Trump's ability to reach his supporters is based on his awareness that they know absolutely nothing about domestic or foreign affairs or about how government works — or about health care; the military; wars; the constitution; the economy; any of it — and unlike other politicians who cling to the quaint idea that you should try to say something real; try to get the ignorant or uninformed citizens onboard the discussion, Trump just uses their ignorance as a foundation — he just MAKES UP whatever he wants them to believe and says it in a tone like these are commonly-accepted ideas.
When he announces that "Obamacare is a disaster" (to people who don't even know that the Affordable Care Act and "Obamacare" are the same thing) or says the economy is the worst in history, he knows he's addressing people so ignorant that they'll accept it. It's an inversion of the most basic principles of rhetoric; of society.
Have watched, read Trump. He is a complicated politician in the modern day America. He cares none of the highly revered values. He believes he's right. He believes other person is wrong when what he did not go as expected. He lives in his own world unchallenged. I hope Americans will make the wisest decision not to return him again to sh'"t more.
Even the American media leans into Trump's cleaving of words. Worse, or equally bad, when Trump says he's only joking (and he does add that disclaimer quite frequently, even though we know Trump doesn't do jokes, doesn't have a sense of humour), the media nods and agrees that he wasn't serious. How, in such an environment, does anyone understand the import of any words?
While I was reading this, I was listening to an episode of Knowledge Fight, a podcast where the 2 hosts pick apart current and old episodes of Info Wars (as well as Alex Jones' occasional media appearances.) They address the logical, factual and other inconsistencies that jones engages in.
It occurred to me that a significant part of the American public (let's call them MAGA) have been primed to believe in the kind of alternative reality you're describing for years, possibly decades, by right wing media. Hell, trump himself seems to have been similarly primed, in so far as he's basically a fox news-poisoned nursing home resident who's been sprung to wreak havoc upon the population at large.
Attacks on meaning are a critical element of all totalitarians. The idea is to strip away any authority that exists outside the realm of force.
That’s why the right wing has always been desperate to undermine academics and journalists, the two professions formally devoted to determining and reporting the actual states of affairs of the world. Once the meaning of any statement can be dismissed by reference to the identity of the speaker, then the totalitarian is free to say anything.
Jean-Paul Sartre recognized this clearly in 1946, writing in ‘Anti-Semite and Jew’:
“Never believe that anti-Semites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous, open to challenge. But they are amusing themselves, for it is their adversary who is obliged to use words responsibly, since he believes in words.
"The anti-Semites…like to play with discourse for, by giving ridiculous reasons, they discredit the seriousness of their interlocutors. They delight in acting in bad faith, since they seek not to persuade by sound argument but to intimidate and disconcert.”
You are absolutely right that language matters. Language matters a lot. This is why I think it is incredibly important to bring back the fairness doctrine and stop Fox News in their tracks full stop. It’s already started because of smarttec and the other voting booth company litigation. But it needs to be complete. And the internet needs to be tied to real people. No more hiding behind anonymity. Everyone’s identity should be available online. And the platforms need to be responsible for what they host. Just like on tv.
WORDS MATTER. Let’s all be in the same reality please.
They (MAGA) know what Trump means. They know it insults/hurts others because they have been told it does. They know the worst of them see it as permission to hurt others. They’re hoping that happens.
Michael, thank you for your article. I agree with your position, but I caution against delving too deeply into it. You are a person with deep feelings, and there is a danger of spelunking in the negativity. I chose to explain all this using the Native American proverb, "Tell me a story, and it will live in my heart forever." The truth for Trump supporters is based on their experiences. The next five months will test if the president can tell a story about a different experience that will truly resonate with people's hearts.
Trump is a very poor story teller, always has been, and his rambling, dissembling rants this year are so incoherent that under normal circumstances, that is, with any other person, his family would be supporting him to be medically assessed for any number of cognitive decline or mental health conditions. The contrast between Trump 2024 and Trump 2016 is stark and disturbing.
The truth for Trump supporters is NOT their lived experience, indeed, the typical Trump supporter doesn't match the mythological rural or low income man or woman who's better life has been stolen by an immigrant. And Trump did absolutely nothing for any of them when he was in office. But, they hear the words of hate and grievance that they want to hear.
This advice right here is another bonus that comes from subscribing to Michael. I too, like many of the regulars here, have deep feelings and unfortunately I naturally tend to go spelunking in negative karma. This is as significant to me as Michael’s explanation of the Saul Berenson syndrome from a year ago. Sometimes even a smart, observant person can’t see the forest for the trees. Thank you, Arash.
Trumpism is not a political movements as much as it is a devil-worshiping religion. His words and influence transcend all logic and reason. He is the Charles Manson of our time, on a national scale. And there is nothing- literally nothing- that he can say or do that will change the deluded minds of those into whom he’s alreasy ejaculated his dark, mind-melting seed. They are zombies.
