"Power resides where man believes it resides."
Dialog from Game of Thrones
Don't let this era of Trump drive you batty. One way to stay calm is to drop out of the role of involved citizen. Instead, relax into the role of spectator.
It transforms how she sees the news, she told me by phone. Seen as drama -- a version of Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, Succession, and Game of Thrones -- there are no good guys, only political gladiators. Stop cheering for one side. Instead, enjoy the game.
My correspondent has a job among people who take politics very seriously. They wouldn't appreciate her being entertained. They want her to be angry. She insisted that I not share her name.
[Note: I am still a concerned citizen, not a spectator. I care very much how this drama plays out. But I know there are others like this reader who find Trump a mesmerizing anti-hero.]
Your post Saturday quoted Thomas Hobbes and described everyone fighting everyone. Don't you see? You described Game of Thrones. There is White House intrigue, political violence, sudden plot twists, characters being fired or killed off, and new unexpected additions to the cast!Reality is a great show. Sit back and enjoy the news. Don't miss the most exciting reality TV show in world history. I am so supercharged and excited to watch the news as we near the end of season one of the Trump Show reboot, Trump 47.I can't believe how upset my friends get over Trump, as if they could do something about him. You get one lame vote or make some lame campaign contribution, that's it, end of your involvement, unless you wanna wear a clown uniform at "No Kings" protests. I feel so sorry for my friends biting their nails over Trump, while they have absolutely zero power to do anything about it. They can't get themselves oriented to life as spectator of a fascinating reality TV show. Too bad for them.My reaction when a missile hit the Venezuela boat is not "Oh-my-God! What about the rule of law?" but instead to think how friggin' cool. I'm going to replay that.Or Trump wants to put Biden in jail. My response is "Oh man that would be SO amazing!"And then I think, yikes, I hope nobody assassinates Trump and ends all this edge-of-your-seat entertainment.I think how exciting it would be to have a Trump Resort Gaza Strip; and how exciting it would be if he tore down the White House completely; and I could only fantasize about him actually shooting somebody on Fifth Avenue.The whole series is based on brutal revenge, just like Game of Thrones.
As we approach the end of season one of this reboot -- and what a bloody and vitriolic season it has been -- Trump intends to erase the last vestiges of Biden, invalidating hundreds of Autopen orders, and indicting Biden. He can indict for perjury when Biden denies the presidency was being run by a White House cabal. Trump learned this technique from E. Jean Carroll. All you have to do is goad your adversary into public statements of innocence, giving rise to a defamation claim for the denials. Biden will have no immunity if he denies he issued executive orders without reading them. Trump will drag him through hell.I think the 2026 season two is going to be "you ain't seen nothing yet". And I don't wanna miss a minute of it. The best seats in the audience are reserved for people willing to open their mind to the reality that everyone is fighting dirty trying to win. Sit back and watch nihilistic history unfold.
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Cultural Nihilism: nothing really matters.
ReplyDeleteNo thanks.
Many responses went through my mind, but I decided to go with hmmm, I have no response.
ReplyDeleteI watched the movie "Nuremberg" and, throughout the rise of Hitler, saw a Game of Thrones-like adventure. One problem with the guest post, The Third Reich wasn't "pop some popcorn and enjoy the show," it was carnage and tragedy for the world; as is the steady drip-drip loss of norms and culture and endless brutality. So it is with Trump, King Lear in the Park it's not.
ReplyDeleteEven facetiously, it’s still whistling past the graveyard.
ReplyDeleteI do something vaguely similar. I watch the news of Trump and his actions the way I would watch a hurricane. I see what’s going on, but I don’t get mad about it; what’s the point of getting mad at a force of nature?
ReplyDeleteI donate to charities to try to mitigate the damage, but what else is there to do about a hurricane?
In a another political environment, I might choose to help the opposition party. But for a different set of reasons, I am every bit as alienated from the Democratic Party as I am from the Republican Party.
So I watch the storm and hope that it will blow over without causing too much damage. Life is calmer and healthier for me that way.
ReplyDeleteAgree with LD - Trivializing the harm being done by Trump is gallows humor.