Due to being an avid New Yorker reader and, admittedly, a pleb simpleton who enjoys the day-to-day soap opera that is flowing from the White House (although please take 'enjoy' with a giant spoonful of salt), I can't help but finally sum up my current thoughts in a short post on what I see as the heart of the matter.
Taking a very simplistic view on the entirety of Trump's presidency so far, there is really one thing that comes to mind that seems to be the base of every liberal minded, anti-Trump voter's (or non-voter) thinking - we could use grown-up words like anti-liberal, nationalist or self-indulgent, but the truth is, to borrow words from Bruce Almighty - scarily fitting, when you think about it - Trump is 'a mean kid sitting on an anthill with a magnifying glass', and we're the ants.
Or put it even shorter, he's nothing but a big kid with a grudge.
The shocking discovery that I had made a few years before already but which really came to fruition after the 2016 elections is that no one really ever grows up. When you're young, you think about how your handwriting will magically change by the time you're 25; you think about how you'll think more adult thoughts and how you'll use words like 'educational policy', 'GDP ratio' and 'infrastructure budget' in your active vocabulary. But then you hit 25 and you still write with the same ugly letters, still wonder where bogies come from and how they keep respawning, and instead of fancy words you still use 'shit sandwich' and 'poo' on a daily basis.
There are so many examples I wouldn't even know where to begin, so I'll just stick with a recent one: the president of the United States - the so-called leader of the free world - announces the official date and time of what could potentially be one of modern history's most important meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Twitter. That is, a social media platform that now allows a generous 280 (up from 140) characters to share your thoughts. So, instead of holding a press conference or making an official announcement, Trump turns to his fans. Why? I imagine a dominating reason is that he just couldn't wait. Like when you used to get home from school and could barely wait to brag about an A you got that day. Or when you asked your parents to watch while you performed your latest trick/dance/headstand, what have you.
That's one thing. Another element of this official announcement which I find outrageous is the words themselves. Take a look at the tweet (in case you were able to not come across it for this long - sorry to spoil your streak):
A final note on 'World Peace': what's with the capital letters? I've had a theory for a while that Trump's random letter capitalisation, which seems to bear no logic or reasoning whatsoever, may in the end reveal the code to his entire presidency. A secret code? A salad recipe? Someone should really start writing them down.
But when all is said and done, this is just one - relatively - small example of the behavioral issues we are all observing. The fact that the president thinks and acts like a child may be appealing to those blinded by his previous media fame and talk, including down-to-earth, no bullshit speech - but how do we make that side of the world see that acting on impulse is simply the direct opposite of the art and craft of politics? Especially when played on such a massive scale? The stakes are high. And we're all getting a little desperate.
Taking a very simplistic view on the entirety of Trump's presidency so far, there is really one thing that comes to mind that seems to be the base of every liberal minded, anti-Trump voter's (or non-voter) thinking - we could use grown-up words like anti-liberal, nationalist or self-indulgent, but the truth is, to borrow words from Bruce Almighty - scarily fitting, when you think about it - Trump is 'a mean kid sitting on an anthill with a magnifying glass', and we're the ants.
Or put it even shorter, he's nothing but a big kid with a grudge.
The shocking discovery that I had made a few years before already but which really came to fruition after the 2016 elections is that no one really ever grows up. When you're young, you think about how your handwriting will magically change by the time you're 25; you think about how you'll think more adult thoughts and how you'll use words like 'educational policy', 'GDP ratio' and 'infrastructure budget' in your active vocabulary. But then you hit 25 and you still write with the same ugly letters, still wonder where bogies come from and how they keep respawning, and instead of fancy words you still use 'shit sandwich' and 'poo' on a daily basis.
There are so many examples I wouldn't even know where to begin, so I'll just stick with a recent one: the president of the United States - the so-called leader of the free world - announces the official date and time of what could potentially be one of modern history's most important meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Twitter. That is, a social media platform that now allows a generous 280 (up from 140) characters to share your thoughts. So, instead of holding a press conference or making an official announcement, Trump turns to his fans. Why? I imagine a dominating reason is that he just couldn't wait. Like when you used to get home from school and could barely wait to brag about an A you got that day. Or when you asked your parents to watch while you performed your latest trick/dance/headstand, what have you.
That's one thing. Another element of this official announcement which I find outrageous is the words themselves. Take a look at the tweet (in case you were able to not come across it for this long - sorry to spoil your streak):
As a sucker for literary studies, I can't help but take this apart. First of all: 'highly anticipated'. By whom? Trump voters? Doubtful. They most likely care much more about what happens within their borders, so long as they're locked and sealed, preferably with bricks and mortar. World leaders, leaders of Europe? After his withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, it seems they've finally lost all confidence - publicly - in Trump's abilities. For now, at least. So the prospect of the 'healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency' (according to his health report which, it now seems, he may have written himself) to be the first sitting American president to meet with the leader of North Korea may seem just a little daunting now. Let's not even mention their previous stand-offs, including competing about who has a bigger and more powerful nuclear button.
Then there's 'very special'. Katy Waldman recently pointed out in a piece for the New Yorker that Trump's speeches seem to always be clotted with buzzwords: "Who is Theresa May? How to talk about the relief effort after Houston flooded in 2017? A wonderful woman; a wonderful thing." 'Very special' is probably the right choice of words here, as we have especially good moments as well as especially bad ones. Which way this meeting is going to go will likely depend on keeping to pre-agreed dialogues and not letting things get out of hand. A misplaced compliment or a sly insult may set either of these leaders off, and who knows what the consequences of personal grudges could be. It seems Obama's policies are already taking a hit because of them.
A final note on 'World Peace': what's with the capital letters? I've had a theory for a while that Trump's random letter capitalisation, which seems to bear no logic or reasoning whatsoever, may in the end reveal the code to his entire presidency. A secret code? A salad recipe? Someone should really start writing them down.
But when all is said and done, this is just one - relatively - small example of the behavioral issues we are all observing. The fact that the president thinks and acts like a child may be appealing to those blinded by his previous media fame and talk, including down-to-earth, no bullshit speech - but how do we make that side of the world see that acting on impulse is simply the direct opposite of the art and craft of politics? Especially when played on such a massive scale? The stakes are high. And we're all getting a little desperate.
