”Why should we care how wonderful he thinks he is?”
These are words from a column I wrote many years ago about Rush Limbaugh. I could have written it recently about Trump. Maybe he picked up this cheesy tactic from Rush? Maybe not: “blowhard” has applied ever since I first became aware of him in the 80s or 70s.
Who knows the exact year: I intend to ignore blowhards. I grew up with at least a few in the Carman family, and my mother’s family. Ignoring them as a kid faced with an arrogant adult who clearly has no high horse on which to parade around on while tossing insults and unwise nuggets they think “wisdom” was probably wise. Not one of them, however, were as bad as Rush or Trump. Well, maybe my Aunt Blanche. When my father told us she died he also said, “No one cried.”
For some inane reason politically immature kiddies love this kind of ego bloated blather: supposed ‘adults’ who treat politics like it’s all about your team who is always beyond amazing. The other team? …always ‘baaaaaaaaddddd.’ These are the kind of people who think a valid debating point is calling someone a “libtard,” making up a story about a non-existent basement in a pizza parlor to promote libel and slander is perfectly acceptable behavior. Whatever serves the cause.
Trump pumping his fists as he headed into the aftermath of a horrible storm is like a WWE fighter pumping himself before a ‘fight.’ That’s the nature of some dare call sport. I felt this way when Cassius Clay became Muhammad Ali and he started all the “sting like a bee” blah, blah, blah…
Now Ali: an incredibly talented boxer, at least had a good reason to blather like that. And, to be honest, if Ali had lost, or the Mets, or the Giants, so what? The world would move on. No one really hurt except people who need to get a life rather than take any sport so seriously. Sports is just a war-based form of theater. That’s not the same for politics, politicians, leaders: where war becomes real. The WWE side to politics isn’t pretend slamming a chair over the ‘evil’ or ‘good’ guy. The political version would be dropping atomic weapons.
The other side to this is image. Since it’s an act your fellow fighter follows leads in this odd, extreme violence imitating, ballet. The opposite is often true, as North Korea has been proving, in politics and international relations. They actually slam the chair and a good portion of the audience closest to the action dies.
What is it about such bragging? Why do adults buy into it? I think most of us remember that kid in elementary school who got lousy grades but was annoying because he was constantly bragging about himself. God he was such a JERK. Today the equivalent is supporting a politician no matter what. Simply because a pol pisses off some group you hate is not a good reason to support them. It’s like supporting the fighter only because he pisses off someone, some group, you hate. He may be a horrible person, yet screws up so badly the other teams win. Pissing everyone off is as bad: the assumption because he pisses off all groups “he must be doing something right.” Hitler pissed off Nazis: so much so there were several assassination plots and attempts. Stalin pissed off even communists so much many were ‘disappeared;’ whole groups murdered: yes many among the party faithful.
Current example: we had an agreement with Korea, worked out by diplomats who knew what they were doing. Trump threw it away. And he’s still blathering about how wonderful their meeting was while Kim is going back to nukes, more endangering world peace. He’s just flaunting it less so Trump can tell lies. And, gee willikers, gosh by golly, it’s almost like this is part of the deal Trump made so he can declare victory and he’s better than all that went before. That’s dangerous. The outcome of that could indeed be “Earth shattering.” But what does Donnie care? At least it serves him.
I understand a lot of pols do this after a win in an election or primary: hyperbole is expected… somewhat; though I must admit I am FAR more impressed with modesty. A lot lies ahead, and it won’t be easy. It never is. Trump is the antithesis of modesty, just like Rush. If Rush talk is a pathetic political version of Ali what is Trump?
I won’t type it because it’s simply too close to following their model.
I simply don’t understand the attraction of all this hot air. Which has kept increasing over the years as framing replaces rational discussion with less substance than actual hot air. That kind of hot is like the more explosive gasses balloons are filled with. And if we continue in this direction the global balloon might pop in the worst of ways.
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Inspection is a column that has been written by Ken Carman for over 40 years. Inspection is dedicated to looking at odd angles, under all the rocks, and into the unseen cracks and crevasses, that constitute the issues and philosophical constructs of our day: places few think, or even dare, to venture.
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