I am not into politics and have never voted for anything. Sometimes though, there is a peculiar situation going on with the political scene that lets me explore the reasoning of human rationality. The Trump hate vs the Obama love are two of these situations.
Obama in my eye resembles a model human being. It is someone that always appears sharp, humorous, concise, every word he sais is measured and well calculated. It is someone you simply can't dislike because he managed to appeal superficially to almost all Americans and especially young ones. He just looks like a smart, cool dude that can rule a nation. It is much like hiring a super model to promote your new top line product. Trump on the other hand, appears to be free-flow, unprepared, pompous, arrogant making lots of mistakes and mishaps. It is someone that you wouldn't want as a president because he looks like the boss you always hated. Nobody likes an arrogant prick, right?
We live in an era where fakeness rules. Obama is someone that relates more to the exaggerated profiles on facebook. The careful profile pics that manifest after a thousand trials or the word choice and food pictures that are crafted to depict how awesome you are even if you are crawling in a corner crying. And this is really what the Obama administration did. It plunged the economy, made literally the same decisions about war, carbon emissions and the like, yet it was celebrated because the messenger was such a likable guy and the outwards narrative was completely different.
This had a twisted turn of events though since the boomer generation along with some youngsters, saw that the entire charade cost them a lot during those 2 presidential terms. They where slow enough but they did figure it all out. And when they had to choose between a former's wife president that looked like she was going to continue the same Obama tricks vs a random rich-privileged asshole with skin in the game in running businesses, well, they chose the latter. And this is really what it all came down to at the end of the day.
There is not much to hate about the actions of Trump. What bothers is the way and character he executes them. He is one of the few presidents to keep up with (most) of his promises, runs the country like he would run a business and tries to turn things around in respect to America being a world police nation by focusing on bringing jobs back and stop all that interventionist bullshit. Instead of sending troops he is raising sanctions and one could say that he prefers his employees well being (citizens) over the money he is making with the outsiders. He is acting like no other boss would on a micro-scale situation. Now imagine if Obama did all those things Trump does but also add that glorious speech and loveable smile at the end. Mind blowing right?
But still. He is an asshole right? There is nothing to like about his character and really, who cares in this time and age about honesty and sincerity? Most businesses, friendships and marriages thrive of superficiality and bullshit. This is why social media have become so popular. Our lives don't need "reality" or "truth". They need comfortable lies. We care more about our feelings rather than reason. We came more about appearances rather than sincerity.
And this is really also the eternal battle between freedom and security. I avoid saying "left" vs "right" because the terms are misleading and all too abstract. In my experience, the people who care about security are those who are associated more with koumbaya star-trek utopianism where Tesla drives us to the edge of the solar system while everyone is happy eating soylent food. On the other hand, the ones who care about freedom simply don't want to be bothered and rather choose to live in their own property. Security demands the sacrifice of others so that everyone feels ok. Freedom on the hand makes most people uncomfortable since there is too much exposure to the elements of life. There is a general sense to police the world, make wars, rule the solar system that comes with security. On the other hand, even the hard core right wing rednecks that i have met in my life just want to stand in their land with the gun on their hand. Nothing more.
The leaders that humans choose to be represented from, reflect the character and ethos of the citizens. Personally, If i had a gun on my head, I would have chosen Trump over Hilary or Obama. The reason would be simple. I would take someone who is an asshole but speaks real. Sincerity is my choice, any time of the day instead of taking some politically correct persona that tingles my ears but does completely different things behind the scenes.
"Pretentionism" is manifesting more in big cities where it is easier to fake it within a crowd, much like it is easier to be whoever you want online. Cities are growing since they offer amenities and protection, shielding from the elements and threats of exposed small towns. In the same way, you wouldn't be able to fake it much in a small online network where the peers where your classmates that you also interacted with on a daily basis in real life. This is why the east and west coast are usually the most "left winged" and "security based" voters where the midwest, the rural life goes with more freedom. Same applies in Europe with the crowded cities where almost every nation has left-based ruling mentality with a strong opposition from the right. Lifestyle reflects political choices.
The "Trump Hate" and "Obama Love" expresses things about us that are rooted in our very nature. It shows part of our character and how we see those around us. And really, at the end of the day, politics are nothing but a battle of the masses trying to make the best of the situation.