The other day my husband, who works for the Veteran’s Administration as a Health Technician at a local Community Based Outreach Clinic (CBOC), saw a patient walk into the reception area wearing a “Let’s Go Brandon” face mask, and a red MAGA hat. I have posted about this slogan before and how disrespectful I believe that it is. But my husband is banned from speaking publicly about politics due to the Hatch Act, and couldn’t say anything. Thankfully, I am not. I will admit that I get “triggered” when I see this kind of open and deliberate disrespect and it does piss me off. But that is exactly what I believe is the point of their wearing these types of apparel.
But the one thing that gives me comfort is my belief in why they are doing it. You see I believe that these people are the ones that have never belonged to anything of substance before. They have never felt like they were a part of anything that had meaning. They were, and are, small minded people that just never fit in. But now they are a part of something. They have a voice, and the louder they are the more they feel like a part of something that makes them feel good. The wearing of these garments is intended to trigger us, to get a reaction, to make us acknowledge them as a part of a larger group that has power. Jordan Klepper has already shown us that they do not believe what they say, his interviews with MAGA wearing, TFG supporting, rally going dimwits is quite revealing. They have strong feelings but no knowledge. They say they believe this stuff but can’t support their beliefs with any facts. But that is not the point, they don’t care about facts it’s all about feelings, feelings of belonging to something that makes them feel good. Even if what makes them feel good now would hurt them later on as many of the insurrectionists are discovering as they go to court and are being sentenced for their actions.
The truth is that when I see these people, I think how pathetic, how sad, and how unloved they must have felt all this time to cling to something like the MAGA movement. I feel shame for them when I realize that this gives them a sense of self-esteem, a sense of belonging, and fills the void inside them that not being a part of something that is actually meaningful, and constructive has been left within them. The fact that they are seeking attention, seeking those few fleeting moments of interaction with people and doing it in a confrontational way has become an addiction. They crave attention, they crave acknowledgement as a part of something, and they desperately need to fill the void that a lack of self-respect and esteem has consumed them for so long.
So, when I look at the MAGA crowd I see a failure of our society to provide a means for these people to become a part of something bigger that is productive, constructive, and meaningful. Instead, they have clung to something that is destructive for the sole purpose of self-gratification thru the triggering and trolling of others because it is so easy to do compared to doing something that actually makes a difference for the better. How sad, how pathetic, and how small they must have felt to be able to suckered into such a destructive and hurtful path that can only lead to despair when they finally realize their mistake. I pity them, I see them as damaged people with nothing more than a need for love and a sense of belonging, and I blame every single politician that has done everything they can to force a division amongst us, in order to gain or retain power.
One last point. I understand why so many evangelicals and religious groups have joined the MAGA movement. When you take into consideration that the majority of this country now identifies as not being religious or holding no sincere religious affiliation. Those that do see their numbers dwindling, their power slowly disappearing and the influence waning. They need to cling to something, and the MAGA movement seemed like it was a sure fire way to gain more members and support. But they too are a starting to realize that may have been a mistake.