One comment that I frequently make that drives the trolls on that other site up a wall is how American politics isn’t really a right-left continuum. In reality, politics is more like a cursive “u”, with the two far ends of the spectrum approaching each other in a manner where the far-left and far-right are much closer to each other in their behaviors than they are to more moderate members of their self-proclaimed parties. Erik Hoffer noted this phenomenon in his book The True Believer, how for the Nazis, it was far easier to find converts among the Communist party of Germany than it was to recruit members from the Social Democratic Party of Germany. Likewise, it was far easier for the Communists to convince a Nazi to join their cause than it was to attract Social Democrats to communist ideology.

In my Unified Theory of Fascism essay series I’ve been looking at the underlying psychology of extremist ideologies. In those essays, I make frequent mention of the “neurotic authoritarian”. The neurotic authoritarian is someone who experiences a high degree of frustration in their personal lives because they never manage to achieve the same degree of success that they feel is expected of individuals who grow up in the culture in which they were raised. For most Americans, the determination of what is “successful” is the level of affluence and comfort they were able to enjoy while growing up in their parents home. An individual who grows up in an affluent suburban environment, but due to various reasons isn’t able to finish college and develop a successful career is a prime candidate for recruitment by extreme right-wing groups. Likewise, someone who grows up in a more rural setting, who sees the factory where his parents worked close up and move overseas, so he ends up working a cash register at the local gas station or stocking shelves on the night crew at Wal-Mart, is also a prime candidate for recruitment by extremist groups.

Individuals without authoritarian tendencies may experience a “situational neurosis”, that is characterized by a high degree of frustration and social anxiety, but because of their education and coping skills will eventually manage to overcome that temporary frustration and move on with their lives. Individuals with strong authoritarian tendencies who experience that same frustration will have greater difficulty moving on, and will likely be attracted by the conspiracy theories offered by fringe groups. Those conspiracy theories function as “grievance narratives” that allow the afflicted individual to externalize their sense of social frustration and focus their anger on various social out-groups.

The key difference between political reformers and political agitators is that the reformer is a person whose every action is informed by a desire for real improvement in people’s everyday lives. In psychology, there is the concept of “the reality principle”, which is an understanding of what is realistic and appropriate in the management of our everyday lives. The reality principle is a product of the super-ego, and includes all of the social learning that allows us to function in everyday society. Political agitators tend to appeal to people’s sense of frustration. One of the key functions outlined in the Unified theory of fascism essay series is the psychic split whereby the ego and the id overwhelm the function of the super-ego, making authoritarian individuals susceptible to influence by the “grievance narratives” that a diet of conspiracy theories provides. Individuals who populate fringe political movements typically demonstrate weaker function of that reality principle, which is why fringe political leaders are able to make bold statements of what they’re going to do (as in “we’re going to Make America Great Again) but provide little in the way of defining exactly what their slogan means, or how they hope to achieve that goal.

It is the common presence of a weak reality concept, and an affinity for grievance narratives that explains the apparent similarities between the fringe right and left. This phenomenon explains why some  individuals bounce back and forth between calling themselves Trump supporters, and “Bernie Bros”. Having defined that part of the problem, the next challenges to grasp are two-fold: 1. “How do you appeal to individuals who have a weak reality concept, and convince them to behave in ways that will overcome their desire for grievance narratives and get them to vote in their own best interest?” and 2. “How can public messaging be used to bolster the public’s appreciation for knowledge and learning, and create a society that bolsters the reality concept, instead of constantly seeking to profit off of clickbait and dramatic headlines that appeal to and reinforce a desire for greivance narratives?”