The Authoritarians
One of the most mystifying things in political science is the question, “why would individuals support a right-wing authoritarian movement?”
26% of the U.S. population qualified as highly right-wing authoritarian
One of the most mystifying things in political science is the question, “why would individuals support a right-wing authoritarian movement?” Superficially, it makes no sense - especially to anyone with even a passing familiarity with history.
The other side of the question, “why would someone want to be an authoritarian leader?” is relatively simple. Combine a few grim psychological traits with the opportunity for graft and power, and it’s pretty straight-forward.
It’s the followers that are the tricky part. Fortunately, Bob Altemeyer, a researcher based in Canada built a model for assessing right-wing authoritarians (RWAs) and conducted extensive research over a forty year career.
He summarized his researching in a book, which he made available for free at theauthoritarians.org. I would strongly recommend either the Audible audiobook or the audio available on YouTube.
It’s a must read or listen.
