MAGA Page Under Development
Understanding what happened in 2021 requires looking beyond politics and into human behavior.
The story isn't complete without helping America realize the Identity of MAGA was a carefully crafted fabrication. That Identity was forged by six distinct factors:- Some citizens desired to belong to a group that was "safe" because it included many of their neighbors, friends, and associates.
- Many of these same citizens preferred to tolerate and get behind bullies rather than correct or confront. They rather accept a con man and ignore the harm a promise breaker is likely to cause to avoid confrontation. https://www.thefreedictionary.com/ostracize
- They had a higher regard for self than others. They readily accepted hegemony. They tended to see people of different color skin, religion, even state or city as "others." And "others" deserved ostracization, bullying, and even death if the President said so."
- A highly egocentric leader that needed MAGA for his own self-esteem as much as MAGA loyalists needed a central leader in a position of power to feel like their group was safe.
- A need for unfounded self-agrandizement that "They were the adults in the room. They are the ones that should be herd and listened too. This goes back to the erroneous title "moral majority" which was never moral or a majority. But the two words gave many people a reason to fee like they should belong to it.
- Constant repeated story from one or more "news" sources MAGA followers trusted. Fox News primarily served this purpose. This gave legitimacy in their eyes to the stories of grandeur and infallability of their leader.
- Additional social media outlets that parroted and echoed Trump's tweets and Fox News stories without performing cooborations. Fake news proliferated at the speed of electrons giving MAGA reassurance that no matter where they turned, they saw "evidence" they were in the right group.
- Computer and Smart Phone software filters. These filters tend to re-inforce stories the user likes, watches, listens too. In a short amount of time, if a user does not value alternative viewpoints and "news" sources, the filter increasingly limits stories presented to the user from sources limited to the same perspective and side.
Reassessing MAGA Identity
- Deprogramming science-backed strategies to reverse MAGA’s grip on the mind without shame, but with precision, empathy, and psychological insight.
- Psychology Today reviews the wisdom of "reality-testing" as a way to reset your Identity and begin using critical thinking again.t
- Difficul Task history of post-Nazi Germany and other cult deprogramming efforts suggest some elements of MAGA will not change, but are more likely be become bitter at the notion they were duped for so long.
Understanding the Leader
Trump’s actions make sense when you understand his overlapping motives:
Psychological
- He does not admit defeat.
- His identity is tied to “winning.”
- Loss threatens his self-image.
Political
- Maintaining dominance over his movement.
- Retaining control of the Republican Party.
- Avoiding the humiliation of concession.
Legal
- Leaving office exposed him to investigations.
- Remaining in power delayed or blocked legal risk.
Financial
- His brand depends on strength, victory, and grievance.
- Fundraising surged when he claimed the election was stolen.
Control-Based
- He demands loyalty.
- He punishes dissent.
- He frames disagreement as betrayal.
These motives aligned toward one outcome:
Staying in power despite losing the election.