The piece leads with the observation that Trump has "an apparent disregard for fact so profound as to suggest that he may not see much practical distinction between lies, if he believes they serve him, and the truth."
Trump is a textbook example of a demagogue, a political leader who gained power and popularity by arousing the citizenry's emotions, passions, and prejudices. The op-ed describes this precisely by saying Trump "targets the darkness, anger and insecurity that hide in each of us and harnesses them for his own purposes. If one of his lies doesn’t work -- well, then he lies about that."
And, of course, those who still support him refuse to believe that he's lying, although their numbers are dwindling. They're the perfect patsies playing into his hands.
We all have known a habitual liar or two or three in our lives, that person who tells stories about life experiences too fantastic to be real. Usually such people are harmless and we even indulge their delusions, particularly if they're suffering some sort of mental illness.
We can't do that with Trump. In fact, as the Times piece so ably demonstrates, a liar in the Oval Office is dangerous, both as a deceiver and a dupe who can be easily deceived.
"He has made himself the stooge, the mark, for every crazy blogger, political quack, racial theorist, foreign leader or nutcase peddling a story that he might repackage to his benefit as a tweet, an appointment, an executive order or a policy," the editorial accurately concludes.
I urge you to read the linked item and share it with acquaintences, particularly the Trump supporters you might know. Those are the people who need some serious reality interdiction and fast.
Todo un maestro.Amigo venezolano,Cucuta
ReplyDelete