Rejecting even basic decency and respect
Donald Trump’s run for the White House has laid bare the irrelevance of Washington’s once highly-esteemed class of campaign advisers. It has also exposed the culpability of the media in its gluttonous coverage of Trump; and the extent to which misogyny, xenophobia, and full-blown racism still remain deeply entrenched within American culture.
Trump’s campaign has forced us to admit that political correctness has worked not to actually reduce, but only repress, hatred and racism. However, if Trump wins in November, it will not be because of those factors. It will be because there is something Americans love more than competent leadership, safety and security, more than even making a buck – and that’s entertainment.
Trump brings a level of showbiz to politics that hasn’t been seen in modern times. This is not an extension of ordinary political theatre, which has traditionally been about presenting heads of government as dignified, legitimate, and statesmanlike. In fact, Trump’s brand of crass political showmanship represents, among other things, the destruction of political theatre, and rejection even of minimal standards of decency, courtesy and respect.
The thing about reducing politics to mass entertainment is that it turns all the rules upside down: to be presidential is to be boring; to be concerned with evidence, rational arguments, and objective reality is to be stuffy, over-intellectual, and boring; to be respectful of difference and caring towards the less fortunate is to be self-hating, soft-hearted…and did I mention boring?
One might like to suppose that Trump must invariably get trounced in a debate against Clinton, at least if he doesn’t start seriously cracking open the books. His recent meeting with Kissinger may suggest that he is not unaware of this and is taking precautions. But, sad to say, this gives the American public too much credit.
The more knowledgeable and versed Clinton sounds, the more it will push away countless Americans who have rallied against such educated elites, thanks to Trump, who has tapped into a very American strain of anti-intellectualism.