[Iskra Fileva is a professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado and a popular blogger at Psychology Today. In this guest post, Prof. Fileva reflects on the rise of Harris. —mh]
Don't you think a lot of why people went so crazy for her has to do with relatability? Not that she's so exceptionally relatable, but for many people - especially younger people - neither Trump nor Biden came close to satisfying the desire for someone who intuitively "makes sense", because they're kind of like me or at least like people I know well. I'm not sure why relatability matters so much - presumably it's related to trust and a sense of feeling at home in the universe - but I think the pent-up need for it might explain why the surge of pro-Kamala sentiment was so fast & intense. It's like if you work somewhere with people you just can't relate to and someone you can relate to shows up, you'll practically fall in love with them out of sheer gratitude.
I'm not sure Harris can be compared to Obama in this respect, because she hasn't actually DONE anything charismatic or cool. She's mostly just received that designation from influencers and media who want her to be more popular.
I think Harris's rise may also have to do with racism and sexism. Democrats have become increasingly hostile towards white men, and they like the fact that she is both not white and not a man.
Don't you think a lot of why people went so crazy for her has to do with relatability? Not that she's so exceptionally relatable, but for many people - especially younger people - neither Trump nor Biden came close to satisfying the desire for someone who intuitively "makes sense", because they're kind of like me or at least like people I know well. I'm not sure why relatability matters so much - presumably it's related to trust and a sense of feeling at home in the universe - but I think the pent-up need for it might explain why the surge of pro-Kamala sentiment was so fast & intense. It's like if you work somewhere with people you just can't relate to and someone you can relate to shows up, you'll practically fall in love with them out of sheer gratitude.
I'm not sure Harris can be compared to Obama in this respect, because she hasn't actually DONE anything charismatic or cool. She's mostly just received that designation from influencers and media who want her to be more popular.
I think Harris's rise may also have to do with racism and sexism. Democrats have become increasingly hostile towards white men, and they like the fact that she is both not white and not a man.