WTF?

Posted on Categories #TheResistance, critical thinking, critical thinking, current events, politics, Uncategorized

You’ll need a little context to get your bearings.  Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court Justice extraordinaire, died a couple of day ago.  It’s September 21, 2020.  In about six weeks, the US will have a presidential election.  On the ballot, we have insanity versus sanity.  We have fascism versus ho-hum normalcy.

I don’t get those who are undecided, who haven’t yet figured out that American democracy hangs in the balance.  Being undecided at this point is like having two plates put down on the table in front of you.  On one, the one on the left, there is a hamburger.  It looks pretty good.  Hamburgers may not be your favorite, but you’ve had them and they’re generally not bad, especially if they’ve got both mustard and mayonnaise and maybe a jalapeno slice or two.  On the other, there is a pile of dog shit that hasn’t aged very well.  You gag a little and pinch your nostrils closed because it’s less than an arm’s length away.  The undecided person sits looking at both plates and thinks, “Gosh, I’m not for sure.  I might have to end up flipping a coin.”

Pardon me if I sound a mite sarcastic and snarky.  I’m feeling somewhat sarcastic and snarky. If these two things haven’t taken total possession of you yet, you probably need to wake up because you’ve been napping.

I’ve got a million reasons to hate Trump and Trumpism.  It would take me two months to simply list out all my grievances here.  But I’d have to put one at the top of the list.  It’s that Trump, his followers, and his movement are a boisterous celebration of willful ignorance.  They will totally believe nonsense even if they know that it’s nonsense.  In fact, the more obviously nonsensical the belief—the more transparently false and irrational—the more proudly they cling to it and proclaim its truth.  It’s like they want everyone to know that, by God, they are stupid and proud of it too.  In the old days, in the days before this weirdness took hold here, people tried to hide the fact that they were stupid.  If, by chance, they said something that was utterly dumb, they might get embarrassed and blush.  The first principle of Trumpism is that saying stupid shit is cool, that public demonstrations of not knowing anything is enlightenment.  That even if one gets caught saying really questionable stuff and there’s taped evidence to prove it, that it didn’t really happen if the right person says it didn’t.  Just trying to describe how Trumpism works is hard as hell because it requires me to contemplate the possibility that words no longer have meaning as well as confront the potentiality that aliens have long been here, living among us and developing their own way of understanding and representing reality.

What does any of this mean?  How is a thinking person supposed to live in such a world?

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13 thoughts on “WTF?”

      1. Not to mention feeling the need to stay informed but by being informed exposing oneself to the insanity.
        I find myself quoting Scarlett O’Hara a great deal these days, “Don’t tell me anymore about what they did!”
        But, above all, I have hope. My wish is you find some too.

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      2. Your comment reminds me of a political cartoon I saw recently. It depicts two people walking down a street. One of them says to the other, “I find that my need to stay informed is at odds with my need to remain sane.” Or something like that. Your comment and that cartoon really resonate with me. Thanks for the encouragement!

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  2. Amen. The conspiracy theorists get me. I have educated friends that believe these crazy theories. They must have been on the shooting range when “critical thinking” was offered. I never used to watch documentaries on WWII, but over the last three plus years of the Trump administration I’ve literally watched every TV show and doc on Hitler and his cohorts. I’m working on Russia’s history now. I thought it would help me understand. All that did was scare the hell out of me. The similarities are striking. Trump is more skilled than Hitler. Hitler didn’t have social media and Germany was a mess when he took power. What does this say about Americans?

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    1. Some years ago, I read an article that summarized a research study conducted by some famed historians and political scientists. Their study showed there is a certain percentage of people in every population who are drawn to authoritarian leaders and authoritarian thinking. I think that percentage, in this country, had always remained quiet until Trump came around and gave them permission to begin acting up. Now, they are literally unbound and unhinged. Like you, I see many disturbing historical parallels between what’s happening now, in this country, and what happened elsewhere in the past. I don’t know how all this is ultimately going to play out. What is your theory? I’d love to hear it.

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  3. I think it’s not just Trump related but a general phenomenon. The vast majority of people I see these days lack critical thinking skills and the ability to delve deeper into issues. *sigh* thank God for the world wide Web though, as an antidote to this madness.

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    1. As someone who spent a career helping college and university students develop such thinking skills, I’m appalled. Of course, the American president has all sorts of important roles to play. One role that isn’t talked about enough is his resposibility to be Educator-in-Chief. Every president has the solemn responsibility to help the citizens understand the issues and the problems we face. To misinform the public is to sin against the people. Thank you very much for your comment.

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    1. I know. Many Americans are so embarrassed right now. Many of us would like the international community to help us free ourselves of this monstrously dangerous idiocy. We’re trying hard to get it together. We’ll see if it happens. By the way, where are you writing from? I’m just curious. And what are the people in your country saying about us? I hope they realize that Trump and his ilk are a minority of people. Plus, our constitution is terribly dated and needs shoring up. Thanks for participating!

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