A pessimist profile

Submitted by Lindsay
Melbourne Australia!

Do you know what a pessimist is? A man who thinks everybody is as nasty as himself, and hates them for it. (Shaw, An Unsocial Socialist, 1887)

(12/2016) Some months I wrote that a revolution was building in the U S of A. From this far away it was pretty obvious, for there was enough coverage overall to allow me to liken it to the French & Russian shemozzles. I confess to acute distress at having been right.

You would recall those earlier events and the reasons they occurred. Exactly the same reason lies behind your own version – the elite, the rich, the powerful had taken over the country for their own use, leaving virtually everyone else to suck it up. There were differences, of course- aristocracy dressed differently, horses not cars, slower communications, but the scenarios are so similar that it is a wonder the establishment didn’t foresee it – except they have never been great on history.

Trump, of course, is no Napoleon, no Marx or Lenin, and no shots had to be fired, but he has modeled himself on Madame Guillotine, ready to decapitate the guilty. At least those he deems to be guilty, and there are plenty ready to be targeted and to do the deeds. The once backbone of the nation, the middle class who had to join hands with the low wage rednecks, having had enough. No relief, no dignity, no understanding, and certainly no pride. It is no matter that his rhetoric was appalling, his rants against so many classes of citizens unforgivable, his undenied rorting of the system, anything was better than the establishment as personified by Mrs. Clinton.

You think not? That he’s a man of integrity whose sole aim is to revitalize your country? Nothing could be further from the truth. Do not believe what he says – none of it – look instead at his record. In many countries he would be in jail because they have laws in place to catch the cheats, he would be pilloried by the community and the press for his denigration of women, his attacks of coloureds and foreigners.

He says ‘don’t be afraid’, yet instills fear wherever he goes. He is going to revitalize industry by bringing the economy to its knees. And he has already surrounded himself with the ranting right, blind to the folk that elected him, determined to place upon your shoulders the yokes and burdens of big brother and the print of the jackboot.

But hey - there is good news – the system is broken, and a new one will now have to be crafted, installed, and made to be responsible to the electorate. As well, he is about to show you that America is not as great as it once was (do not believe his slogans) which is a lesson that was waiting to be delivered. The grit you will get is the one you have to chew on, and it will be more unpleasant that you can imagine- but isn’t it time you toughened up and demanded a new revolution?

Republican control has now gone from strength to strength and now has the majority of state legislatures and both houses. Although Donald is apparently not a Republican, he stood as one, and the party must be amazed at the success he has produced for them. This could well lead to the rabid right pulling the strings, a Klan Katastrophe for non-Nazis. The Democrat image as provided by Mrs. Clinton was so rejected that Donald may reduce the imbalance that has grown steadily at the top of the pile, even though he is part of it and wants more of it. That was, in fact, the whole point this election ran on, with the ego and ignorance of the public being the food. For them to accept and run with the fictions that facebook created without question is so unbelievable that it does reinforce the notion that a country gets the leaders they deserve.

That’s OK, but in this case he’s also the leader of the most powerful nation on earth, one that has made madness a norm for so many, one that has skewed their financial situations, has invoked the IMF to keep them poor, yet has allowed China to dominate manufacturing. More importantly, one who holds the potential for conflict in their hand, who can take us to a war of annihilation that no one can win.

Of course the world outside the white house is not going to stand still. Allies are not going to wear the bits of foreign policy he is throwing together, China is watching and waiting, ready to take advantage of the many openings that will form, and Australia has realized for perhaps the first time that we now have to take responsibility for our own care, not doff our hat as we have been doing.

Is Donald Trump mad? Certainly not. Is he sane? Certainly not, at least in the accepted sense. He is determined to have his name in lights for decades, even centuries, the same as every unbalanced ruler is. And he will certainly be remembered, will go into the history books, taught in primary, have movies and musicals made about him, and, because he got elected, held up as an example of how rotten the system really was.

Yes, a revolution has happened far more quickly than any before, and with far greater profundity. I doubt anyone would have seen that the result would bring you so close to a Nazi regime in its rhetoric, its proposed policies, its office bearers, and its manipulation of the truth. It illustrates just how far the system has been subverted, how the use of media has been leveraged, and how blind those that voted for him are.

A snake oil salesman with venom instead of nostrum. There’s peace and quiet here in Aussie, lackluster politicians, a few jobs, and we love you guys. Come on over, the welcome mat awaits. I have to warn you, though, that we are increasingly pessimistic, not likely to help you dance and sing.

Get out while you can. The thought police will be on the checkouts soon.