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Sadly this isn’t always the case. My father knows an American couple, both were officers in the Marines, both degree level educated (one has a masters), well travelled (one is Swiss American with dual nationality). They aren’t qanon but are devoted trumpists and are convinced the election was rigged and there was a conspiracy. My dad dreads talking to them now because they are so normal in many respects but if conversation veers toward politics/election it’s just fucking unhinged. It’s an utter shame.
dancing james-
You probably hit "Post reply" at the same time I edited to add this:
As the Trump cults show, "loser" includes "so fragile that they feel persecuted even though they have a good job, salary, etc."
Possibly covers part of that.
To be fair a lot of people have limits to the sphere in which they're capable of a rational argument, particularly when the topic is outside their area of expertise. Even inside people's area of knowledge, they typically aren't knowledgeable of working with it at the scale required by politics. A lot of people can't manage reasoned debate about politics, partly for these reasons.
But "devoted Trumpist" still means delusional asshole, even if not Qanon.
itsbruce
If they had much of a clue about how anything more complex than a football game works, or any grasp of concepts like "intellectual rigour" or "scientific method", they probably wouldn't be cultists. Logical debate and inquiry is guaranteed not to be there.
Usually, some meaning or purpose they don't otherwise get from their life. Bluntly, most cultists who aren't seriously mentally ill are losers; the cult offers them a way to feel more like a winner.
As the Trump cults show, "loser" includes "so fragile that they feel persecuted even though they have a good job, salary, etc."