Saturday, July 15, 2017

When The Outrageous, The Unethical And The Criminal Become 'Normal'



In the months since the Orange Ogre became the American President, I am sure that, like me, many have become inured to his daily debasement of the fundamental values that most profess to hold dear, justice, dignity, truth and respect being but four of them. What was once an esteemed office, the presidency, has been reduced to the equivalent of a wrestling arena, where over-the-top stereotypes of villains abound. American politics, and perhaps the larger American society, will never be the same again.

Henry Rollins, an American actor and musician, has penned an interesting piece in LA Weekly that examines this phenomenon.
It feels like a long time since the election of comrade Trump. I remember the first few days, the frustration and accompanying exhaustion I felt knowing that the country was going to go backward. Several weeks later, I was resolved to “reconfiguring my pack,” as I like to say. I had to do my best to understand this new landscape as America now lurched toward greatness. There were some familiar echoes of the Bush years: the homophobes and misogynists taking a victory lap now that they had one of theirs in the executive position, the environment with a target on its back, science getting sucker-punched in the schoolyard once again. All part of the greatness.
The outrageous behaviour continued and accelerated, but Rollins realized something:
Late last year, the first few tweets — the comrade’s seemingly preferred way of communicating to his base — struck millions of people as the actions of a rank amateur. A president wouldn’t do that, right? It took me I don’t know how many news broadcasts to become accustomed to variations of, “The president tweeted today that ....” Then the shock wore off and it became how it is.

An administration with zero accountability. Took a while, but it registers as normal now.
I will leave you with one more excerpt from his essay:
No matter what, we adapt — but most important, we forget and then repeat.
Perhaps not a profound insight, but surely an illustration of how, in this case, human resiliency has become a decided liability.

10 comments:

  1. Everything that is wrong with human character Lorne, ethically, psychologically and philosophically is being normalized under Trump and his administration.

    If character is destiny then America under Trump is doomed and that may also include the rest of the world.

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    1. That would seem to be a fitting epitaph for the good old U.S. of A., Pamela.

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  2. That's the real danger Trump represents, Lorne -- the assumption that Jerry Springer and Donald Trump are the best American television has to offer.

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    1. If it turns into an addiction, Owen, as I think it is starting to, the 24/7 reality show of politics under Trump will prove a difficult one to break for many.

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  3. I think the days of normal, as we experienced that in most of the post-war era, is over. We have embarked on a new era of instability and upheaval. Climate scientists now tell us that our only hope of surviving at least somewhat intact from what has already landed in our laps demands radical action. I'm so pleased, immensely pleased, that we're now hearing them incorporate all the threats. Not just climate change and greenhouse gas emissions but also overpopulation and our rapacious over-consumption of rapidly diminishing resources. Now, at last, they're speaking of the urgent and imperative need to abandon the neoliberal model of perpetual exponential growth, the orthodoxy that all Canadian political parties embrace.

    Yet our government won't have this adult discussion with our people. It won't give us a candid assessment of what lies in store for Canada or how Canadians can best cope with it. Trudeau, and I fault him only because he's the sitting prime minister, believes that increasing economic activity is his foremost responsibility as leader. His arguments might have seemed plausible in the 80s but clinging to them now and into our near future could cause Canada irreparable harm.

    The science types have written us a prescription and it entails sharp cuts in our standard of living, growing smaller. There is much in steady state economics that addresses how best to do this. The focus is on improving quality of life, enjoyment, while reducing consumption. Growth in knowledge, not consumption. Growth in the quality of what we need. Products that are repairable, upgradeable. I think of the last two stoves I had to send to the recycling yard, my use and enjoyment of them prematurely terminated as essential spare parts were nowhere to be found.

    We, and by that I include the next generation and the one after that, must become our government's priority, not trade. Changing that core priority is going to demand big change and sacrifice from all of us whatever our station in life. You can't achieve that with a government that tolerates inequality. Fortunately we have a manual of principles that were established in the golden years of progressivism.

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    1. Thanks, Mound. A very thoughtful and eloquent assessment here. If you don't mind, I'd like to feature them as my post tomorrow.Let me know if you would prefer that I not (i.e. negative optioning).

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  4. I never thought of it before, but Owen is absolutely right Lorne. Trump's White House is like a Jerry Springer show. I've been racking my brain to identify the real essence of who Trump is and Owen has just nailed it. GAWD help us all.

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  5. I read a comment today about Trump's loyal base that struck a chord. The writer described Trump's faithful followers as a cult. This apparently explains why, no matter how long the scandals go on, how damaging they become, the cult ignore them and anything else that detracts from their anointed Sun God. I don't know how one might test the accuracy of that claim but it does sound plausible. Remind me, what becomes of cults?

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    1. I saw a six-minute clip from a CNN panel of Trumpers and Trumpettes the other day, Mound, and the only one who seemed concerned about things was a bipolar lady who feared not being able to afford her medication under the proposed healthcare replacement. The others blamed an intractable Senate, especially Democrats who, apparently, are the real source of problems for Trump. Sounded to me that like they enjoy regular and copious amounts of the Kool-Aid.

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