Here Come The Barbarians

It used to be that to succeed in this world you’d need to have at least one of the following good luck charms: a higher education, parents who raised you with a strong work ethic, a benefactor who’d open doors of opportunity to you, or an abundance of good looks and charm. It also used to be that higher levels of success would come first and foremost to men.

Largely, success can come to anyone these days, but there’s a known consequence for disrupting the order of things. As more women outperform men in the classroom and workplace, more men are miffed at being knocked off their pedestal. This is why a majority of men will choose Donald Trump over Nikki Haley, just as they chose him over Hillary in 2016.

I get it. Some men resent bright women who dare to cross into their turf. Think 12-year-old boys huddled in their tree houses, a wood sign hanging over the entry: No girls allowed!

Sexism aside, when Trump ascended to power, it became clear that the only thing needed to succeed in today’s world is your own eye-grabbing circus act with a head-spinning, Felliniesque cast of characters. Bake in the art of crudity and buffoonery, and you’ll be on your way. The more outrageous you are, or immoral, the sooner your clicks, likes, and shares will skyrocket. Whether you’re a teenager skateboarding off a cliff, or a president throwing the nation off the cliff, all eyes will be riveted on you.

This was confirmed to me the other day when I saw a news clip of a few black men explaining why they would vote for Trump. They didn’t only like Trump, they were enamored with him—much to my dismay. For them, he was a showstopper. One of the gentlemen admitted he and others wanted to be just like Trump. They liked that he could say and do all those outrageous things and still rise to the top. That meant they, too, could possibly attain more success…as if Trump had been just another underdog, a brother who successfully overcame the prejudices of the established order.

Certainly there are better people in this world than Trump. But, for his most fanatic admirers, his vulgar act is seductive like porn and addictive as heroine: his bragging about grabbing, and women liking it…or shooting someone and not losing a vote...or bullying his opponents…or comparing himself to Jesus—the other big lie. But, newsflash, he is nothing like Jesus because he is not preaching a gospel of love.

If you still love Trump, be forewarned. Should he win, all the over-his-head political affairs will be promptly pushed off to the Republican elite while he takes the helm socially and culturally in front of the cameras, as usual. As a social magnet and cult figure, he will stand in the public square and erect a public monument to the worst of human nature.

He’ll devour the last of the leftovers of American decency and proclaim that the madman in you is permissible, even desirable, perhaps a requirement for success. “If you want to do it, go ahead because people will love it” will be the monument’s engraved slogan. Children will stand in awe of him and emulate him because having no guardrails is liberating, fun, and now acceptable. But more than that, they’ll learn that bad behavior is what it takes to rise, succeed, and be glorified as Trump is.

Bad behavior has already gone viral over the last few years because it’s easier than restraint or holding yourself to a higher standard. It’s easy to be a porch pirate, a phone scammer, a sexual assailant, a bully, a liar, or a vindictive “dictator on day one,” especially if there are few if any consequences. If Trump can grab, I can too, right?

The new culture of smash and grab is Trumpian in its very nature. Bring your clubs, hit hard, and grab what you can. Smash and grab the truth, say it’s all lies. Smash and grab voting machines, say the votes are rigged. Smash and grab election workers, say they cheated. Smash and grab Mike Pence, say he’s a wimp. Smash and grab Nancy Pelosi’s husband, say he deserved it. Smash and grab the White House, say he only needs 11,780 more votes.

If this was a child, he’d be expelled from school by now. If this were Barack Obama he’d be in jail by now. If this were Mike Pence, Trump would have dispatched a firing squad.

And, yet, he’s our presumed Republican presidential nominee. Why? I can only assume it’s all entertainment now—not a quest for a more perfect union, or a better America. I don’t mean entertainment like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, I mean more of a horror film like Barbarian. So grab your seats, ladies and gentlemen, the show’s about to begin.