MAGAReport for 9/5/2024 - Bullshit Receptivity

A dive into one of my favorite psychological traits that we see on the far-right

Have you ever wondered why Trump supporters get excited about the boastful, vague promises he makes in his speeches? I have some psychological insight to share! Today, I want to talk about Bullshit Receptivity, a for-real technical term that is a significant component related to belief in misinformation and conspiracy theories.

As many of you know, I’m working on a book about the psychology of the MAGA movement and the far right. My goal is to show how a blend of psychological characteristics make them susceptible to the conspiracy theory, misinformation, and fascist rhetoric that is infused in their politics. Bullshit Receptivity is so important to understanding these supporters.

Bullshit, as defined by Harry Frankfurt in his 2005 classic scholarly work "On Bullshit", describes statements that are (1) created with no regard for whether they are true or false and (2) created to serve a purpose, like influencing or deceiving others. There are many types of Bullshit, and some of the earliest research on Bullshit Receptivity looks at pseudo-profound Bullshit. The way this is measured is clever and fascinating!

Researchers used an online New Age Bullshit Generator to create a bunch of meaningless statements like "Divinity is the nature of rejuvenation, and of us", and they asked their subjects to rate the profoundness of the statement from 1 ("Not at all profound") to 5 ("Very profound"). There is nothing actually profound about any of these phrases - they are utterly meaningless. People who rate these statements as more profound have higher Bullshit Receptivity.

Political Bullshit is its own flavor, and tends to take the form of statements that are vague to the point of being meaningless. "To politically lead the people means to always fight for them" would be one example. People who prefer these kind of vague statements have higher political bullshit receptivity.

Researchers found that 2016 and 2020 Trump voters were more susceptible to political bullshit than voters for Clinton, Biden, or Sanders. That is not to say all Trump voters are susceptible to political bullshit nor that more liberal voters are immune, but there is a trend across bullshit studies that ties conservatism to bullshit receptivity.

I was thinking recently about how this connects well with a phenomenon I see both online and in my offline conversations with Trump supporters. There is a lot of “If the President would just do X, the problem would be solved.” X may be building the border wall or deporting all the immigrants or telling Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

The vagueness of political bullshit is a hallmark of Trump. Consider this clip from just today (9/5/24) where he is talking about “policy” at the Economic Club of New York:

And I am going further. We will bring our auto making industry to the record levels of 37 years ago. And we'll be able to do it very quickly through the tarriffs and other smart use of certain things that we have that outher countries don’t.

Ah, yes, the “smart use of certain things”.

Having watched far too many Trump speeches this summer, I can tell you this is the normal way he talks about policy. For his followers, one reason I think this kind of political bullshit is especially appealing is that real policy is so complicated. The MAGA Community does not want to hear how lower interest rates encourage spending which, in turn, can fuel inflation. They are much happier to hear “I will get inflation under control and then you will be able to buy a house.”

It is tempting to think that Trump may only understand policy at such a high level that he can only offer vague policies. But we must consider that he might know better but that he chooses this vague language to attract the supporters who want fast, simple solutions.

A thing I note a lot is that this is precisely why January 6th happened. Most of the men who assaulted the Capitol that day saw it as a quick fix to the election. One day of living a power fantasy and being a “hero” at the Capitol could undo the vote and hand Trump a victory. This is why I am not, today, especially worried about a civil war. Trump supporters do not want a protracted civil war that would upend their comfortable lives. The just see the idea of civil war as a quick way to address their political grievances. Things could certainly change by November, but now the appetite for violence is more rage-venting than genuine.

And on that note, as of now, there are not organized plans for violence or demonstration.