Face it, Donald Trump is not popular. He lost two popular votes
for president—the last by over seven million votes. His poll numbers never have
topped even 50%, instead mainly hanging around the 30s-40s.
Those of us who
dislike him (aka the majority) look at the guy in disbelief when we see fans
clamber to be near him and wonder why? Why do these people like him?
The same reason we see creepy, old rich guys married to beauty queens,
Americans have fallen for an image of the man.
His whole life has revolved around his claim to be rich and successful. The
reality is quite opposite on both fronts.
His wealth came from an inheritance not any business savvy. Due to debt and bad business choices it's
doubtful he could live on his own if those debts were called in suddenly. Unlike
all other presidents, he’s never released his taxes, but through leaks and
investigative reporting we've come to learn that he may actually be dirt poor.
Likewise, his businesses have repeatedly failed, from his bogus university to
his rancid steaks, all have been shut down, with many leading to bankruptcy and
ruin (for any gullible investors). His fake charity was dismantled by the court
because he was grifting the money from donors and keeping it for himself. It’s
possible he’s been laundering money, or at least, helping others to do so. What
else would you call it when a Russian oligarch buys a property for four million
even though it had been valued at far less?
In spite of these massive failures, he still has legions of adoring fans. It is
all because the one thing he's very successful at, is presenting a facade that
has those legions enthralled.
Over the years he's grabbed headlines with his flamboyant lifestyle, from gaudy
living quarters to marriages with glamour girls. He may not know business, but
he sure knows how to make headlines.
And that seems to be enough for his cult following. Even though he would never
be seen hanging out with these often poor and uneducated folks, he has
convinced them that he speaks for them. They like his brashness, which if
displayed by a female opponent they'd see as repulsive, and so forgive his
racism, misogyny and xenophobia.
All because he's a star. Through TV shows, movie cameos and radio interviews he
has polished that star and it sparkles in the eyes of his followers.
The media, who he pointedly attacks, helped further give him this star status.
I remember how frustrated I felt during the 2016 election when the Main Stream
Media (MSM) would leave whatever news coverage they were involved with to show
his plane landing at some event/rally. He didn't have to spend any of his own
money promoting himself during the primaries because the MSM was providing
endless coverage of his every move. Maybe the MSM deserves all the hatred
directed toward them these days because they created the monster.
Oh, that is unless the star is a person of color. OJ has not
faired that well. But that’s another story.
The Thurber Brigade wishes to apologize for this sidestep about
the previous president. We had hoped that when he fled the White House we would
never have to mention him in a blog again. However, he refuses to go away. So,
we feel obligated to keep making fun of, sneering at, and deriding The Orange
One and his cult following. If there were such a thing as a god, that being
would have struck The Big Guy down or at least have him locked up. Sadly, that
is unlikely to happen so we’ll keep having these occasional sidesteps in order
to make ourselves feel better. Sorry.
Around 10-15
years ago I sat at the bar of a nightclub during SxSW listening to a band and
drinking a beer. Normally during the festival, like most people, I try to get
close to the band on the dance floor in front of the stage. I had forgotten
my earplugs though and so thought sitting farther away (bar was at front of building,
stage at back) might save my hearing. A young woman approached me and then took the
bar stool next to me.
"Are you somebody?" She asked.
I smiled, frantically trying to think about a good pick up line (yes, she was
quite attractive), but nothing clever came to mind. "Well, my mother
thinks so."
She smiled back, and we exchanged a few more pleasantries, but she slowly eased
away. Obviously, I was not somebody enough. At SxSW it is very common to
run into actors, singers, directors, etc., and she really had hoped I might fit
into one of those categories. A struggling writer, fully employed,
self-sufficient and cute (hey, I had hair back then and a number of females
thought me handsome) academic advisor is not "somebody."
I've blogged beforehand about how women are just as superficial as men, but
instead of looks, they lean toward money and prestige. However, her
affliction, well, okay, her desire, had more to do with acquiring fame and stardom.
A driving force for both genders. I like to claim that this appears
in generations after us Boomers. After all, we were the generation that
celebrated the anti-heroes, fought against the establishment and the status quo.
I have a feeling though that there might be a number of us who succumb
to this desire too. Maybe.
I wrote a short story about this a number of years ago and actually convinced
someone to publish it. Titled "Thank You" it focused on a man
who watched a little too much "TMZ" and "Dish Nation" and "E! News" and saw all these glamorous
stars and people living the high life. He soon became despondent because
he was just a little old high school counselor. He decided the only way
out was, well, to end it all. Okay, it may have been more black humor
than just my usual ribald satire. Anyway, the moral was that everyone's
life is important in its own way and we shouldn't judge ours by movie stars,
singers, et al.
Unfortunately, we see this attitude all the time. The attitude that being
a star is everything, while being a good person, whether construction worker,
teacher, cop or some other useful occupation (come on, do you really believe
actors, etc. really contribute to advancing society? Pleeaasseee.) is to not
have succeeded in life.
For example, a number of years ago I remember a news story where a Kardashian
and Posse were walking through an airport and a reporter asked her if she
wanted to meet some big name politician also going through. I think it
was Joe Biden. She had no idea who he was, nor wanted to meet him.
If she didn't recognize his name, he must not have been important enough (similar to some college students who recognize the Kardashians, but not Ronald Reagan).
You really see this when watching those reality TV shows and they start with
the tryouts. There will be thousands of people skipping work, doctor's
appointments or something in order to stand in line for four or more hours in
order to spend one minute on a stage to try to impress someone that they should
be a star.
My satirical book "Sex and the American Male" which mainly took aim
at America's mass consumerism addiction, also touched on this. The main
character, Zach—due to microbes in his brain that want him to go crazy—always
wants to impress his love by either having a great car or by having enough
money and prestige to buy her "STUFF." He has to be a big deal.
To a lesser degree I think you can find this in other countries, but they are
mimicking us. The US sets the trend. As I mention in SEX, "we
are the Borg." American culture and society is overwhelming. We will assimilate
you. Resistance is futile.
As a child of the Sixties I put up resistance to this compulsion as best I can,
but I have to admit, I'd sure like to get more people to read my books and this
blog.
Oh, no, I'm infected.
