Arthur C. Donart, Ph. D. submitted this essay.
We used to expect “good behavior” from our public celebrities and especially those who held high office, such as Governor, Legislator, and President. We felt that they should be held up as an example for our children to follow. Since Mr. Donald J. Trump started dominating the headlines, this is no longer true.
This should have been evident to everyone after the 2016 Republican debates. He lied repeatedly; gave his opponents derogatory nicknames; spoke frequently out of turn. To summarize, Trump was a loud-mouthed, school yard bully. Had the debate sponsors eliminated him from future debates, he would never have been elected President. Had the moderators disconnected his microphone, he would have had to leave the stage in disgrace. Attention rewards behavior–good or bad–is something most teachers know.
I stated “most teachers.” I once shared monitoring Study Hall where the young lady who was assisting me called out every little student disruption, in spite of my asking her not to do so and explaining my reasoning. She was not about to change her behavior. I simply told her I did not need her help, and she could report to the Teachers’ Lounge instead. That rewarded her stupid behavior. After that, there were no more disturbances in my study hall. Problem solved.
I understand why Trump’s idiocy makes the news and gets headlines. It sells newspapers. Television news shows get more viewers, which attracts advertisers, which generates money for the network. But it is also rewarding bad behavior. Trumpers are the same as the children who followed the school yard bully–only now, they are of voting age. I doubt that this can be good for our Country.
While reading The Prevalence of Nonsense by Ashley Montagu and Edward Darling (Harper & Row, 1967), I came upon a couple of paragraphs that might be enlightening.
Every public figure naturally wants the people to accept and, if possible, to applaud him, because the rewards of popularity eventually pay off in terms of power. The man who commands public interest by what he says and does–also commands the headlines, and the microphones, and the motion-picture and television cameras. In short, he becomes highly visible, as they say on Madison Avenue. Following his high degree of visibility, he attracts a certain number of people. Of course, he may repel others; but he is placing his bets upon the proposition that he can attract more than he repels[. And] if he wins that bet, he becomes a wielder of power, because his adherents will follow his wishes.
This is a pretty precise description of the Trump phenomena. Donald Trump tirelessly promoted himself. He put his name on everything he could, to create his image as an astute businessman, a mover and shaker. His position on “The Apprentice” even accelerated his goal. For too long no one even challenged his mirage, until Trump University was found to be a fraud. Even then, people just brushed it off. They believed what they wanted to believe, rather than verified facts. It is too bad The Prevalence of Nonsense by Montagu and Darling was not more widely read. It should have been a part of every High School Senior’s curriculum. The authors continue with a very apt illustration.
Some propagandist for Bernito Mussolini invented the phrase, “He made the trains run on time.“ Mussolini may have done many brutal and tyrannical things. He may have destroyed human freedom in Italy. He may have murdered and tortured citizens, whose only crime was to oppose Mussolini. But “one had to admit,” one thing about the Dictator: he made the trains run on time. When a large enough number of people became convinced of the truth of the shibboleth, the saying grew to have the power of a popular belief.
In 1953 I first learned of this fascinating fact, when I was studying for the priesthood in a Franciscan Seminary. We had to translate Caesar’s Gallic Wars from Latin into English. It suddenly occurred to me that Caesar could have written whatever he wanted, and, of course, he would portray himself as a great general. Who would dare dispute it?
If we are to remain a democracy, we need to stop lionizing our Presidents and recognize them for the fallible human beings they were and are. Lies and liars keep us from making the decision we would make, if we knew the truth of the matter. Our mass media, which sensationalizes events without questioning their sources, does us a serious disservice. Taking Israel’s word that 12 workers from the UNWRA participated in the October 7 attack, that conveniently took place right after the International Court of Justice ruled against them, should have been a giant red flag.
Where is the proof? Will we ever see the evidence?
The damage is done, and we are unlikely to ever see the truth. Maybe Caesar had a few losses he conveniently didn’t remember.