The Driver of the Trumpian Movement: Resentment?

“But the more interesting argument Nietzsche puts forward is that resentment was at the base of many of the West’s egalitarian philosophies.”

Introduction

“These worm-eaten physiological casualties are all men of ressentiment, a whole, vibrating realm of subterranean revenge, inexhaustible and insatiable in its eruptions against the happy, and likewise in masquerades of revenge and pretexts for revenge: when will they actually achieve their ultimate, finest, most sublime triumph of revenge? Doubtless if they succeeded in shoving their own misery, in fact all misery, on to the conscience of the happy: so that the latter eventually start to be ashamed of their happiness and perhaps say to one another: ‘It’s a disgrace to be happy! There is too much misery!’…But there could be no greater or more disastrous misunderstanding than for the happy, the successful, those powerful in body and soul to begin to doubt their right to happiness in this way.”

Nietzsche, The Genealogy of Morals

One of the most consistent accusations leveled against the contemporary left is that it is driven by resentment. People accuse progressives of wanting to punish success and those who have made something with their life. Or, these critics claim that many on the Left are ungrateful for what they have and instead choose constantly to dissect the minute sins of their culture and society. Many of these sentiments have their roots in Nietzsche’s pioneering examination of resentment—or ressentiment—in his classic 1887 work On the Genealogy of Morality. This is where Nietzsche argued that resentment has long played a deep and important role in human life, which is often underestimated. Resentment isn’t just jealousy of another—but a kind of deep sickness which can covet revenge for one’s subordination or even the pain inherent in all of human existence. This sickness can manifest itself in a variety of different ways. For some, it takes the form of an impotent desire to dominate others to make up for one’s own frail inadequacies. But the more interesting argument Nietzsche puts forward is that resentment was at the base of many of the West’s egalitarian philosophies. The most important was the Christian claim that the meek would ultimately inherit the earth through overcoming the worldly dominion of power. This evolved in a religious outlook that stressed humility, pity, and, in Nietzsche’s mind, weakness. Even if people increasingly ceased to believe in God, Nietzsche felt this Christian worldview hadn’t truly faded. Instead, it became secularized and banalized in liberalism and socialism, both of which continued to emphasize the fundamental dignity of all—and strove to improve the lot of the least fortunate. This led them to attack the powerful and aristocratic, under the auspices of bringing to fruition the principle that all are created equal and should, therefore, remain equal.

Trumpian Resentment

Iterations of this critique have carried forward in a variety of forms through conservative media. Yet one of the more interesting phenomena witnessed recently is how many post-modern conservatives and right-leaning people display similar forms of resentment. This is displayed in a number of ways. Perhaps the most curious is the identification of the political right and its base with a victimized identity. In the United States, many Republicans believe that Christians are more discriminated against than certain ethnic minority groups. The President of the United States has adopted the language of “woke” culture to claim that, despite inheriting millions of dollars and occupying the most powerful position in the land, he is, nevertheless, constantly undermined by liberal elites and is even the victim of “Presidential harassment.” Trump-friendly intellectuals are no more immunized, whether they are describing their personal victimization or persecution of conservatives more generally. Whether it is Dinesh D’Souza claiming he was the victim of politicized criminal prosecution while admitting he committed a crime, or Stefan Molyneux relentlessly discussing how he is marginalized and silenced by the Left (while also somehow being the “most influential” modern philosopher), Trumpian intellectuals are very willing to play the victim card.  Perhaps no one expressed the disposition better than Michael Anton before the 2016 election, when he wrote an initially pseudonymous article “The Flight 93 Election” calling on “Never Trumpers” to rally around Trump or face catastrophe. While describing the “tsunami of leftism,” Anton goes on to describe all the ways leftists have and will continue to marginalize conservatives, particularly if Clinton were to win the election:

“It will be coupled with a level of vindictive persecution against resistance and dissent hitherto seen in the supposedly liberal West only in the most ‘advanced’ Scandinavian countries and the most leftist corners of Germany and England. We see this already in the censorship practiced by the Davoisie’s social media enablers; in the shameless propaganda tidal wave of the mainstream media; and in the personal destruction campaigns—operated through the former and aided by the latter—of the Social Justice Warriors. We see it in Obama’s flagrant use of the IRS to torment political opponents, the gaslighting denial by the media, and the collective shrug by everyone else.”