When You Think About It: Trump is no Surprise

F LoBuono

The rise of Donald Trump as the leading contender to represent the Republican party as its candidate for President of the United States is both impressive and shocking. It is impressive because when he began his campaign he was seen as little more than a publicity craving, loud-mouthed realty TV personality. It is also shocking for the very same reason, leaving us to ask the question, how could this actually be happening?

Well, When You Think About It,  we shouldn't be so surprised.

First, in today's banal, celebrity worshiping society, his rise should not be seen as unexpected but, rather, inevitable. Just go to your TV and scroll through the programming guide. What you will see is a plethora of so-called Reality TV shows. There's an entire assortment of them ranging from a family made wealthy for creating duck calls to the boorish antics of housewives from any number of cities to the daily trials and tribulations of a transgender former Olympic champion. These are just a few of the hundreds that permeate the TV line-up. And, there wouldn't be ANY if people simply wouldn't WATCH THEM. We can't make them popular and then complain about their content!! Trump joined the ranks of Reality Royalty with the popularity of his show, "The Apprentice". It also became an honor to be FIRED by Mr. Trump. He is indeed the embodiment of the modern ethos.

I am very pleased and proud to say that I have never seen ANY of these programs and have no intention ever to. However, apparently, I am in the minority. The tens of thousands of adoring fans at a Trump rally are evidence of his (and his show's) popularity.

With this in mind, we have to remember that Mr. Trump, I believe, lives by the credo that there is no such thing as BAD publicity. So, when protesters at his rallies are met with ridicule by the candidate and, often, violence by his followers it is not necessarily seen as a bad thing. He twists every encounter into a personal crusade to highlight his my way or the highway brand of politics. And, the crowd loves it! They have final found the perfect vehicle to express their deeply routed and suppressed feelings of fear and anxiety. They have finally found someone who gives voice to all the petty prejudices and fears that too many people harbor deep within themselves and, normally, keep there - which is EXACTLY where they should stay, because that's where they belong!

Trump's very body language was made for Reality TV. His over-sized bombast is only matched by the elaborate comb-over of his hair. His gestures are all designed to not so much say hey, look at me as it is to SCREAM it. The over-use of some type of artificial tanning agent has even caused his skin to turn a bronze, almost gold color. Perhaps, he sees himself as Midas incarnate. That would shock most. To the contrary, he loves it.  And, his proposed doctrine is as phony as his tan. He rarely, if ever, uses the term WE. It's not WE will do this, or WE will do that. It's almost always I. It's NOT about making America great again. It's all about making Trump great - at least in his own eyes.

Trump's ability to not only weather this criticism but to thrive from it is astounding. The more people of conscious throw at him, the more power he seems to gain. It reminds me of the ancient Greek myth of the battle between Hercules and Antaeus. As one of his 12 Tasks, Hercules would have to conquer Antaeus, a son of the Sea God, Poseidon, in hand-to-hand combat. The problem was Antaeus was the greatest wrestler in the world and drew his strength literally from the earth itself. So, every time that Hercules threw him to the ground, Antaeus only got more powerful! So, Hercules finally defeated Antaeus by not giving him what he "wanted" (i.e. being thrown to the ground). Instead, Hercules lifted Antaeus off his feet and throttled him while holding him above his head.

When dealing with Trump we must be like Hercules vs Antaeus - we cannot fall into the trap and do things Trump's way. We cannot resort to name calling and violence. It will only make him stronger. No. With people like Trump it is FAR better to simply ignore him. Perhaps, then, he will truly go away.