The Trump presidency

I'd go further than lack of education Jess and say he's 'thick' and totally lacking in many of the intelligences. .

Good end paragraph of an article by Brendan O'Neill. Link below if you want to read the whole thing.

It is important that we cut through the hyperbole about Trump, that we challenge the idea that he’s Hitler, that America is screwed, that the world faces doom. Not in order to defend Trump — he’s big and ugly enough to defend himself — but in order to defend historical perspective, and reason. People must know, at a gut level, that they’re overreacting to Trump. They must know he isn’t the worst leader since the war; that his travel ban, however rash, does not echo the creation of the Warsaw Ghetto. They must. This is the politics of fear, and the politics of fear is always, without exception, a bad thing, even when its target is an oafish American president. Why? Because it represents an abandonment of considered reflection, a caving in to mawkishness and panic, and an acceptance that we are fragile and weak in the face of terrifying historical forces. It is an invitation to political paralysis and self-pity. It is a boon, not for you, but for Trump. He’s the only beneficiary of your sleepless nights, and pained tweets, and creation of ‘safe spaces’. In weakening you, your fear strengthens him.
End the fear. And end the celebration of the social and political disarray that hollowed out politics and got us to this fear. Let us make a new armour, and strap it on.

Brendan O'Neill, medium.com/@burntoakboy/life-without-armour-de4ec312f6df#.e8y36qm35

bags it isn't the politics of fear, of course it isn't, it is the politics of refusing to buy into the rascist rhetoric, the politics of division and the politics of warmongering the politics of climate denial, the mysogist policies by denying women control over their reproductive systems. I could go on. Arguing strongly against such an ugly rhetoric isn't fear it is democracy in action.

I suggest you read Steve Bannons publications and then understand the danger behind the throne.

Well.....what a great article! This encapsulates all that I have been feeling about the Trump phenomena, it should be required reading for everybody in the Western world.
The rise of social media has a lot to answer for in that it spreads fear a lot faster than newspapers and tv.What we have is a bit similar to the Diana reaction in 1997, everybody claiming to be affected by her loss, strangers to her sobbing in the streets.
This sort of stuff spreads, and people don't even know why.
Am not saying that Trump being elected is not a bad thing ( it is) but that it doesn't warrant as yet all the angst ( except to the people who were ready to travel to the US and then couldn't) but that was directly affecting them and not the general public.
Thanks bags

People can still argue strongly over what they see as bad ideas/policies without it spreading a blanket of fear over the general population.

There is no fear there is anger it is entirely different. I am angry at the implication to the climate. I am angry at his rascist rhetoric - a gift to Isis, I am angry at the fascist rhetoric of his closest advisor I am angry at the warmongering rhetoric. Believe me I am not fearful I am exceedingly cross.

Thanks, bags, for the link. You can still protest against Trumpian politics and policies without succumbing to the politics of fear, ww, imo.
Am delighted that American judges are upholding the Constitution. T's reaction is a revelation of kingly tantrum on a grand scale.

Yes Rinouchka I wonder if when he is hopping mad, he does actually hop about?

but that was directly affecting them and not the general public

Does that remind you at all of the Niemoller quote
'First they came for......' etc
but we could now substitute the Mexicans, the Muslims, the women and even add the journalists and the judges!

I agree it's more about anger than fear but let's remember he isn't anti everyone.

The good old boys - even those with serious mental issues - are still free to tote their guns because he'll defend their constitutional rights!

Once again thatbags, you post an opinion piece of a man who presents himself as "anti-establishment". He puts forward some views that I, and perhaps others, take issue with:

"Homosexuals were once treated as mentally disordered. Now homophobes are treated the same way";

"Breivik: a monster made by multiculturalism".

He suggests that the efforts to tackle racism in football is in fact a "class war" driven by "elites"' misunderstanding of the passions that get aired at football matches.

Again, it is no wonder that this man, an apologist for homophobia and racism, finds nothing particularly threatening about Trump and the climate of fear and hatred that he is encouraging.