Well said,Larry. And unfortunately, there is no antidote that I can see. Logic fails. True facts fail. Common sense fails. As Michael said yesterday, it’s all running on the id. They are, in the worst sense of the phrase…true believers.
"They have no sense of humor. They often an exaggerated sense of self. They possess unearned confidence."
🎯 It's all about their grievances. I think the most triggering event in unleashing their fear and anger was a black family living in our White House. Being white is their confidence, and exaggerated sense of self. They see the world changing into a place where they have no power.
It's code speak to his followers, except neither he nor they have reasoned that it's so stupidly said and phrased that anyone not of that belief system can really understand what he's saying. Plus he's batshit crazy, and does say the stupidest shit any President has ever said. Let's recall fondly the Dr. Birk presser where Cheeto suggested chugging bleach and somehow exposing the interior of our beings to UV light. I mean, that's fourth dimensional chess right there, buddy.
This is excellent Michael, and a really smart way of looking at it. The question then becomes *why* Trump supporters so willingly discard the actual meanings attached to words.
My guess is it's the only way they can process and escape the humiliation they live with every day by being themselves.
There are lots of comparisons to 1930's Germany. Those people were humiliated by losing WWI, leaving them open to embracing Nazism. The South was humiliated by losing the Civil War, so they fetishized the Confederacy. Arab countries suffered a humiliating loss to tiny Israel in the 1967 war, so they soon embraced radical Islam.
For Trump supporters? A black man was elected president, twice, and did a good job. Their minds simply can't process what they interpret as a deeply humiliating outcome. As you so adroitly put it, thinking can't happen when words are meaningless. We're dealing with people who have had a long separation from the truth, and Trump has allowed them to make the divorce final.
Well said. Trump has made them feel viable and their feelings of hate and anger are validated by listening to him. It's immigrants fault that uneducated Americans don't have jobs with insurance or good pay. It's the minorities fault that they are succeeding with the access to proper education, etc that they lacked for centuries in this country. "They" are taking America away from the ignorant, uneducated white folk (note: I'm white) and somebody has to be to blame for this other than the ignorant, uneducated white folk with no insurance and no good job.
So true. I miss Michelle & Barack too, although Biden has done a damn great job. More than expected; he became the most progressive President we've ever had, even more than FDR. And considering that he's had to work around a Republican controlled Congress and biased Supreme Court.....this is what keeps me up nights: it's not just DT's potential return to the WH, but the complicit Machiavalian machinations of people who hold high office and are determined to do anything to stay in power, for the purpose of eradicating anything that resembles Democracy and democratic values. .
Very well said. I seem to be saying that to many of the regular commenters here. That gives me hope, Alison, that we are not outnumbered. Joe has kicked ass.
Thank you, Greg. It's reassuring to share all this with like minded smart people. I'm a big fan of Michael for his willingness to put so much of himself out there , his ability to synthesize disparate ideas and still be endlessly entertaining.
Not a coincidence that TFG's political arc started with birtherism. You can't in polite company say "I hate that uppity N----" -- but you can say "It's a violation of the Constitution to have a President who was born outside of the United States. I am a great patriot, a noble person, the best human there ever could be, because I hate that uppity ... Kenyan. Yeah, that's it. I hate him because he's Kenyan."
TFG lets these people feel good about themselves. Then TFG built a coalition of misogynists and religious bigots. Heck of a lot of them here in the US.
Respectfully, Alicia, try to place your Copy Editor hat aside here. Despite your inevitable and well intentioned notes, simply absorb Michael's thoughts. I know it's not easy, but this is the internet, not a manuscript.
I checked your profile photo. I have a Boston Terrier too. Aren't they the best?
That's just it, though... When I have trouble understanding the message it makes it harder for me to absorb it. I had to read the second paragraph several times and I'm still not sure I got it right. I *think* "and" was meant to be "are." Anyway, truly no disrespect meant to Michael or his readers.
That’s what I do. I think I saw a mistake once but didn’t feel the need to correct the brother. I often have to clean up my auto corrected comments and make plenty of errors that error checking misses. I’m here for the content not the form.
Unless it’s someone who misuses your/you’re or they’re/their/there.
Trump's ability to reach his supporters is based on his awareness that they know absolutely nothing about domestic or foreign affairs or about how government works — or about health care; the military; wars; the constitution; the economy; any of it — and unlike other politicians who cling to the quaint idea that you should try to say something real; try to get the ignorant or uninformed citizens onboard the discussion, Trump just uses their ignorance as a foundation — he just MAKES UP whatever he wants them to believe and says it in a tone like these are commonly-accepted ideas.
