The World Beyond BetterMost > The Culture Tent
In the New Yorker...
Front-Ranger:
I woke in the night and started reading some parts of the long compilation of articles on writers' reaction to the Presidential elections, "Aftermath". I skipped over a lot of it, but some were very poignant. I'm concerned about something. I read in the front matter that people like Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Sarah Palin, and Rudy Giuliani are being considered for high appointments, but when I went to the Internet to check this out, it appears that none of them are actually being appointed. This worries me. Is the New Yorker getting people all riled up for nothing? Conversely, although the real appointees are not household names, it appears that they are just as regressive and inept as any of those other people. I'm confused. I'm terminally confused these days.
Jeff Wrangler:
At lunch today I started reading George Packer's Oct. 31 article "The Unconnected." In a sense this article is outdated by the election results, but if you didn't read it, I suggest it's worthwhile reading anyway. Why? Because so far--and I haven't gotten very far into it--it's looking like a very good explanation of why and how Trump won. Prescient, too, I guess, since it was published a week before the election. I mean, Packer seems to be explaining how "millions of Americans were suddenly drawn to a crass strongman who tossed out fraudulent promises and gave institutions and elites the middle finger."
He goes on to write, and I find this somewhat alarming:
--- Quote ---The fact that so many informed, sophisticated Americans failed to see Donald Trump coming, and then kept writing him off, is itself a sign of a democracy in which no center holds. Most of his critics are too reasonable to fathom his fury-driven campaign. Many don't know a single Trump supporter. But to fight Trump you have to understand his appeal.
--- End quote ---
It's the "no center holds" part that scares hell out of me. And while it's too late for this election, I think it's probably still a good idea to understand Trump's appeal.
Jeff Wrangler:
I am still reading George Packer's Oct. 31 article, and I'm still electrified by it. Scared by it, too. ...
Front-Ranger:
Interesting, several commentators have referenced Yeats' poem "Second Coming" including Robert Kingler:
http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/contributors/2016/11/22/civility-casualty-2016-election/93897456/
serious crayons:
--- Quote from: Front-Ranger on November 18, 2016, 08:21:05 pm ---I woke in the night and started reading some parts of the long compilation of articles on writers' reaction to the Presidential elections, "Aftermath". I skipped over a lot of it, but some were very poignant. I'm concerned about something. I read in the front matter that people like Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Sarah Palin, and Rudy Giuliani are being considered for high appointments, but when I went to the Internet to check this out, it appears that none of them are actually being appointed. This worries me. Is the New Yorker getting people all riled up for nothing? Conversely, although the real appointees are not household names, it appears that they are just as regressive and inept as any of those other people. I'm confused. I'm terminally confused these days.
--- End quote ---
I think some of the actual verified appointees are just as scary, if not more so.
Maybe I'm insufficiently knowledgeable about New Jersey politics, but Chris Christie would seem positively reassuring compared to, say, Steve Bannon.
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