BALM FOR THE TRUMP AGAIN BLUES
Despite the inevitable knock on repercussions, as a non-American it’s not really my place to pass judgement on the presidential election. But in the spirit of “share your pain”, herewith some wisdom (none original), as comfort for my American friends who may be distraught, grieving, perplexed, disbelieving, incensed, depressed…etc.
While making no claim to be prescient, in early 2023, I wrote a blog with a theme that is pertinent to today. It was based on advice Winston Churchill, the unsurpassed master of crisis-coping, offered in the darkest days of World War II, when the (relatively) sane world was reeling from the onslaught of fascism: “Keep calm and keep buggering on.”
Churchill armed himself to do so with a daily intake of “approximately six glasses (1½ 750 ml. bottles) of champagne or wine daily along with 5 to 6 ounces of whisky or brandy spread over a 12 to 15 hour period.”
Perhaps a regimen it would not be wise to follow, even if one thinks it might help.
However, like it or not, for the next four years, we will all be in the proverbial “same boat” as Trump voters, so it would be wise to avoid the guilty pleasure of wallowing in schadenfreude when the reality of what has occurred rocks it.
A more useful (if difficult to maintain) coping mechanism, is the wisdom of 19th century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer: “A sense of humour is the only divine quality of man.”
On a more relatable level than deep-thinking foreign philosophers, “Dilbert” creator Scott Adams is credited with the aphorism: “You can never underestimate the stupidity of the general public.”
Having in another blog bemoaned the pernicious growth of “Political perfidy, economic irresponsibility and disagreement over acceptable social norms and speech…”, I think that when contemplating the prospect of four years of a Republican-majority Senate, it might help to bear in mind that the state of affairs is not unprecedented.
Publius Cornelius Tacitus (58–120), deemed the greatest historian of ancient Rome, described the senators of his day as: “exalted by wealth and honors … each in proportion to his readiness for servitude.”
And if the behaviour of some members of the Press corps isn’t as aggressive and probing as it could or ought to be in covering the Trump White House, Tacitus lamented that the brilliant writers of his time “were deterred by swelling sycophancy.”
THE BLAME GAME ISN’T FAIR
If tempted to point the finger of guilt at voters who ought to have seen what they were getting, it would be useful to make a mantra of this from the author of the classic science fiction novel “Stranger in a Strange Land”, Robert A. Heinlein: “Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.”
It will make it easier to reconcile why Arab Americans decided to “punish” the Democrats for not ending the war in Gaza — by voting for Trump.
It’s no surprise that one of the first world leaders to congratulate Trump on his victory was Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who hailed it as “history’s greatest comeback”.
Did the Arab Americans who voted for Trump think he will do what President Joe Biden couldn’t manage, and twist Netanyahu’s arm into a ceasefire, never mind a peace deal?
Or not offer the Israeli leader the thinly-veiled approval of the war in Gaza that he afforded Vladimir Putin, whose invasion of Ukraine he praised as “genius” and “savvy,”
And if it seems cruel to poke fun at that level of naivete, the Trump camp is already providing alternative “you couldn’t make it up if you tried” laugh lines.
One of the first post-election statements of campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, was that her boss “…delivered on his first term promises to build the wall, rebuild the economy, and make America respected again on the world stage.”
Unquestioning loyalty or belief is a form of stupidity taken to extreme, and not necessarily the fault of the practitioner. It’s actually a pathological condition. which on some levels deserves more sympathy than derision.
As a guideline to manage that, it’s not worth arguing with someone who believes their own lies, because, as Abraham Lincoln noted: “No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar.”
(I know it was a spokeswoman, but you get the point.)
As the cast of Monty Python’s “Life of Brian” sang and whistled: “Always look on the bright side of life…”
At the risk of ending on a downer, sing or hum along with this line from the Beatles’ Ringo Starr until it becomes an ear worm:
“Got to pay your dues if you wanna sing the blues
And you know it don’t come easy.”
That the dues may be higher than we like, or may be able to afford, isn’t a good idea to dwell on at this point.
I hope that helps.
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7 thoughts on “BALM FOR THE TRUMP AGAIN BLUES”
Enjoyed the read, thanks , let’s take another look into his second term and see what develops. Somehow I don’t think it’s going to be good!
I fear you’re riggt Steve
As a dual Canadian/American citizen, whose family in Texas have always supported Trump &, by agreement, I’ve not communicated about politics since Obama ran in ‘08, I’ll have to bite my tongue for another four years.
My first task in this newest era will be to detoxify my addiction to daily US news coverage. Then, I must begin to confront all the negative thoughts and emotions, some of which you readily pointed out. Not a quick or easy task. And, to quote Paul Valery, “ If you want to go down into the self, you better be armed to the teeth?” So, it will be a winter of discontent. I can’t afford Churchills drinking regimen, but wine, gin, and scotch will be involved.
KBO Don
i think a more sppropriate churchill quote is
“we have to keep our nerve and our principles
against all the pressure to abandon them , we’ll
have to fight politically and resist lawfully.”
my predictions for the trump term:
revenge not rejuvination…
deportation not deportment…
punishment not partisanship…
ego not equilibrium…
chaos not constitutional democracy…
and
more musk means mayhem…
and to the Washington post which claims
“democracy dies in the darkness” I say,
of course it does Mr. bezos when you turn
off the lights…
and finally,how will canada deal with a rush of migrants
fleeing trumpland?
sot on every one dr doyle…as for the immigrant rush.…if not a flood, certainly a flow
Nice try at uplifting our spirits Piz.
I guess time will tell how much spirit will be needed.