When he announces that "Obamacare is a disaster" (to people who don't even know that the Affordable Care Act and "Obamacare" are the same thing) or says the economy is the worst in history, he knows he's addressing people so ignorant that they'll accept it. It's an inversion of the most basic principles of rhetoric; of society.
dear michael,
i appreciate these words a lot. they have meaning and the meaning they have matches reality.
thank you for sharing as always!
love
myq
Have watched, read Trump. He is a complicated politician in the modern day America. He cares none of the highly revered values. He believes he's right. He believes other person is wrong when what he did not go as expected. He lives in his own world unchallenged. I hope Americans will make the wisest decision not to return him again to sh'"t more.
Yes, you've nailed it, an excellent analysis.
Even the American media leans into Trump's cleaving of words. Worse, or equally bad, when Trump says he's only joking (and he does add that disclaimer quite frequently, even though we know Trump doesn't do jokes, doesn't have a sense of humour), the media nods and agrees that he wasn't serious. How, in such an environment, does anyone understand the import of any words?
While I was reading this, I was listening to an episode of Knowledge Fight, a podcast where the 2 hosts pick apart current and old episodes of Info Wars (as well as Alex Jones' occasional media appearances.) They address the logical, factual and other inconsistencies that jones engages in.
It occurred to me that a significant part of the American public (let's call them MAGA) have been primed to believe in the kind of alternative reality you're describing for years, possibly decades, by right wing media. Hell, trump himself seems to have been similarly primed, in so far as he's basically a fox news-poisoned nursing home resident who's been sprung to wreak havoc upon the population at large.
Attacks on meaning are a critical element of all totalitarians. The idea is to strip away any authority that exists outside the realm of force.
That’s why the right wing has always been desperate to undermine academics and journalists, the two professions formally devoted to determining and reporting the actual states of affairs of the world. Once the meaning of any statement can be dismissed by reference to the identity of the speaker, then the totalitarian is free to say anything.
Jean-Paul Sartre recognized this clearly in 1946, writing in ‘Anti-Semite and Jew’:
“Never believe that anti-Semites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous, open to challenge. But they are amusing themselves, for it is their adversary who is obliged to use words responsibly, since he believes in words.
"The anti-Semites…like to play with discourse for, by giving ridiculous reasons, they discredit the seriousness of their interlocutors. They delight in acting in bad faith, since they seek not to persuade by sound argument but to intimidate and disconcert.”
Michael, wonderful essay, you absolutely nailed it.
You are absolutely right that language matters. Language matters a lot. This is why I think it is incredibly important to bring back the fairness doctrine and stop Fox News in their tracks full stop. It’s already started because of smarttec and the other voting booth company litigation. But it needs to be complete. And the internet needs to be tied to real people. No more hiding behind anonymity. Everyone’s identity should be available online. And the platforms need to be responsible for what they host. Just like on tv.
WORDS MATTER. Let’s all be in the same reality please.
They (MAGA) know what Trump means. They know it insults/hurts others because they have been told it does. They know the worst of them see it as permission to hurt others. They’re hoping that happens.
Michael, thank you for your article. I agree with your position, but I caution against delving too deeply into it. You are a person with deep feelings, and there is a danger of spelunking in the negativity. I chose to explain all this using the Native American proverb, "Tell me a story, and it will live in my heart forever." The truth for Trump supporters is based on their experiences. The next five months will test if the president can tell a story about a different experience that will truly resonate with people's hearts.
Trump is a very poor story teller, always has been, and his rambling, dissembling rants this year are so incoherent that under normal circumstances, that is, with any other person, his family would be supporting him to be medically assessed for any number of cognitive decline or mental health conditions. The contrast between Trump 2024 and Trump 2016 is stark and disturbing.
The truth for Trump supporters is NOT their lived experience, indeed, the typical Trump supporter doesn't match the mythological rural or low income man or woman who's better life has been stolen by an immigrant. And Trump did absolutely nothing for any of them when he was in office. But, they hear the words of hate and grievance that they want to hear.
This advice right here is another bonus that comes from subscribing to Michael. I too, like many of the regulars here, have deep feelings and unfortunately I naturally tend to go spelunking in negative karma. This is as significant to me as Michael’s explanation of the Saul Berenson syndrome from a year ago. Sometimes even a smart, observant person can’t see the forest for the trees. Thank you, Arash.
You have wise words.
Dear Michael, this is another post that resonates deeply with me. I have reposted it on my blog. I want more people to read you. https://clearingspace4joy.com/2024/06/02/repost-from-michael-ian-blacks-substack/
Trumpism is not a political movements as much as it is a devil-worshiping religion. His words and influence transcend all logic and reason. He is the Charles Manson of our time, on a national scale. And there is nothing- literally nothing- that he can say or do that will change the deluded minds of those into whom he’s alreasy ejaculated his dark, mind-melting seed. They are zombies.
