also be one of my psychological right-wing authoritarians even though we would also say he was a political left-winger. So a right-wing authoritarian follower doesn’t necessarily have conservative political views. Instead he’s someone who readily submits to the established authorities in society, attacks others in their name, and is highly conventional. It’s an aspect of his personality, not a description of his politics." (at p. 15)

And: "You could have left-wing authoritarian followers as well, who support a revolutionary leader who wants to overthrow the establishment." (at p. 16)

[lunatica]

7. I guess my observations have been correct all along.

For those of us who can see these traits in our work environment it really chafes. My response was to join the union and become an advocate for the employees who got bad treatment for whatever asinine reason managers come up with. I know the reason I never got in trouble, and even managed to get things changed was because I made my manager look good.

I’m so happy to be retired now. Hopefully never to have to live with that cement brained thinking.

[vlyons]

4. It's the Peter Principle

People get promoted up to their level of incompetence.

[snowybirdie]

5. Had some relatives

One a PhD in psychology and his wife a master's level speech pathologist. Both worked in a school system. When off duty, they would rant and rave about the minority and immigrant kids in their system. No respect for these kids at all! Now after finding the Lord, they are totally under Trumpism 's seduction. Hard to understand why, but I suspect they really don't care for their fellow man at all. They were always racists. It was just a job for them. Not a calling.

[Skittles]

6. in other words, they are fucking deplorable people

Hillary nailed it from the start

[lunatica]

9. Yup.

Hillary, being a highly driven, competent person who obviously was born to crash through glass ceilings must have had her nauseous fill of these kind of people around her.

Now we see it in a whole new crop of women surging into politics. They’ve had enough of the crap. They’re not “pretending” anymore.

[area51]

8. I've worked with way too many of these people. Fscking incompetent. n/t

[Mersky]

10. Kinda like the manager who proclaimed at a standup, all floor meeting

That he’d finally gotten rid of all the terrible atheists. Lol, this was the first meeting after I’d just been hired. I so wanted to get out of there, but I needed the medical benefits more than speaking up about my secular views.

The most meaningless reports were being passed up the chain at that terrible company, and was glad to be done with the place when I quit.

I imagine he’s one of the more miserable maga flag wavers of mediocrity to be around these days.

[lunatica]

11. Ugh! At least I never had a boss who was a Christian soldier smiting God's enemies!

Last edited Sat Mar 7, 2020, 06:46 PM - Edit history (1)

The ones I’m speaking of were just brainless followers of their bosses, not god!

The things we’re forced to put up with just to survive in our society is sickening and detrimental to the soul.

[Mersky]

12. What I thought was an anomalous jerk and company culture roughly ten years ago

Seems rather informative for grappling with the privilege over performance tRumpian way that is tweeted out on a daily basis.

At that job, it was about ego, hierarchy, and towing a convenient bottom line that lead to the executive dining room. Critical thinking was only desired up and to a point.

Was much happier when I put all of that nonsense behind me. Wish it was still behind all of us making it through the tRump years.

[hamsterjill]

16. I've experienced this twice in my career.

Most recently in a job that I lost because I didn’t fit the type.

Those people are crazies. You cannot sugar cost it any other way.

[Mersky]

17. Yeah, there's a lot of this crap that goes on

I have more stories of friends’ experiences with these such crazies who can’t see good work for all of their prejudices blinding them. Am resisting sharing, because it’s just exhausting.

[abqtommy]

13. I suspect these traits have more to do with the collective DNA than any level of education...

[meadowlander]

14. There's a whole cult of magical thinking that has sprung up in management culture

including all the Tony Robbins crap from the 80s. I often see Trump referencing this.

"You have the power to make the world conform to what you imagine it should be."

"Your perception of reality determines what the outcome will be", etc.

We're seeing right now what happens when "power of positive thinking" management culture meets scientific reality. You can't just envision success and then trust its going to happen. Someone needs to be doing the actual work.

[lunatica]

15. Well it seems that success is a stand in for being rich

It doesn’t seem to matter if you actually do anything useful. You only “succeed” if you get rich. Thus the appeal of rich leaders, regardless of what methods they use to become rich. This is why putting children in cages is OK.

[lunatica]

18. Kick

[Duppers]

19. K & R