Schmittian Moments 11 Appendix 1
Character–Authoritarianism Matrix
| Character Type | Modi (Moral-nationalist Legalism) | Trump (Chaotic Personalism) | Putin (Security-driven Formalism) | Xi (Moral-ideological Bureaucracy) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. The Submissive Traditionalist (needs moral certainty, cultural rootedness, fears social fluidity) | ✔️ Feels affirmed by Hindu civilizational ethos and restoration of order | ❌ Finds Trump vulgar, unrooted, and unpredictable | ✔️ Accepts hierarchy, fears disorder; admires ‘strong’ paternalistic rule | ✔️ Embraces moral clarity and stability; trusts Party’s authority |
| 2. The Resentful Individualist (feels betrayed by liberal institutions, craves revenge, rejects elites) | ❌ Too collectivist, too much compromise with legacy bureaucracy | ✔️ Fully identifies with Trump’s rage, disruption, and symbolic vengeance | ✔️ Respects strength but dislikes state constraint on private ambition | ❌ Rejects ideology, too constraining and opaque |
| 3. The Loyal Institutionalist (values order, process, hierarchical coherence, avoids chaos) | ✔️ Likes blend of tradition and rule-of-law formalism | ❌ Repulsed by norm-breaking and institutional erosion | ✔️ Feels safe under strong, disciplined state machinery | ✔️ Trusts slow reform and moral bureaucracy; values discipline |
| 4. The Cynical Realist (calculative, anti-ideological, values power and survival above all) | ✔️ Sees Modi’s balancing of caste, law, and narrative as pragmatically clever | ✔️ Trump’s raw power and manipulation appeal, despite risks | ✔️ Putin’s cold legality and intelligence-state blend is ideal | ✔️ Accepts Xi’s rational moralism as effective, even if personally uninspiring |
| 5. The Aspiring Technocrat or Managerial Type (craves systems, data, upward mobility, hates populism) | ✔️ Attracted to Modi’s blend of tech-savvy governance with cultural legitimacy | ❌ Sees Trumpism as incoherent, anti-modern | ✔️ Likes Putin’s legal rationality and centralised discipline | ✔️ Enthralled by Xi’s long-term planning, ideology-as-system, and moral clarity |
GRID 1: Left-Leaning Personalities and Authoritarian Appeals
| Left-Leaning Type | Modi (India) | Trump (USA) | Putin (Russia) | Xi (China) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Postcolonial Justice Seeker | Ambivalent , admires anti-Western tone, but wary of Hindu majoritarianism | Hostile , sees as neo-imperial, racist, and destabilizing | Opposed , views as oppressive and anti-pluralistic | Intrigued , admires state-led decolonial development, but skeptical of censorship |
| The Social Democratic Egalitarian | Wary - sees caste inequity and cronyism | Opposed - Trump’s inequality and deregulation repellent | Rejects - suspicious of oligarchic power | Mixed - impressed by poverty reduction, skeptical of authoritarianism |
| The Eco-Communitarian Idealist | Dislikes - nationalist extractivism offends green values | Hates - consumerism, denialism, ecological disregard | Distrusts - oil-centric, militaristic, patriarchal | Paradoxical - admires long-term planning, dismayed by lack of civic freedom |
| The Identity Politics Activist | Opposes - anti-Muslim, patriarchal, repressive | Opposes - white supremacy and misogyny repellent | Opposes - LGBTQ repression, ethnic nationalism | Opposes - surveillance, minority repression, gender control |
| The Anti-Imperial Theorist | Divided - sees Modi as resisting Western hegemony, but disturbed by ethno-nationalism | Sees as fascistic and imperialist in disguise | Cautiously supportive - sees anti-NATO stance as valuable | Critically curious - respects global South solidarity, critiques internal repression |
GRID 2: Right-Leaning Personalities and Authoritarian Appeals
| Right-Leaning Type | Modi (India) | Trump (USA) | Putin (Russia) | Xi (China) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The National Conservative | Enthusiastic - sees civilizational revival and moral clarity | Devoted - aligns with religious heritage, strong borders | Respectful ,admires strength, patriotism, tradition | Wary - admires order, but uneasy about atheistic communism |
| The Free Market Libertarian | Conflicted - supports economic reforms, distrusts cultural control | Loyal - favors deregulation, anti-tax rhetoric | Skeptical - sees state corporatism and kleptocracy | Opposed - too centralized, anti-entrepreneurial |
| The Security Hawk | Impressed - admires anti-terror stance and regional muscle | Supports - strong on law-and-order and immigration | Strongly supportive - sees geopolitical realism | Mixed - admires surveillance and discipline, dislikes ideological rigidity |
| The Religious Traditionalist | Inspired - celebrates moral and spiritual resurgence | Loyal - sees divine purpose in national restoration | Likes - promotes Orthodox values and masculinity | Ambivalent - moral order appeals, but absence of religion disorients |
| The Neoreactionary Techno-Elitist | Curious - likes caste as social tech, intrigued by legacy systems | Likes - sees disruption and populism as radical force | Enthralled - sees as model for masculine sovereignty | Respectful - sees as efficient post-democracy model of governance |
Generational-Authoritarian Appeal Grid
| Generation | Modi (India) – Moral Nationalism, Legal Flexibility | Trump (USA) – Chaotic Populism, Personal Sovereignty | Putin (Russia) – Security Authoritarianism, Neo-Traditionalism | Xi (China) – Hierarchical Technocracy, Moral Bureaucracy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation (b. ~1928–1945) | Appeals to a sense of spiritual order, national rebirth after colonial humiliation, echoes Gandhi/Nehru but with Hindu moral dominance | Perceived as vulgar or unstable, though admired by some for anti-elite rhetoric | Strong appeal due to emphasis on order, tradition, and restoring national pride | Mixed feelings - impressed by stability and control, but suspicious of atheistic Communism |
| Baby Boomers (b. ~1946–1964) | Appeals to desire for cultural coherence, loss of familiar moral and social hierarchies, nostalgia for post-independence unity | For some, Trump is the "corrective" to the liberal excesses of the 60s and 70s, especially in conservative subgroups | Viewed as a strongman returning Russia to greatness, especially resonant for Cold War mentalities | Admired by some as the model of long-term planning and competence, unsettling for others due to rigidity and surveillance |
| Generation X (b. ~1965–1980) | Appeals to their experience of unstable liberalization and corruption, Modi’s image of discipline and identity is stabilizing | Mixed reception - his chaos is exciting to anti-institutional Xers but alienating to those who value autonomy and structure | Viewed with strategic respect - represents survival and resilience, but not admired as a model for personal freedom | Perceived as too conformist and repressive, though some admire its predictability and national self-sufficiency |
| Millennials (b. ~1981–1996) | Mixed - some are drawn to his rejection of Western liberalism, others resist due to his intolerance and caste-blindness | Either seen as apocalyptic symptom of democratic failure or thrilling vehicle of disruption and "truth-telling" | Regarded as outdated, patriarchal, and repressive - admired only by some disillusioned with Western liberal failures | Fascinates some for its efficiency and global rise, but largely feared for its suppression of individuality and dissent |
| Gen Z (b. ~1997–2012) | Often rejected due to majoritarian violence and perceived moral hypocrisy, though some nationalist youth embrace his Hindu-first identity | Seen by many as a meme-fueled disaster, symbol of everything broken - others idolize him as a hyperreal trickster challenging elite reality | Widely rejected as authoritarian and out of sync with digital freedoms, but ironically embraced by some for aesthetics of power | Perceived as the most serious threat to freedom - admired by some for climate control and tech integration, but feared for crushing dissent, conformity, and surveillance |