Perhaps we should take a step back for a wider view, and acknowledge the fact that "The Donald's" mere viability highlights some very disturbing trends in our political discourse and indeed, in our society as a whole.
BeLIEve
First off, let's start with the obvious. He's a billionaire. Our whole system is tilted in his favor. Sure, everyone can register to run for President. But for most of us, telling your kid that they could be President one day smacks of sarcasm so thick no blade could cut it. What parents should say is: "When you are old enough you can register to run for President." Everyone can do that. Some kid in South Carolina has registered his cat. Looking at my current choices, I'll take the cat.
It's a similar lie to all the lies we were told. Hard work will get you ahead (HA!), America is the land of opportunity (FOR WHO?!?!), capitalism works in your favor (double, triple HA!), your standard of living will always improve (
Idiocracy
It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Idiocracy is happening (for those not familiar, watch the intro scene here). The stupid are reproducing at a truly alarming rate. "Evolution, a process that once favored the most noble traits of man, now started to favor different traits...."
Add in our braindead obsession with instant gratification, our limited attention for only the shortest snippets of information, our constant status update culture, and we've got a recipe for disaster. Have you seen the news in the US lately? Meaningless gibberish. Flip to any of the international news stations that are, thankfully, available in this area over the airwaves and news pieces are reported in depth, always with a discussion of root cause. Flip to NBC, ABC, FOX, CNN, whatever.....all you get is little snippets. No meaning or context. Just what happened. No analysis. No questions. No asking "Why?" Entertainment, misinformation, weather. And they run it every night.
It's dangerous enough to let stupid people make decisions. Now they are misinformed stupid people.
Racism Revival
A while ago, a family member declared that we were in a post-racial society. We live in Maryland, so I was a bit forgiving at the time, figuring that they simply had never been exposed to the existing racial divides that currently define "real 'Murica."
I grew up in a town that for all intensive purposes was still segregated, at least in regard to housing. There were white neighborhoods and black neighborhoods. My secondary school was the original black high school. So yeah, the scars from segregation were still readily apparent where I grew up.
Not only that, but on both sides, it was readily apparent that racism is still alive and well. Whether you want to admit it or not, it's still there. And it will be for a very long time. So, am I surprised that 24% of registered Republicans love Donald for his anti-Latino rant? Absolutely not. What surprises me is that his numbers aren't higher out in the red states.
Culmination of decay
I've been reading a history of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. And let me tell you, the parallels are simply stunning. From the dispersion of military might to all corners of the known world, to the loss of faith in the representatives of the Republic, to the quality of elected leaders, the management of public debt, methods of taxation, we've got it all. It's as if someone picked up the book in 1776 and wanted to see how quickly they could re-enact the whole damn thing.
Faith in public servants is at an all time low, and it is certainly well earned. All of our representatives are in the pockets of dirty money. It's the only way they can get and stay elected. Which is all they care about. They don't care about their constituents. They care about getting a majority of the minority of constituents that still vote to vote for them. So many people are jaded that a vocal, insane minority can set the tone of the whole election, completely reversing the concept of majority rule. Conquered by the barbarians (thus the title of this post).
End Game
Listen. We're already over 7 billion people on this planet. And all of them wanting more. Even the richest, including "The Donald," want more. That idiot wants to be President. If it wasn't that, he'd want 8 more gaudy hotels in wherever. It's human nature. More more more. Gotta store up for bad times. More for me. MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE. I'm no different. I'm just stating the facts.
It's obvious we will burn all the fossil fuels we can get our hands on to feed our insatiable lust for convenience. Things are so bad that climate scientists have just given up and said, well, we might as well just figure out the effects of the worst case scenario. And for you global warming skeptics (yes, Chuck, I'm talking to YOU) - why don't you head outside in the dead of summer, pile every blanket on top of you and tell me it's not getting toasty. Or, for an oddly-timed "Cosby Sweater" analogy, see this link. Greenhouse gases are a planetary insulator, for fuck's sake. The only processes that will reverse climate change are nuclear winter or a huge upsurge in volcanic activity. Trust me, I'm all for humanity pulling it's own plug or for Yellowstone taking a huge shit all over half of the U.S. as the next guy, but don't come to me with your basic lack of an education in physics. And even if you don't believe in the scientific method, you should consider that when the Pope is taking a more progressive stance than your country, it may be time to make a change.
Bottom line: It's fucked. "It is beyond saving and must be allowed to die." Probably not tomorrow, not next year, or the year after. Maybe not in my lifetime. Maybe not even in my kids. But with each passing year it's getting more and more probable. What is it? Who knows? Economic collapse? Global Pandemic? Hot War with Russia? Does it matter?
But buck up, little camper. With the Donald in office, you can be sure of one thing: We will all get what we deserve.
Are you laughing yet?
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