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If you want to understand Trumpism, look no further than authoritarian Islamist movements worldwide, especially in Turkey which used to be secular
Both groups:
- Get brainwashed by exploiting their fear of the "other" (immigrants, minorities, liberals for Trumpers; the West, non-Muslims, neighbor nations for Islamists)
- Believe that they are a persecuted minority despite literally being part of the majority race/religion in their respective countries
- Hold outlandish beliefs about a "Day of Reckoning" (the QAnon fantasy, Holy War and Judgement Day)
- Ignore/break laws because they view themselves as the good guys / patriots / chosen ones
- Blame the "enemy" when the hits the fan (Islamists blame CIA/Mossad, Trumpers blame Antifa/BLM/false flags)
The big difference, of course, is that Trumpism is 5 years old, while modern Islamism has been around for decades. Right now Trumpers are disorganized and incompetent, but they are not a fringe group. They come from all walks of life, and have a strong presence in the government, police, military and the church. It took Turkey a while to move from secularism to Islamic authoritarianism, but that slide became irreversible once it gathered momentum
I'm not sure what the answer is. In the hands of a skilled authoritarian, the working class has historically proved easy to manipulate on the basis of religion/culture/race. Sometimes it takes a national crisis or external threat to unite people and overcome internal divisions. In the meantime, here's hoping that the Trump movement doesn't find a charismatic leader.
