http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/an-american-tragedy-donald-trump ------------------ An American Tragedy By David Remnick Nov. 9, 2016 02:40 A.M.
The election of Donald Trump to the Presidency is nothing less than a tragedy for the American republic, a tragedy for the Constitution, and a triumph for the forces, at home and abroad, of nativism, authoritarianism, misogyny, and racism. . .
In the coming days, commentators will attempt to normalize this event. They will try to soothe their readers and viewers with thoughts about the “innate wisdom” and “essential decency” of the American people. They will downplay the virulence of the nationalism displayed, the cruel decision to elevate a man who rides in a gold-plated airliner but who has staked his claim with the populist rhetoric of blood and soil. George Orwell, the most fearless of commentators, was right to point out that public opinion is no more innately wise than humans are innately kind. People can behave foolishly, recklessly, self-destructively in the aggregate just as they can individually. . . ====
It crossed my own mind the other day that if Trump wins, however savagely he's been treated in, say, the New York Times over the past year (by people like Paul Krugman et al.: https://www.google.com/#q=%22New+York+Times%22+columnists ), once he becomes "President Trump", journalistic decorum and responsibility will require that he be treated with the customary bland deference due a President of the United States by "respectable" mainstream media. Any remaining disapproval will have to be pitched in a subtle, ironic key rather than the outright scorn that's been heaped on him since he won the primary. Editors will demand this, and the columnists who have been fearlessly savaging Trump will now doubt begin reflexively to rein themselves in out of professional instinct. Not tomorrow, maybe not this week, but soon.
Wait and see. Orwell, indeed. We've always been at war with Eastasia.
It'll be like 2003, when nobody on TV or in the newspapers seemed to think that going to war with Iraq was a bad idea (or if they did, they found out they'd better keep their mouths shut).
Medication called for today!
ReplyDeleteThey asked for it, they got it, Toyota.
ReplyDeleteI think the Singularity must indeed be upon us! :-0
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/an-american-tragedy-donald-trump
ReplyDelete------------------
An American Tragedy
By David Remnick
Nov. 9, 2016
02:40 A.M.
The election of Donald Trump to the Presidency
is nothing less than a tragedy for the American
republic, a tragedy for the Constitution, and a
triumph for the forces, at home and abroad,
of nativism, authoritarianism, misogyny, and
racism. . .
In the coming days, commentators will attempt to
normalize this event. They will try to soothe their
readers and viewers with thoughts about the
“innate wisdom” and “essential decency” of the
American people. They will downplay the virulence
of the nationalism displayed, the cruel decision
to elevate a man who rides in a gold-plated airliner
but who has staked his claim with the populist
rhetoric of blood and soil. George Orwell, the most
fearless of commentators, was right to point out
that public opinion is no more innately wise than
humans are innately kind. People can behave foolishly,
recklessly, self-destructively in the aggregate
just as they can individually. . .
====
It crossed my own mind the other day that if Trump wins,
however savagely he's been treated in, say, the
New York Times over the past year
(by people like Paul Krugman et al.:
https://www.google.com/#q=%22New+York+Times%22+columnists ),
once he becomes "President Trump", journalistic decorum and
responsibility will require that he be treated with
the customary bland deference due a President of
the United States by "respectable" mainstream
media. Any remaining disapproval will have to be pitched
in a subtle, ironic key rather than the outright
scorn that's been heaped on him since he won the primary.
Editors will demand this, and the columnists who have been
fearlessly savaging Trump will now doubt begin
reflexively to rein themselves in out of professional
instinct. Not tomorrow, maybe not this week, but soon.
Wait and see. Orwell, indeed. We've always been
at war with Eastasia.
It'll be like 2003, when nobody on TV or in the newspapers
seemed to think that going to war with Iraq was a bad
idea (or if they did, they found out they'd better
keep their mouths shut).