Supporting the President in a #NotMyPresident Context
Experiences of College-Aged Trump Supporters at a Southern University
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12875583 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Madison Adams (0000-0002-4014-0062, Southwestern University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 82-102 |
| Publication date | 2021-10-31 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Qualitative Sociology Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1733-8077 • E-ISSN: 1733-8077 |
| Publisher | University of Lodz Press (PUBLISHER • PL) |
| DOI | 10.18778/1733-8077.17.4.05 |
| OpenAlex | W3216233585 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 27 |
In light of sexual misconduct allegations involving the former president of the United States, this study analyzes the reasons some university students provide for their continued support of Donald Trump. Relying on ten semi-structured qualitative interviews with college students who align with the president, this paper identifies three interrelated stages making up a model of support. First, students identify their conservative worldviews as helping to explain their initial support of Trump. Second, given the numerous accusations leveled against the president in the media, students readily use neutralization tactics to counter these narratives and rationalize their continued support. Finally, they feel vilified at their university and elsewhere for supporting Trump, and they find it necessary to conceal their opinions. Such experiences do not contribute to them questioning their beliefs. On the contrary, they lead to more entrenched and rigid support of the president. By identifying this three-stage process and applying neutralization theory to better understand it, this paper contributes to the existing sociological literature on the persistence of conservatism in the United States today
Conservatism · Context (archaeology · Criminology · Misconduct · Narrative · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Qualitative research · Sexual misconduct · Social science · Sociology · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Populism, Right-Wing Movements · Rhetoric and Communication Studies
Techniques of Neutralization
“I Drink It Anyway and I Know I Shouldn't”
Back to a White Future
Bitchifying Hillary
The Trump majority
Having it both ways
Exposing whiteness in higher education
Politicization of Sexual Misconduct as Symbolic Annihilation
Discourse and the Denial of Racism
Mobilizing on Campus
Resolving Negative Affect and Restoring Meaning
Home Away From Home
Presidential Candidates and State Crime
The Racial Gap in Voting Among Women
Why Did Women Vote for Donald Trump
Why Did a Majority of White Women Vote for Trump
We Are Not All the Same
Legitimizing Immigration Control
Techniques of Neutralization
On The Meaning of Alienation
Psychological Harm and Free Speech on Campus
College Republicans and Conservative Social Identity
The Contemporary American Conservative Movement
An Agenda for Research on American Religion in Light of the 2016 Election
A Model of Neutralization Techniques
The Neutralization and Denial of Sexual Violence in College Party Subcultures
Sexting on Campus
| Highly cited | No |
|---|