Been saying this is exactly what will happen with Trump if he loses again. Watch people start backpedaling in the next few years, saying they weren't really a big fan.
That's what we expected when Biden won in 2020, then Jan 6 happened and Trump is running again. There's an implication that things will gradually return to some 2007/2008 status quo (which was also very polarized) and right-wing extremism will simmer down. But there's no reason for it, no cultural forces for it. Right now there's no reason to think another Trump or someone worse won't take up the mantle of owning the libs by grifting the right.
They were never big fans. Most Republican voters support Trump for the same reason Democrats support Biden. He's their colored guy.
The analogy of Trump is insanely ironic as the real analogy should be "Blue MAGA Democrats will come out and say they never supported Biden/Harris" who are doing the current Genocide.
watching this situation play out in real time in my life with pictures and videos all over social media and a majority of people hating it, but looking the other way and supporting leaders who enable it anyways makes me suspect that this his how all genocides takes place; the ruling classes lets it happen and they're enabled by their own liberals & conservatives masses.
Its a behavioral problem within hierarchical social structures. These things happened long before we had conservatives and liberals. Its an issue with how we structure our societies to "follow those at the top". When the top wants to murder and pillage, historically they dont have a hard time convincing the lower strata to cooperate.
You've hit the nail on the head. A mix of propaganda, whataboutism, and short attention spans creates social intractability. Manufacturing Consent by Noam Chomsky is a good media criticism book that speaks to this if anyone is curious.
i've been reluctant to read up on chomsky's works due to his response about visiting epstein's child fuck island (tldr: he said it's none of your business).
it diminishes his legacy and makes me wonder if his work is truly inspired or just high quality rantings of a smart man.
it's a nation whose ruling class wants to change it's old hegemony for a new one that's genociding gazans and the old hegemony has the means to force them to stay through a war and the new hegemony is using it's wealth to help that nation's ruling class achieve its goals by providing weaponry; logistics; and experience for that war.
he puts all those hollywood S-tier clueless celebrity twats to shame. The Rock and Justin Bieber were sharing pics of Gaza destruction on fire saying "Oct-7 pray for Israel" because they dont know shit about Palestine neither Israel, and were told to follow narrative or get cancelled. None of them has any principle or moral stand on anything. They're all sold.
When we stop being afraid of the fuck ups who are doing this, we can stop it from ever happening again. Unfortunately the population is ruled by fear, bread, and circus.