The only way to explain Trump is that America and its institutions collectively decided that he is special for some reason (celebrity?) and will be graded on a generous curve. He will get away with everything where no one, even other recent presidents, will get any slack.
In a way, we gave a toddler a loaded gun, locked him in the room with us, and tied ourselves to a chair. It’s national suicide and we have ourselves as a country to blame. We never had to tolerate this but we chose to.
Thank you for laying it out so well. I'm reminded of Liz Truss' lettuce - I wish he'd only last that long.
I guess as a Catholic and a Star Wars fan, I'm offended by the stupidity more than anything else. He's a 12 year old troll who loves the attention he gets.
I know that we have to keep up on all he stupid he spews, but I wonder if we could do something like that movie from a few years ago, "A Day Without a Mexican" and have a "day without an idiot for President". Like, just pretend he doesn't exist. No commentary, no AI, no discussion, nothing on the news about it...Donald Who? Rump? Bump? Chump?
His birthday is a good day to do it; I hear Obama appreciation day is in the works.
More than ever I am convinced that Rump is merely window dressing. He’s there to be the Insane Eddie spokesperson, drawing us to his batshit crazy while a shadow government destroys all of our institutions to make it their own myopic utopia for the few, the religious zealots and the wealthy. It’s all misdirection while the real ruse occurs. The best way to take away the power of the people in charge is NOT to go after those at the top, but to chip away at the foundation. That’s what they’re doing and what we need to do as well. Do not be fooled.
Star Wars is based on Joseph Campbell’s work on mythology and specifically the Heroes Journey which is an interior process whereby an individual confronts the dragons or aspects of their ego that prevent them from experiencing the fullness of their humanity. George Lucas was a good friend of Campbell.
I think I’m more offended by him defiling Star Wars than the Pope but he surely is a reflection of who we are as Americans in any case.
Murc's Law and the fully-powered up rightwing media human centipede make this all possible. And the madness of this gibbering tyrant foisted upon us is just the continued poke in the eyes from the unreconstructed. The unreconstructed with their outsized power in the United States, and the ability to benefit from Americans who want to prioritize their prejudice, privilege and/or Internet clout.
And make no mistake, a lot of the death cultists are fine with what's happening. Yes, reopening Alcatraz is a boondoggle and extremely expensive (If I recall correctly this is one reason Washington State closed its island corrections facility at McNeil Island I wanna say). But the money squandered on Alcatraz is that much less that can be used on social services. Sadopopulism requires grand spectacle, and grand suffering, after all.
We have to wait for the American electorate to upgrade.
Yep. That is the limiter. The electorate. If we are going to remain a democracy, tens of millions of voting adults are going to have to grow the miserable fuck up and recalibrate their moral center. The only way to that end is through massive suffering. On an up note, The emergence of the trump-fascist-dictator in America has caused a leftward lurch worldwide, or more accurately those countries have seen their own authoritarian demographic redirecting their authoritarian energies outward toward the US instead of inward. Authoritarians need an enemy or they will create one out of whole cloth. Trump has given them a raison d'etre.
I think the political calculus has had to change for a few folks. They have to really think hard and balance their conservative-coded bigotries with their national sovereignty.
"I want to oppress Black and indigenous people in my country, but I also do not want to become a vassal state of or economically dependent on the USA, which will periodically hand over control to a sadopopulist death cult."
The up-side to the Cold War war with the Soviet Union back in the day...Looking back you can see how it directed America's authoritarian energies outward instead of inward. It all begins to change after the falling of the Berlin Wall.
The only way to explain Trump is that America and its institutions collectively decided that he is special for some reason (celebrity?) and will be graded on a generous curve. He will get away with everything where no one, even other recent presidents, will get any slack.
In a way, we gave a toddler a loaded gun, locked him in the room with us, and tied ourselves to a chair. It’s national suicide and we have ourselves as a country to blame. We never had to tolerate this but we chose to.
I find no other explanation convincing.
