“Chelsea Clinton is a dog” and “Baron Trump is a home-schooled shooter”: Why do people derogate the children of politicians?

Given the social norms about who targets of vitriol can be, it is surprising how prevalent derogating the children of politicians is. In a set of experimental and field studies, I find evidence suggesting that this happens because people believe the politician suffers more when they derogate the politician’s child than if they derogate the politician directly. This effect was not due to the politician’s child simply being part of the politician’s family, part of the politician’s social group, or being any child (who is unrelated to the politician). This effect attenuates when the politician is described as being emotionally vulnerable to derogatory comments or when the politician’s offspring is an adult. Together, these findings further our theoretical understanding of incivility in settings of conflict and why people may hurt those around a disliked person rather than the person directly.