Reality Politics

I actually cringe to use the T-word in opening an essay on American politics.  Not out of animus, rather just from weariness.  The reality that for nearly a year the Donald has been one of the first words heard upon tuning into news radio or TV has lost its fascination. 

It’s time to review what this one man phenomenon is and why he exists.

Dispense with the political system.  I’m already long on record that Trump can’t win the general election and that he will quit the race before experiencing a resounding defeat.  I’m still comfortable with both those predictions.  Therefore, for me there is no point in reviewing his inadequacies, lack of character, or psychosis. 

The real value of this political season is observing the petri dish that the virus known as Donald Trump has thrived in. After all, even if this DJT virus consumes its own carcass, the petri dish remains.

Marshall McLuhan, 20^th century philosopher/intellectual, is best known for his five word brain-teasing quote: The medium is the message.  Although McLuhan and many others have written to near ad nauseum to define the phrase, I believe most would feel the Donald personifies its meaning.

Trump has existed and prospered to date in an environment that fully accepts his presentation where others performing in the same manner would not be so accepted.  He virtually feels no obligation to tell the truth or even reflect on the inaccuracies of what he says. 

This actually bizarre performance is not only accepted by the followers who have been duped by his snake-oil sales, but also by the news media which has been at a loss to figure out how to respond.  The news media may seem to be hobbled by the respect they traditionally afford a candidate vying for the Presidency from one of the two political parties, but I, for one, don’t cut them much slack.

These attitudes began and continue long after the reality which is Donald Trump has been completely exposed.  Why?

Talking to a Trump supporter (if you can find one that will discuss Trump without using the name Hillary) or hearing them interviewed, it is clear that what Trump says or the positions he takes are without consequence.  I believe at this point Trump would start to lose support from the faithful if all of a sudden he began to base his comments on facts.

Trump’s claim that if he committed murder in Times Square it wouldn’t deter his following isn’t off track (as weird as that sounds).  The concept itself is appealing to his supporters because it fits a reality in which they can vicariously exist; where a super-leader can do anything, even if only for their viewing pleasure.  Call it Reality Politics.

Donald has had a successful business career (I find it difficult to deal with people who like to argue that he has not).  It doesn’t mean he has been successful at life; people who spend all their working years making sandwiches can accomplish that.  However, even with his questionable ethics and bankruptcies he has built a lot of stuff.

What brought him mega fame though was not his business success, which was nearly unknown to most Americans. It was his television show. Donald Trump was a Reality TV star.

To the chagrin of my wife I like to call it Unreality TV. Think what you want, but Reality TV has come to bridge the space between story telling fiction and news-style realism.  It’s like reading the enthralling autobiography of a person who didn’t exist. 

Even though the fantasy factor that is part of nearly every scene in every reality TV show is known to the viewer, it makes little difference.  People perceive it like they are watching Scott Pelley on CBS Evening News.

It doesn’t matter what it is or what it purports. Whether it’s flipping a house, making a soufflé, finding a mate, building a coffee table out of popsicle sticks, finding an apartment in Tanzania (or as Trump says: Tan-Zania), or competing as a small business the only reality is the broadcast itself.

This is a new world we live in, driven by exponentially growing populations, and the delivery of rocket-fast communication and information.  It is the medium that Reality Politics can also find a friendly environment in which to grow…ergo Donald Trump.  It is also somewhat scary because it can be so confusing and, therefore, divisive.  What I see on my iphone might be different than what you see on yours, but who has the time or wherefore to figure out which (or either) is truth.

It is no wonder why the elements that comprise the contents of a petri dish are called a medium. It really is the message to pay attention to…not Donald Trump.