Thanks so much, I’m really glad you liked it. And honestly, that question is so interesting (and so hard). I don’t have a clean answer, but it's something I have thought a lot about and I’m going to see if I can write something about that, like what actually helps people start thinking for themselves and what tends to backfire.
If Trump had grown up ten blocks in any direction from where he did, he would have been in prison a *long* time ago. Rich kids from Jamaica Estates never pay the prices for their behavior like the rest of us from other neighborhoods always have.
My parents worked for a major general contractor; Mom as an executive secretary in the front office, Pop as chief field accountant. The company they worked for built the Seagram Building, the CBS Building, the Exxon Building in Rockefeller Center, the Meadowlands stadium and racetrack in New Jersey - and those were just the projects my father was CFA on from just before I was born until he passed in 1980. The famous Flatiron Building on 23rd Street in New York? That was the company's original NYC headquarters. (I had a for-real construction hardhat for when I visited my dad on job sites before I was a Brownie Scout.)
With both parents in the construction industry, and reading three newspapers every day, I was fully aware of what immoral, greedy rat bastards both Donald Trump and Fred Trump were before I was out of eighth grade. It is absolutely beyond my comprehension how Donald Trump got himself a TV show, much less became the president of the United States.
There is a deep set rot in this country and Donald Trump tapped into it, exploited it and expanded it to become mainstream. It now seeps into everything, the courts, the media, the military and most of all his evil, immoral cohort of minions that fill out his administration and brown nose their way to power and personal enrichment. It is totally sickening.
In 1952, Norman Vincent Peale wrote The Power of Positive Thinking. Trump was drawn to that book, then located in the self-help section. It became a kind of foundation for his continued development. He thought that if he wanted something badly enough, if he believed it hard enough, it would come true. This was a critical developmental grounding for Trump, much to our demise.
He would not have the political power he has without his enablers and funders and the choice a majority of American voters made not to vote for his female opponents.
Per reputable polling averages, 40-42 percent of American adults like what he’s doing - even now. He represents a significant segment of who we are. That’s the most disturbing truth of all.
That realization must be how insightful Germans and German Jews felt in 1933-34 Germany.
As Jay Kuo has described his Modus Operandi lands on the 4-D’s of all he does when broken down. It’s the same patterns: Deny, Deflect, Demean, Destroy…
Now that dementia is on display, is it too early to speculate on who'll be responsible for wiping his ass? It ain't gonna be Melania, we know that, or Secret Service, who need to stand around until he's dead.
Pity Shanley didn't mention the the Russian sojourn - and the wonderful treatment that I understand he received from Intourist - a vital issue. Krasnov
All I can say is thank you. And again, thank you. It’s so hard to accept the insanity of the US right now, but having some understanding of it helps me believe it is not forever.
I have copies of photos of Trump and Melania with the Clintons. They all posed like they were having a great time and were all good friends. Later I read that Bill and/or Hillary encourage Trump to run, thinking that he would never get elected and would make it all easier for Hillary. I don't know if that's true, but it certain is ironic!
Over the years I've read everything I could find about this man. It is very interesting to see it all assembled here so clearly. We await the next stage in his "development" with trepidation.
Oh Shanley that piece was so awesome. How do we help cult members to think for themselves ?
Thanks so much, I’m really glad you liked it. And honestly, that question is so interesting (and so hard). I don’t have a clean answer, but it's something I have thought a lot about and I’m going to see if I can write something about that, like what actually helps people start thinking for themselves and what tends to backfire.
If Trump had grown up ten blocks in any direction from where he did, he would have been in prison a *long* time ago. Rich kids from Jamaica Estates never pay the prices for their behavior like the rest of us from other neighborhoods always have.
My parents worked for a major general contractor; Mom as an executive secretary in the front office, Pop as chief field accountant. The company they worked for built the Seagram Building, the CBS Building, the Exxon Building in Rockefeller Center, the Meadowlands stadium and racetrack in New Jersey - and those were just the projects my father was CFA on from just before I was born until he passed in 1980. The famous Flatiron Building on 23rd Street in New York? That was the company's original NYC headquarters. (I had a for-real construction hardhat for when I visited my dad on job sites before I was a Brownie Scout.)
With both parents in the construction industry, and reading three newspapers every day, I was fully aware of what immoral, greedy rat bastards both Donald Trump and Fred Trump were before I was out of eighth grade. It is absolutely beyond my comprehension how Donald Trump got himself a TV show, much less became the president of the United States.
Excellent understanding of the man who seeks to be an emperor. A product of perverted capitalism, privilege, and politics.
There is a deep set rot in this country and Donald Trump tapped into it, exploited it and expanded it to become mainstream. It now seeps into everything, the courts, the media, the military and most of all his evil, immoral cohort of minions that fill out his administration and brown nose their way to power and personal enrichment. It is totally sickening.
In 1952, Norman Vincent Peale wrote The Power of Positive Thinking. Trump was drawn to that book, then located in the self-help section. It became a kind of foundation for his continued development. He thought that if he wanted something badly enough, if he believed it hard enough, it would come true. This was a critical developmental grounding for Trump, much to our demise.
He would not have the political power he has without his enablers and funders and the choice a majority of American voters made not to vote for his female opponents.
Per reputable polling averages, 40-42 percent of American adults like what he’s doing - even now. He represents a significant segment of who we are. That’s the most disturbing truth of all.
That realization must be how insightful Germans and German Jews felt in 1933-34 Germany.
Brilliant writing.
As Jay Kuo has described his Modus Operandi lands on the 4-D’s of all he does when broken down. It’s the same patterns: Deny, Deflect, Demean, Destroy…
You’ve also described the exact sequence.
Now that dementia is on display, is it too early to speculate on who'll be responsible for wiping his ass? It ain't gonna be Melania, we know that, or Secret Service, who need to stand around until he's dead.
It will be the person who can stand to get close enough and not gag over the reek.
Pity Shanley didn't mention the the Russian sojourn - and the wonderful treatment that I understand he received from Intourist - a vital issue. Krasnov
All I can say is thank you. And again, thank you. It’s so hard to accept the insanity of the US right now, but having some understanding of it helps me believe it is not forever.
Astounding writing. Thank you!
I have copies of photos of Trump and Melania with the Clintons. They all posed like they were having a great time and were all good friends. Later I read that Bill and/or Hillary encourage Trump to run, thinking that he would never get elected and would make it all easier for Hillary. I don't know if that's true, but it certain is ironic!
The Magical King. The Emporer’s New Clothes. America’s Demise. Nightmare #2025. Pick your favorite.
Enjoy
Over and Out .
Great article, tying together the basics of Trump and the false appeal of a strongman who alone can fix our problems.
Over the years I've read everything I could find about this man. It is very interesting to see it all assembled here so clearly. We await the next stage in his "development" with trepidation.
Very well written and thoughtful. Your ideas make a little of sense to me.