Well said,Larry. And unfortunately, there is no antidote that I can see. Logic fails. True facts fail. Common sense fails. As Michael said yesterday, it’s all running on the id. They are, in the worst sense of the phrase…true believers.
"They have no sense of humor. They often an exaggerated sense of self. They possess unearned confidence."
🎯 It's all about their grievances. I think the most triggering event in unleashing their fear and anger was a black family living in our White House. Being white is their confidence, and exaggerated sense of self. They see the world changing into a place where they have no power.
It's code speak to his followers, except neither he nor they have reasoned that it's so stupidly said and phrased that anyone not of that belief system can really understand what he's saying. Plus he's batshit crazy, and does say the stupidest shit any President has ever said. Let's recall fondly the Dr. Birk presser where Cheeto suggested chugging bleach and somehow exposing the interior of our beings to UV light. I mean, that's fourth dimensional chess right there, buddy.
This is excellent Michael, and a really smart way of looking at it. The question then becomes *why* Trump supporters so willingly discard the actual meanings attached to words.
My guess is it's the only way they can process and escape the humiliation they live with every day by being themselves.
There are lots of comparisons to 1930's Germany. Those people were humiliated by losing WWI, leaving them open to embracing Nazism. The South was humiliated by losing the Civil War, so they fetishized the Confederacy. Arab countries suffered a humiliating loss to tiny Israel in the 1967 war, so they soon embraced radical Islam.
For Trump supporters? A black man was elected president, twice, and did a good job. Their minds simply can't process what they interpret as a deeply humiliating outcome. As you so adroitly put it, thinking can't happen when words are meaningless. We're dealing with people who have had a long separation from the truth, and Trump has allowed them to make the divorce final.
Beautifully stated, though it gives me no hope.
I sincerely hope that divorce is not final.
Well said. Trump has made them feel viable and their feelings of hate and anger are validated by listening to him. It's immigrants fault that uneducated Americans don't have jobs with insurance or good pay. It's the minorities fault that they are succeeding with the access to proper education, etc that they lacked for centuries in this country. "They" are taking America away from the ignorant, uneducated white folk (note: I'm white) and somebody has to be to blame for this other than the ignorant, uneducated white folk with no insurance and no good job.
I so miss Barack.
So true. I miss Michelle & Barack too, although Biden has done a damn great job. More than expected; he became the most progressive President we've ever had, even more than FDR. And considering that he's had to work around a Republican controlled Congress and biased Supreme Court.....this is what keeps me up nights: it's not just DT's potential return to the WH, but the complicit Machiavalian machinations of people who hold high office and are determined to do anything to stay in power, for the purpose of eradicating anything that resembles Democracy and democratic values. .
Very well said. I seem to be saying that to many of the regular commenters here. That gives me hope, Alison, that we are not outnumbered. Joe has kicked ass.
Thank you, Greg. It's reassuring to share all this with like minded smart people. I'm a big fan of Michael for his willingness to put so much of himself out there , his ability to synthesize disparate ideas and still be endlessly entertaining.
Not a coincidence that TFG's political arc started with birtherism. You can't in polite company say "I hate that uppity N----" -- but you can say "It's a violation of the Constitution to have a President who was born outside of the United States. I am a great patriot, a noble person, the best human there ever could be, because I hate that uppity ... Kenyan. Yeah, that's it. I hate him because he's Kenyan."
TFG lets these people feel good about themselves. Then TFG built a coalition of misogynists and religious bigots. Heck of a lot of them here in the US.
I love you, Michael. One note (I'm a copy editor): There are a few typos in this piece that threatened to impede my understanding of your own words.
Respectfully, Alicia, try to place your Copy Editor hat aside here. Despite your inevitable and well intentioned notes, simply absorb Michael's thoughts. I know it's not easy, but this is the internet, not a manuscript.
I checked your profile photo. I have a Boston Terrier too. Aren't they the best?
That's just it, though... When I have trouble understanding the message it makes it harder for me to absorb it. I had to read the second paragraph several times and I'm still not sure I got it right. I *think* "and" was meant to be "are." Anyway, truly no disrespect meant to Michael or his readers.
Bostons are, inarguably, the best. 💖
That’s what I do. I think I saw a mistake once but didn’t feel the need to correct the brother. I often have to clean up my auto corrected comments and make plenty of errors that error checking misses. I’m here for the content not the form.
Unless it’s someone who misuses your/you’re or they’re/their/there.
Often when people do followup corrections to their posts, I realize my eyes had blown right by them - obvious typos, missing words, etc.
But like Alicia, I have different standards when reading books. 🧐
Oops!
I understood you and agree wholeheartedly.