Trump's scaremongering clearly goes down well with many elements in the US but where there is access to the TRUTH it is revealed as just that.
From Twitter
"Dear Mr Trump,
thank you for your concern.
A man has indeed attacked a soldier with two machetes this morning in Paris.
It wasn't in the Louvre Museum, it was in the Carrousel du Louvre, which is a mall. (Less symbolic than what you're implying.)
He didn't attack any tourist (or french people -apart from the soldier- either, by the way, thank you again for your concern) and he was instantly attacked back by another soldier, and wounded.
The crowd has been kept inside after that by order of the army for security reasons, but not for any kind of hostage situation. (Your tweet is -voluntarily?- ambiguous)
France is not on edge again, at all. I learnt about the attack 10 hours after it happened (even though it was in the media earlier), and I spent 1h30 in another mall in Paris at lunch today without any kind of military reinforcement (I mean, just the usual since Charlie Hebdo or nov 2015 attacks).
Oh and by the way, the man is from Egypt, you know, the country you didn't ban from entering the US (because of your personal affairs?)
Again, thank you for your concern, but don't use France as an excuse for your arseholery. You're the one encouraging fear with your distortion of truth.
Regards,

Egie Wild
PS : GET SMART U.S. : Don't believe anything that he says without checking facts first."

No, it doesn't remind me of that ( so often quoted poem on here) at all mcem but I was pointing out the difference between the people who were directly affected by Trumps policy and the sort of spreading miasma of fear in general surrounding Trump.
It was an ill thought out policy, and there has rightly been anger about it in the US.

Eloethan I certainly didn't read it as the author not finding anything particularly threatening about Trump, but about getting things in proportion.

Mon 06-Feb-17 08:01:14
The Millennials, as they are more charitably called, are characterized by Strauss and Howe (1991) as being protected, by both their parents and society, and because they are driven to improve the world around them, by their virtue. This generation is “possessed of rational minds, a positive attitude, and selfless team virtue” (Strauss & Howe, 1991). Describe as: optimistic, cooperative team players, rule followers, and racially and ethnically diverse they are certainly not – nor can any generation be described by one adjective – 'snowflakes”.

An article that sets out to put down a whole generation, whom we have all been part of creating and of shaping the world they grew up in cannot really be taken seriously. By rubbishing their reaction the article becomes one I would not hold in high esteem nor, to be honest, do I actually believe the incidents he describes, simply because of the way it is reported. If you write trash I will consider it to be trash.

I am not part of the generation this author seems to be aiming at but “end the fear” when we are talking about a man like Trump? You may not fear thatbags but of course, the opposite of fear is blinkered. There are some, at the moment, who are extremely fearful and some who are extremely blinkered and in the middle either side of 'not interested' are the rest of us and only time will tell if any of us have got it right.

Well roses another example of the 'I'm all right, Jack' philosophy.

Don't relate to that article at all and, of course, it's not fact just one man's take on this.

I think what we are seeing is the result of dumb-downism. Everything has to be reduced to the simplest terms and short sound bites. This goes something like Islamic terrorists have committed atrocities. Islamic fundamentalist are at the root of this. Islamic fundamentalist are everywhere. So we must stop all muslims coming over here because they could be one of them.

That's about as dumbed-down as it gets and appeals to those whose idea of intellectual stimulation is watching rubbish TV, reading populist newspapers and following social media slavishly.

voxpoliticalonline.com/2017/02/06/pies-satirical-rant-against-violent-protest-contains-harsh-home-truths-explicit-content/

A bit of bad language on here.

Nice post, Anya 10.48

Trump lies again. One of his team should really stop him tweeting.

usuncut.com/news/trump-fabricated-terrorist-attack-louvre-french-womans-response/

love the reply!!

Thanks for the link to Jonathon Pie, jen. Very sweary but he's making a point that I think lots of people here would agree with regardless of their political leanings.

Americans are supposed to let him get away with this, are they?
They are supposed to just wait and see what happens, give him the benefit of the doubt?

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-business-conflicts-of-interest-documents-trust-washington-dc-hotel-a7564531.html

There's no doubt here.

eloethan, I really don't think you've understood what Brendan O'Neill is saying in the link I posted. Also, how do you come to the conclusion, from the quotes about that you give, that he is an apologist for homophobia and racism? I think you are confusing explanation for something else. Explaining why you think something exists or what has caused something is not justifying it.

Similarly, my posting links to controversial articles on whatever subject only means that I am looking at as many angles as possible. As many people on Twitter say in their profiles: retweeting is not endorsement.

I expect you have heard of open-mindedness. From the tone of your post directed at me, I think you harbour a lot of prejudices. You clearly do not understand where I'm coming from most of the time anyhow.

Latest tweet gem from the so-called president.

"Any negative news from the media is FAKE NEWS"

Another gem - my god they are one an hour

It is reported that Trump is a tad annoyed because he didn't realise when signing one of his EOs that he was promoting Steve Bannon to the Security Council

You couldn't make it up

Thanks for the link B. An interesting perspective, and agree about keeping an open mind.
I happen to think there is a lot of fear around what is happening politically in the States, as fear is, to my mind, the root of anger and disillusionment.