I’ve been watching the American race for president for a while now. Like the rest of the world, at first I thought, “Trump is obviously the joke candidate, brought in for some light relief.” But, it’s gone beyond a joke now. In fact, it’s become both disturbing and rather frightening. It looks most likely that he will win the Republican nomination. If he wins the election, he may be the next president of the United States. (God help us all.)
I’ve been having a sense of political deja vu. Before our last election, there were plenty of people who warned us that Mr Abbott was not a good candidate for Prime Minister. The more people made fun of his idiosyncrasies, the more his weaknesses and foibles were pointed out, the more people leaped to his defence. The same seems to be happening with Mr Trump. I hear, “He’s not afraid to speak his mind”; “He’s an intelligent man”; “He knows what he’s talking about”; “We should treat him with respect”….and I think, “Oh no. He’s smart enough to make everyone overlook how smart he isn’t.” He knows how to manipulate people’s fears so that they will think he’s the only one who will be able to protect them from the rest of the big scary world. Unfortunately, if he becomes president, the world will become even scarier.
The difference between the two democracies of America and Australia is that in the U.S. people elect the president, independent of the rest of the party. In Australia, we elect the party and the party chooses who will be the leader. On the plus side for the Americans, they get a say in who will be the leader of the country. On the downside, they are then stuck with him for at least four years and maybe eight. Plenty of time to make a horrendous mess. In Australia the downside is that we have to accept the leader that the party chooses. The plus side is that if the leader turns out to be useless, too authoritarian, or too annoying, or who gets up the nose of the voting public, the party can get rid of them at any time and replace them with someone who may, or may not, do a better job. This has happened a number of times in the last four or five decades. And, even many of the staunchest L.N.P. voters were relieved when Mr Abbott was finally given the heave-ho.
Why am I even bothered by who will become the leader of another country? Because we’re talking about America. We have treaties with them. We’re allies. What America decides to do often means we get to do it, too, especially when it comes to war. (Eg: Vietnam; the Gulf War; the invasion of Iraq; the war in Afghanistan…) The ebb and flow of their economy affects the rest of the world. They’re big, they’re rich, they have lots of weapons and they’re not afraid to use them.
The world is changing. One of the biggest changes in countries with European foundations (including America and Australia) is the rising challenge to white people’s sense of entitlement and superiority. I think this is a good thing. Quite frankly, the horrors inflicted upon indigenous people around the world by white colonialists, is a permanent stain on our history. Racism, acknowledged by everyone as not acceptable, nevertheless is still endemic in our societies. It’s time that stuff is gone, once for all. Are the blacks in both our countries getting angrier and more assertive? Well I, for one, can understand why. But a lot of people find this a bit threatening.
Along comes an orange-skinned (is he perhaps a bit obsessed with eating carrots? Or is he a tall Oompa Loompa?), strangely-coiffed, narcissistic, pompous media whore, who says, “You can trust me to deal with this. If we don’t like ’em, we’ll nuke ’em” and all the frightened people think, “Oh thank the good Lord! Finally, a strong leader who will make us great again.”
I just wish we’d all start thinking a little more clearly with our brains, instead of other parts of our anatomies.
I agree entirely with your words here, Wendy, the whole thing has moved beyond farce and yes, is getting scary, because it’s not comedy, it’s actually true, this odd person is actually in the running to become President of the USA. A terrifying thought for sure.
Unfortunately, I think that Trump is as much a symptom of our times as he is an aberration. He has no coherent policies, apart from building a wall to keep out the Mexicans and deporting all Muslims. He claims to be a successful, rich business man but all his enterprises have failed and he’s been bankrupt 4 times. He makes most of his money from selling his name as a brand to other companies. He just repeats over and over, “I’ll do it. I’m a great leader. Trust me.” and everyone says, “Oh, ok!” Things have come to a sorry pass when so many people have stopped thinking for themselves; have stopped asking questions, and have allowed their fears and prejudices to have the steering wheel.
We’re all definitely very worried even in Asia. If Trump is elected, he’d make Barack Obama look like Einstein. And I can’t be assured that he’d act in our interest or his interest. He actually threatened to crush Jeff Bezos if elected, imagine that.
I don’t like to trash talk anyone but I think we can confidently say, he’d act in his own interest.
Once upon a time the people of Germany were filled with despair and were going through poor economic times. They needed someone to lift their spirits and point out that a specific race of people were to blame for all their problems. This man was a small man who ranted and raved and the rest of the world sat back and laughed at his foibles and ideas. Then one day he became the German people’s leader. Their lives were going to become better and wealthier and those nasty Jews would all be gone. Many followed him and many stood by and let him work his evil. A race in Europe almost wiped out and the German people were plunged into a war that brought them to their knees. History is meant to be what we learn through and by. Unfortunately America now has their own laughable man whose rhetoric is vile and feeds on fear and racism. It is sad but the human race does not learn. WE are meant to learn from the past and not repeat it.
Well said, Dee. We can only hope that there are more thinking people in America, than there are Trump followers.
I think of all the Anericans who said they were moving to Australia if Obama got in – as if we wanted those ones !!! We might need to put on more flights if Trump got in – we’d probably take them !!
Well, let’s hope they don’t come by boat!
SIGN ME UP!!! I’m a 37 year old white American man who has lived in the south my whole life and I am utterly disgusted and shocked with anyone who would support anything this con man has ever said, done, or endorsed in his life. Only takes a quick google search to fact check and find out that his success is a mirage….an orange polished terd of bullshit. He is a pathological liar (sociopath) who has made a living out of screwing people over. Thats what he lives for! But I already knew that about him…that’s his problem. But somehow he has convinced a good portion of this country that he cares about them when all he cares about is absolute power and profit. He has reduced people to the cerebral capacity of sheep by repeating the same uneducated, unsubstantiated, and repulsive punchlines …and he is leading them to the slaughter…that’s my problem. I’m surrounded by assholes!
If we’re feeling the fear down here in the southern hemisphere, I can only imagine what it must be like for sane, thinking people there in the States. I feel for you, mate, and I’m praying there are more of you than we realise and that you all get out there and vote.