There is much to be said about group mentality whenever people feel they are part of a movement bigger than themselves. Yet it can evoke pride, or manipulation.
Is a rally a good or a bad thing?
Short answer, it depends on who is running this rally. For the purpose of this article, we are focusing on political rallies. This is nothing new, and we’ve seen people going out spending their time and often also their hard-earned money to support and view their candidate of choice.
Some people are extremely devoted, some are more pragmatic. You can usually see who is whom by the level of merchandise and regalia that they will carry. In the United States of America that support-through merch is most definitely prevalent on right-wing circles. That does not mean that left-leaning folks will also drape themselves in left-wing regalia; but for America at this point in history it is just nowhere near as the right wing-folks.
And this regalia is important for many different reasons. And, no, simply supporting a candidate by getting a bunch of merch is not the only metric that can be extrapolated from it. The biggest less-conspicuous one is the level of bias a person has regarding their perceived candidate – and whomever they seem to oppose. For example, is the supporter of a candidate also draped in vulgar or derogatory regalia that is actively depicting the candidate’s opposition? From an outsider looking in, how much information can we infer from this regalia-draped person? Let’s find out.
First the obvious, we can infer they “like” whomever is the candidate, but also, they are so enamored with this person that they are willing to become an insult billboard against another human being. From a purely monetary perspective, it can also show that the person either has disposable income to wear such a disparaging regalia, or if they don’t have disposable income, and still chose to purchase such garments – also shows they are not likely to make savvy money management decisions.
This is great news for manipulators paying attention, because it shows people who make these financial decisions could likely “go a little further” if need be – if they are convinced enough this “investment is on their best interest.” And that rhetoric to action might be very easily attainable.
Afterall, who else is going to buy that type of merchandise? Obviously, it is not targeted to the opposition. Yet for those attending that rally, this level of vulgar display could very well be something that “makes them feel popular” or “accepted” by some of those who find that level of vulgar rhetoric part of this group mentality – as though “something is calling it as it sees it” – wow, they even had it in a t-shirt or hoodie form, who would have known? The people who are monetizing your biases, that’s who.
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Why am I focusing on merch?
If it was not obvious, because it is a reliable way to see if people put their money where their mouth is. Especially for a right-wing rally, you see people camping out hours if not the night prior their candidate of choice pops out – that’s especially true for Trump rallies.
The “uniforms” are disguised as political regalia, the time and effort to show up. I can include to this expense tally the time off work, the babysitting costs, the entry, and parking fees (even if the event is “free” -somebody is paying for it, the shared bathrooms, the possibility to come across some very weird people among the more moderate crowd – that metric can be easily and visually understood just by some quick math on how much they spent on regalia.
Let’s say for example, there is a couple going to the rally; they got their MAGA hats, shirts, hoodie, flags, signs, and maybe a couple of other trinkets. How much does it all cost this household? The hats seem to range anywhere from a few bucks to more than $40, let’s average for a cool $25, the shirts average $20, the hoodies average $35, the flags average $30, and trinket kits average $20. That’s $130 per person or $260 for this household. That does not count the time and expense to be there.
And no, I am not talking about admission fees. For what I’ve gathered, apparently admission is free, unless you want to purchase perks such as been a lot closer to Trump. In either case, remember that taking a day off from work is already an expense – even if not an obvious one. But if people want to support their candidate, that’s their choice.
However, not everybody finds this level of support the optimal way to help somebody. Although left-leaning rallies do happen, it is very unlikely to see the same folks who attend as many rallies as possible from town to town to support the candidate, even if it is very far away from their actual home address. In the USA, most left-leaning people will show their support either through voting, or if you’re lucky by sending some donations. Different approaches to support their candidates. One is more effective, which one do you think that is?
Well, if it was not obvious, the one that does not require a rally. Because they don’t need to hear it in a group mentality what they understand as their candidate’s policy. If they understand it, they go “ok, got it, I’ll vote on date such and such” – and they have been doing so. That $260 figure instead of buying shirts and merch, is instead freed up to donate it to their cause – if they wish to. Regardless of a rally, if people want to vote, they will go out and vote.
On that note, that is another debacle in its own right. If you’re an American citizen, don’t be deceived by the fact that some people who don’t subscribe to your political leanings don’t support their candidates in a way they find more effective. Some people love to be in a crowd with others chanting something that excites them. Others made up their minds about whether they support a candidate and will support without purchasing the additional regalia or rally attendance. HLC