I’ll give you my theory on why Trump supporters love Trump and respond so enthusiastically about his self-righteous, anger-validating messages. It’s not just about Trump and his supporters.

They’re simple people

Trump supporters have a “tried and true” point of view. They want simple lives. They want simple truths. And where did they learn these truths? As little kids, on the playground. They pushed and shoved and felt justified about it when they got mad.

They want life to be the way they know life to be. They want their notions of God and morality to be simple and right. It’s uncomfortable to think their way of life doesn’t work. So they deny it. They pretend everything’s good enough until it’s bad enough that they can’t deny any more.

And when things are that bad, they must minimize the extent to which it’s their fault. So they blame others and get mad. They feel any justification that blames others has some truth in it, because they feel better about themselves. Their emotions are paramount. They love Trump because he validates their emotions, making them right, making them feel good.

We’re all simple people

We’re all like this. There are hundreds, many even thousands of different “ways” that people are. Each “way” is a spectrum, a continuum. Needing to be right is at one end of one. Feeling horrible about being wrong is on another one. Having stronger emotional thinking and weaker logical thinking is another continuum.

All of us were two and three-year olds once, with a very simple view of life. Those ways of thinking and feeling are still inside us. Some people just didn’t move very far away from them. Many are now fully adult in many ways, but not too adult in one or more of these ways, needing a simple life, feeling severe discomfort when they’re wrong, and believing their emotions.

We’re all somewhere on these spectrums. And while we may invent rules about what’s allowable and punish people who transgress, it’s not their fault that they’re built like they’re built. It’s not their fault that they have strengths and weaknesses.

In the Trump rally in Chicago, a man punched a protestor (about 4 minutes into it, with 4:20 left). He was certainly violent, and he’s been charged with assault. Keep in mind that all of the other thousands of protestors refrained.

We’re emotional beings

We all gravitate to the ideas that make us feel best. We all have things that we get emotional about. And we’re primates- our anger can turn to violence.

Should Trump have the right to meet with his supporters without protesters interrupting? Should Trump be allowed to validate their feelings of indignation and self-righteousness? Should he be able to remind them that a few decades ago, punching someone for misbehaving was acceptable? Should protesters have the right to disrupt a rally with impunity? These are all valid points of view.

Do you get mad at Trump? Do you get mad at his supporters? Would you like to see them pay for their ruffian behavior? Then you understand how they feel.

Clearly different people have their own idea of what’s right and what’s wrong. Given that, how can we all work together?

I’ll give you a hint. Add your email address to our announcement list.