Number 131

 Did You Hear We Had an Election?

(It might be a good idea to go back and read AtRP #102, "MAGA is a cult..." from June 2020, first)

One of my least well kept secrets is how much I despise Donald Trump. Any of my long time readers can support this contention. I have slagged on; mourned the the election of; complained about; and wrote, in the strongest terms I could muster, the need to thwart the re-election of this narcissistic charlatan for over four years. And I hated every time I felt the need to do so (in general, I'd prefer to keep politics out of AtRP). But such was my conviction that his presidency was a cancer upon our country, that I was compelled to speak out. I don't know if I changed anyone's mind, but I knew I couldn't remain silent.

I remember when he was first elected and I was speaking with two friends who had voted for him (likewise, they knew I had supported Hillary). It was a careful, but civil discussion, and I hope they still consider me a friend - I've haven't seen either of them for awhile. In any event, one of them made the point of comparing the presidency to an airplane, and shouldn't we citizens all hope that our 'pilot' flies the plane successfully. She was lamenting that so many people (myself included) were already expressing concerns/protesting about Trump before he was even inaugurated. I didn't really respond, at least out loud, because I felt the three of us were getting suspiciously close to the point where our conversation would cease to be polite, but I thought to myself: "If I saw that the pilot was drunk off his/her ass when they came aboard the plane, I don't think keeping quiet would be the best strategy."

In any event, election day, 2020 has come and gone, and according to every credible news source around the globe, Joe Biden won fair and square. (Yay!) You'll note the use of the word "credible" in that last sentence. This word was chosen deliberately. For it seems there are a few news sources that confuse 'wish fulfillment' with 'truth,' who believe that DT won. According to these people, Trump won the vast majority of the 'legal' votes, but due to the machinations of 'Deep State' operatives and the Democratic party, he is being denied a second term. Where could these folks have gotten such a fanciful notion in the first place? Umm... Trump himself, it turns out. Which is odd when you consider all the times that he's failed as a business person. You'd think he'd be used to admitting he's a loser by now.

I could, if I wished to, detail all of Trump's shenanigans since the election, but it would take too long and I don't want to. Also, if I wanted to, I could list (and then refute with facts), the many conspiracies being put forward by the hardcore MAGA crowd, but it would take too long and I don't want to. It's enough for me to say that Trump has behaved like a petulant, cry-baby bully since the election; and that his followers have, well... as has been written before, sometimes "denial" is more than a river in Egypt. 

No, what I want to do today is celebrate their misery and disbelief. I want to laugh at them and their ridiculous theories, their twisted logic, their (very) poor grammar and spelling, and their mind numbing logical fallacies. I want to, but their stupidity and inability to accept basic truths quickly wears on me and leaves me tired. It's rather breathtaking how many of these people are deeply invested and impressed by their own ignorance. When I read some of their more mind-numbing comments on these fringe news sights, my first impulse is to write a factual, common sense rebuttal. However, this is quickly followed by a reminder of what Mark Twain once wrote: "Don't get into an argument with a fool. They will bring you down to their level and beat you with their experience." So I just shake my head, and move on.

Essentially, as it often does, it comes down to fear and ignorance. And it's impossible to get through to these knuckleheads if that's the lens through which they choose to view the world. In reading comments on right wing websites, it quickly becomes clear how frightened these people are of a world that is beyond their understanding. Unfortunately, instead of trying to educate themselves so they might understand things better, they seem to celebrate their simple-mindedness. It would be funny, except for the fact that DT received the second most votes ever cast in a presidential election. (Approximately 6 million less votes than Joe Biden, but still.) So mostly it all makes me sad. 

There are, however, two exceptions that are too good not to share. The first story detailed how many kool-aid drinking, MAGA hat wearing numbskulls were planning on boycotting the two Senate run-off elections in Georgia. They believe that the 'fix is in,' and that the two democratic candidates will be elected regardless of the popular vote. Umm, okay. To them I say: "You know, you might have something there, Sparky. I think you should stay home and skip the vote."

The second story detailed how certain anti-vaccination communities have become a pipeline for QAnon radicalization. In other words, many anti-vaxxers, who have already proven themselves susceptible to outlandish and untrue bullshit, are falling for the governmental conspiracies made popular by the execrable QAnon crowd. One of those theories, natch, concerns their suspicions about the various Covid-19 vaccinations that will soon (hopefully), find their way into my arm and yours. As I understand it, they believe that Covid is only a ruse to get every citizen inoculated with something that will then allow the 'deep state' to keep track of our every move.

A couple of things about that. (1) I'm pretty sure the government already has the ability to surveil anyone of us, if they want. As soon as I order a pair of shoes on-line, every ad on the next website I visit is for, you guessed it, footwear. I'm sure the CIA knows my clothing sizes; the NSA knows what I had for lunch; and the FBI knows what kind of porn I like (hypothetically speaking). In other words, folks, I think the train has already left the station on the idea of keeping secrets from Uncle Sam (Which would only bother me if I had something to hide). (2) It wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing if the crackpots pushing  harmful and unscientific 'theories' about vaccinations and the 'deep state' upon unsuspecting and vulnerable people refuse to get inoculated. Perhaps they will all get Covid-19 and die, taking their vile and dangerous ideas with them. 

Harsh, I know, and (probably) hyperbolic, but I'm so sick and tired of ignorance being passed off as edgy intellectualism. I'm tired of ignorance hidden under a veil of smug superiority. I'm tired of ignorance that takes a moral high ground that it has no right to. I'm tired of ignorance that can only evaluate a situation from one perspective. I'm tired of the shoddy absolutism that walks hand-in-hand with ignorance. I'm tired of the ignorance that confuses boorishness with candor. I'm sick and tired that Trump and his minions have allowed despicable ignorance to become mainstream.

I'll leave you with this. It was written by William Butler Yeats as he reflected back on the devastation wrought by World War I. It sums up my feelings of the entire Trump presidency.

The best lack all conviction, while the worst

are full of passionate intensity.