It's manufactured because it markets well. You remember Hot Topic? Maybe it still exists IDK.

In middle school that's what the "punk" kids would wear. They'd get something from Hot Topic because it was supposed to be cool and rebellious but it was yet another brand that decided to craft some kind of ideology for itself in order to better sell a product. In this case it was themed t-shirts, bad make-up, and studded belts. You embrace the vaguely counter-culture and suddenly you have this weird level of credibility that by and large shouldn't be granted to you based on the very nature of the co-opted ideology being counter-culture.

I like the genre folk punk, it's neat. Part of the whole deal associated with it is the value in recycling older items, not like recycle bins but going "hey I can take this old chair that broke and just fix it up in to a stool and it's fine." Which is great! I try to throw out very little (food products mostly, I should start a compost pile at some point buuttt I also hate gardening). Headphones break? You can rewire them if you're clever. Cellphone breaks? Buy a new part and fix it.

I'm almost 100% sure that if it doesn't already exist there's going to be a store that will cater to that exact mindset. Chair broke? Come get your chair repair kid. Phone broke? Phone repair kit. Reusability becomes its own market, DIY becomes a marketable term, and bam. Right back in to the mainstream. What was supposed to be a way to escape the weird cyclical consumerism that we get from phones or IKEA or whatever is gone and it's just another market with brands and commercials and an ideology that includes your loyalty to the product being sold.

That's basically what the candidates are at this point. Not just Trump or Sanders but Clinton too. Kasich tried to do it but it was too late. Rubio almost got it, but then he went against his brand image and poof, fell flat.

Trump supporter is an identity now. It's a meme. You know what it is, the phrase "trump supporter" conjures up a set of beliefs in the same way that "McDonalds" conjures up a menu. The demonization of the mainstream opponent encourages conformity within the belief, while extending an olive branch to an opponent who shares some brand similarities (anti-establishment, though Sanders would fall more under 'expand government programs' rather than...whatever Trumps plan is?) and you get to simultaneously push yourself as staunchly Republican but also a coalition. It's why you get the statements of "Sanders > Trump > everyone else > Clinton." It's the brand.

It's disheartening to see this marketing technique finally makes its way in to politics but it's hardly unexpected. Manufactured ideologies are fantastically successful when you can pull them off. Getting people to include brand loyalty as a part of morality will get you some good cash, and we've been flirting with that using iPhones and Androids for years now. Or with a console. The fights people have over which mildly distinct video game box they have is fascinating when the effect it has on their life is minimal.

All that's happened is that the product is a candidate. And remember to enter the code "sanders16" to get a discount on your next purchase from Trader Joe's.

And to be fair, "trump16" gets you 5 cents off a gallon at your local BP station.

Vote today and save!