Pages Menu
TwitterFacebooklogin
Categories Menu

Posted by on Aug 1, 2018 in Blog, Politics | 3 comments

Trump is a Cult of Personality

 

 

Once, we thought a declaration of war on the media was endemic only to Banana Republics.  Not the USA.  Now, we’ve devolved into a nation run by Banana Republicans. 

 

I never thought such a thing was possible.

Not in America.

Not with more than two centuries of proud democratic traditions.  Not in a country which so deeply instilled within us all, since childhood, that we were, in founding father John Adams’ immortal words, “a government of laws, not men.”

No man, no woman — nobody was above the law of the land.

We thought we were better than the rest.  We believed we were exceptional.  We once even labeled this as a phenomenon we called “American exceptionalism.”  That’s because we wouldn’t fall for the clown act.  We wouldn’t marry the abuser.  We wouldn’t trust a con man with our most prized treasure — the nation’s future.

We used to snicker at half-deranged despots in other countries screaming from podiums.  We used to roll our eyes at programmed dolts herded into giant arenas fawning over the dear leader.  We used to cringe when we watched old newsreels of Soviet military parades.

Now, we have a president who screams from podiums.  We have programmed dolts fawning over the leader in giant arenas.  And, the dear leader is about to get his military parade.

Ironically, the term “cult of personality,” at least in the modern age, originated in the former Soviet Union.  It was first used by Nikita Khrushchev to describe the folly and peril of political deification.  Blind trust and faith in leaders is not only inherently dangerous but self-destructive to societies in the long run.

“A cult of personality arises when a country’s regime – or, more rarely, an individual politician – uses the techniques of mass media, propaganda, the big lie, spectacle, patriotism, and government-organized demonstrations and rallies to create an idealized, heroic, and worshipful image of a leader, often through unquestioning flattery and praise.”

Here’s the Trump “Cult of Personality” checklist:

Propaganda?  CHECK

The big lie?  CHECK

Patriotism?  CHECK

Government-organized demonstrations?  CHECK

Idealized, heroic, and worshipful imagery?  CHECK

Unquestioning flattery and praise?  CHECKMATE

There is hope.  Fortunately, a majority of people in this country understand Trump is a terrible president and an even worse human being.  Unfortunately, however, we have no access to Trump.  There are many places in this country Trump simply will not visit.  So, we must rely on the media to investigate the scandals and evils.  Trump views truth as a threat.  That’s why he disdains the media.  They (and a majority of Americans) are on to him.

On multiple occasions, in both the spoken and written word, Trump’s belief system and thought process are unmistakable.  He’s declared the media “the enemy of the people.”  This neo-Orwellian declaration is straight out of the playbook of Third-World dictatorships.  It’s the kind of stuff in this country we once used to mock.  It’s the fiery rhetoric we once thought was endemic only to unstable Banana Republics, not the United States of America.  Not us.  Now, we’ve devolved into a nation led by Banana Republicans.

It’s no longer a hyperbolic premonition to warn that this president has no regard for truth, no regard for the rule of law, no regard for democratic traditions, and no regard for the U.S. Constitution.  His political and cultural legacy crafted in the twisted mold of a halfwit reality television persona, Candidate Trump became President Trump, which is now the Cult of Trump.

My fellow Americans, we’re there.

3 Comments

  1. Excellent article.

  2. Well written. Who would have ever guessed this country had so many predisposed to the authoritarian ambitions of an ignorant con man.

  3. Much of the media, especially CNN and MSNBC, has done nothing but attack Trump since he won the nomination. Doesn’t matter if what they report are lies. Doesn’t matter that they don’t report any positive results of his presidency. Doesn’t matter that journalistic professionalism vanished, and these “journalists” believe THEY are the news. Their constant and continuous attacks on the president, members of his staff and administration, and anyone who is not a leftist DOES make some of them enemies of the people. They have used their media platforms to try to influence public opinion without regard to the truth. They certainly aren’t “journalists”. They are a left-wing propaganda machine (claiming to have no bias) that gets angrier everyday when people who haven’t bought into their BS react to their actions. You over estimate how many Americans agree with your view.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Donald Trump is a Lying Sociopath | Nolan Dalla - […] READ:  TRUMPISM IS A CULT […]
  2. The Republican Cult | Nolan Dalla - […] READ MORE:  Trump is a Cult of Personality […]

Post a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

css.php