| I'm also a fan of Zero to One and Thiel's other writings, and not a fan of Trump... To me, it's a reminder that people are complex. Peter Thiel is a remarkably lucid thinker, but he was openly homophobic when he was young, while in the closet! Ron Paul is probably the only political candidate I've ever learned anything from, but he also has a history of racism. Even Trump is complex -- he's not just the arrogant, ignorant character he plays on TV. I found this piece in the NYTimes to be illuminating (sorry if it's a subscription link): http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/07/10/opinion/campaign-stops/... Like Peter Thiel and Ron Paul, Trump has contradictions. He is both ignorant and accomplished. He says a lot of bigoted and sexist stuff, but he has also known to be been shrewd in cultivating gay and female executive leadership. It's been said that his best advocates are his children, and that's saying a lot when you compare them to their peers (other children with 3rd generation wealth). Trump is tapping into a real need that the electorate has, which honestly NEITHER party has an answer for. Trump probably doesn't have an answer for it either, but acknowledging it is the first step. Honestly, it's probably NOT irrational for lower middle class white men to vote for Trump (over Clinton, at least). I would argue that it was probably irrational for them to vote for Bush, since Bush didn't act in their interests. As for why Thiel would support Trump, I'm mystified too. But what I would guess it's because he doesn't support either Democrats or the "establishment GOP", which Trump isn't a part of. Thiel is a contrarian, and in tech social circles, Trump is the ultimate contrarian choice :) |
This does seem to be a major reason why otherwise rational people are supporting him. I think it is incredibly short-sighted, and sometimes wonder if these people have thought it through much, but it is what it is.