I've learned that it's almost impossible to reason with someone who is afraid or desperate. This led me to an odd possibility - does this explanation help someone accept another person's political views? Is the way to understand a Trump supporter a question of recognizing a sense of desperation, much in the same way that person might understand me by relating to my fear?
The problem is that this is almost an attack on democracy; the concept, perhaps illusory, is that empowered voters exercise free will to direct the course of government. But can someone ruled by fear or desperation live up to such a standard? The extent to which parties already leverage fear and desperation keeps power concentrated in the crumbling pillars of the status quo; I worry - no, I fear - that any goodwill effort to expose these feelings may only serve to further undermine a buckling institution.
