Mindless Mouths for Mindless Millions — The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
Trump is mostly famous for being famous. Like Sarah Palin and Paris Hilton their mouths not their minds appear to be their greatest feature. Personal branding is a new phenomenon and you’d have to say its increasingly fed by mindless media. It seems Americans have allowed his spirit to fester and now with Donald, the genie’s out of the bottle and almost on the White house lawn with his golf clubs. It seems he doesn't take crap from Republicans or Democrats.
Is it a true story of the American dream realised or indictment of corporate capitalism, celebrity greed and swathes of ignorant voters. I read that Donald Trump supporters have the worst grammar on Facebook. "I am the most fabulous whiner, because I want to win”.
Trumpism exemplifies much that is problematic about American populism.
Time magazine described Trump as an "immigrant bashing carnival barker". What does it say about Americans, that Trump has made it so far? He’s adept at dividing the world into “us” and “them,” because he knows that audiences find it comforting. A lot of under informed voters like his bold and confident pronouncements that he would make America great again.
He operates in a world of absolutes, a world of right and wrong, a world of winners (like him) and losers (like McCain), a world of put up or shut up. And he never apologises. Like Hitler, Trump appeals to the angry and embittered white supremacists. Herd animals who mindlessly mill about shouting fear and rage, with an obsession for National purity. You may well laugh but his online presence is striking. Over the past two months on twitter alone, he has been mentioned in 6.3 million conversations, eight times more than Republican rivals. Trump's on the up, with a Twitter following of 4.36 million that dwarfs the rest of the Republican field.
The dark power of words has become the defining feature of Mr Trump's bid for the White House. Rarely seen in modern politics, he forgoes the usual campaign trappings, very little policy, no endorsements, commercials or even donations. He instead relies on potent language to connect with the fears and grievances of Americans, tapping into deep veins of economic disappointment, ethnic resentment, and political disaffection.
This "trust me and only me” rhetoric insists that he can lead the country through turmoil with his unique qualities.
I don't doubt President Trump would build the Great Wall of Mexico, forcing the Mexicans to pay for it, and then throw 11 million suspected illegal immigrants over it. He will then probably look around for an unwinnable war on false pretenses, perhaps Iran. Unlike fellow fascists Mussolini and Hitler, his breezy style and stage presence makes him more effective. He is not as off-putting as these raging men of the past. The most striking hallmark is his constant repetition of divisive phrases, harsh words and violent imagery that American presidents rarely use. This "trust me and only me” rhetoric insists that he can lead the country through turmoil with his unique qualities.
A recent survey found 60% of all Americans didn’t know who the Vice President was. Sarah Palin may well be the perfect running mate alongside Donald since he likes size 10 women who look good. If these two joined forces on the Presidential ticket it would be the greatest gift ever given to comedy.
Palin seems to have confused Jesus with Rambo.
A gun toting ex beauty pageant contestant Sarah Palin once joked that Jesus would fight for the second amendment (to bear arms). She missed the fact that according to the Bible, Jesus never carried a sword himself. Palin seems to have confused Jesus with Rambo. Even Fox news fired her in recent days; perhaps her beautiful neck was just too red for them even.
The hope for America is that he doesn't make it. The danger is that the Democrat candidate could make a horrible mistake and make Donald seem like the lesser of two evils. Like France, America stands at a perilous political moment. And Trump, God forbid is in the middle of a sea of ignorance. Safest bet would be to vote for Paris Hilton the best mindless brand on the bench. Build more Hilton hotels in the Middle East, not bomb them.