The Autumn of Trump

I am having a hard time coming up with an entry for this blog. Part of me wants to post something about kittens and puppy dogs and Mallomars and autumn leaves and apple cider and Fleetwood Mac's Bare Trees album and pumpkin everything. But there's another part of me that wants to rant and rave about the Asshole-in-Chief and his latest despicable behavior. Seriously, the man is devoid of compassion, decency, and integrity, and he needs to be called out. And he is. And there's that part of me that wants to add my voice. I am in crisis, having no idea whether it would be better to distract my readers (and myself) from the reality of this Age of Trump, or to go full Monty (not talking nudity here) and vent my anger and despair in language you would not want your children or grandchildren to read.

I am overdosing on MSNBC, my iPhone's newsfeed, Facebook posts, my daily newspapers, and videos of the latest skits from late-night comedians. (And thank goodness for them! What would we do if we couldn't laugh?) This over-exposure to the current nightmare is taking a toll. I am eating too much, drinking too much, sleeping too little, and looking for conspiracy everywhere. You, too?

Although it's hard today to pick the greatest offense, Trump's pep rally in Mississippi on Tuesday in which he mocked Dr. Christine Blasey Ford is top of the list. More disturbing than his pathetic rant are the cheers of his audience, who responded with chants of "Lock her up!" Seriously? What the fuck is wrong with these people? (Hey, I warned you about the language . . . )

A friend sent me a Daily Kos article which comments on Adam Serwer's story in The Atlantic, in which he posits that "cruelty is the whole point." He likens the cheering Trump base to the bystanders who smirked and smiled at the lynchings of blacks in the Deep South in the 30s. "Their shared laughter at the suffering of others is an adhesive that binds them to each other, and to Trump." It is a desire to be one with the pack, tribalism at its most basic. "This is the world that Trump has brought us to."

Indeed. And this is where we find ourselves. The only answer, it seems, is to vote. Change the order. Take back decency and humanity and all the virtues that are not held by the current majority. The saddest truth is that, according to the article, we cannot change the mentality of the Trump base. "Shame will never work with these people, because they have none. Appeals to conscience will not work, because they have none."

I know. It's hard to grab onto that sorry truth. If humanism is one of your cherished beliefs, there is no way that you can process the lack of that virtue in others. I guess a lot of people were absent the day they taught The Golden Rule.

In closing, let me just say that I am going to enjoy some Mallomars with my pumpkin ale while raking leaves and listening to Bare Trees. Anybody got a puppy I can borrow?