On the subject of AI Trump/pope I ran across this today on Debra She Who Seeks blog
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mYDpsg1FaM
The Revolution may not be televised, but will it be meme-ified?
Thank you for laying it out so well. I'm reminded of Liz Truss' lettuce - I wish he'd only last that long.
I guess as a Catholic and a Star Wars fan, I'm offended by the stupidity more than anything else. He's a 12 year old troll who loves the attention he gets.
I know that we have to keep up on all he stupid he spews, but I wonder if we could do something like that movie from a few years ago, "A Day Without a Mexican" and have a "day without an idiot for President". Like, just pretend he doesn't exist. No commentary, no AI, no discussion, nothing on the news about it...Donald Who? Rump? Bump? Chump?
His birthday is a good day to do it; I hear Obama appreciation day is in the works.
More than ever I am convinced that Rump is merely window dressing. He’s there to be the Insane Eddie spokesperson, drawing us to his batshit crazy while a shadow government destroys all of our institutions to make it their own myopic utopia for the few, the religious zealots and the wealthy. It’s all misdirection while the real ruse occurs. The best way to take away the power of the people in charge is NOT to go after those at the top, but to chip away at the foundation. That’s what they’re doing and what we need to do as well. Do not be fooled.
"so people understand we’re a nation of laws again, unlike under Biden"
Funny, I think I would have noticed a four year long Purge.
Also, the current thing infesting the Oval Office is a convicted felon, you wanker, so don't talk to me about the rule of law.
Star Wars is based on Joseph Campbell’s work on mythology and specifically the Heroes Journey which is an interior process whereby an individual confronts the dragons or aspects of their ego that prevent them from experiencing the fullness of their humanity. George Lucas was a good friend of Campbell.
I think I’m more offended by him defiling Star Wars than the Pope but he surely is a reflection of who we are as Americans in any case.
Murc's Law and the fully-powered up rightwing media human centipede make this all possible. And the madness of this gibbering tyrant foisted upon us is just the continued poke in the eyes from the unreconstructed. The unreconstructed with their outsized power in the United States, and the ability to benefit from Americans who want to prioritize their prejudice, privilege and/or Internet clout.
And make no mistake, a lot of the death cultists are fine with what's happening. Yes, reopening Alcatraz is a boondoggle and extremely expensive (If I recall correctly this is one reason Washington State closed its island corrections facility at McNeil Island I wanna say). But the money squandered on Alcatraz is that much less that can be used on social services. Sadopopulism requires grand spectacle, and grand suffering, after all.
We have to wait for the American electorate to upgrade.
Yep. That is the limiter. The electorate. If we are going to remain a democracy, tens of millions of voting adults are going to have to grow the miserable fuck up and recalibrate their moral center. The only way to that end is through massive suffering. On an up note, The emergence of the trump-fascist-dictator in America has caused a leftward lurch worldwide, or more accurately those countries have seen their own authoritarian demographic redirecting their authoritarian energies outward toward the US instead of inward. Authoritarians need an enemy or they will create one out of whole cloth. Trump has given them a raison d'etre.
I think the political calculus has had to change for a few folks. They have to really think hard and balance their conservative-coded bigotries with their national sovereignty.
"I want to oppress Black and indigenous people in my country, but I also do not want to become a vassal state of or economically dependent on the USA, which will periodically hand over control to a sadopopulist death cult."
The up-side to the Cold War war with the Soviet Union back in the day...Looking back you can see how it directed America's authoritarian energies outward instead of inward. It all begins to change after the falling of the Berlin Wall.
Alcatraz is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, we should call it the Alcatraz Ocean.
Just being consistent.
His odd fixation with sharks continues, I see.
I think he’s probably safe from them. Even if, you know, someone entreprisingly sneaks one into his suite in his bronzer or something...
(... I mean, as if he’d go near the water.)
Anyway. I know they say sharks will eat anything. Me, I think they might make an exception for ole cabbage brain.
Sharks especially Great Whites, have been so misunderstood and maligned. They really don’t want prey that fights back or is healthy typically.