Its like Hillary walking into a working class kitchen for the first time.
They’ve been shielded from even critical support of China and other AES for so long they literally, not figuratively, literally cannot process that people exist that have beliefs that aren’t Reddit Approved. They immediately assume it’s bots or wumao. Human beings can’t possibly hold these beliefs, so they must be Oriental hordes or actual robots.
I would disagree that liberalism only appeals to people who are entirely disengaged.
There are so many passionate and obsessed liberals. People who do canvassing, go to peaceful protests (while criticizing protests that are too disruptive), DVR MSNBC shows, listen to Pod Save guys, etc.
there’s a kind of desperation in the way a lot of libs cling to their ideology though, a sense that it must hold or unknown terrors will consume them. I don’t think it’s particularly stable, especially if a real worker’s party were to offer a clear alternative.
“Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t”
Those canvassing/protesting positions are fairly good opportunities for those seeking to push obsessed liberals toward the left libertarian end of things. A few poignant questions and a “based on that, you might be an anarchist” can be powerful.
That’s how I was prompted to dig deeper, and end up with a more “radical” descriptor. One conversation while canvassing to open the door. Prior I would have described myself as liberal because I didn’t know a while lot about other options, but my actual views didn’t change much at all.
Oh yeah… I once had an argument with a Bernie supporter who wanted a Domestic Terrorist Alert List. The argument got heated and I wasn’t really for gun control if the police are still armed.
She called the cops to my fucking apartment.