Ruminations this morning...
I’m sitting in my kitchen waiting for the floodwaters to go down in my street from the torrential rain so I could leave for work.
It occurred to me that the Trump phenomenon or nightmare or holocaust is due to the overinvestment of Americans in celebrity status. Because he was a celebrity he was granted rights and privileges to which no one is entitled.
A number of years ago, a young lady mentioned to me that Paris Hilton was her generations version of Elizabeth Taylor. I said to her that Elizabeth Taylor starting as a child actress and evolving into a superstar with immense beauty and talent was so many levels above Paris Hilton that it’s embarrassing. Her response to me was but she was a celebrity too. And I Nodded, and said yes but she achieved her celebrity status following a significant career in film. The fact that she was multiply married, and the victim of several significant tragedies is what made her into the weird celebrity status which she attained. Paris Hilton, other than coincidentally coming from the same family as Liz’s first husband who abused her horribly on their honeymoon, had no career to speak of. Her video credits were sketchy to say the least.
But this is the problem: we have elevated a certain class of people into a stratosphere in which they are revered no matter what their behavior, no matter what their sins, no matter what their venality is. It is thus that we achieved this nadir Of politics. That is to say the nadir so far, the bottom seems to keep falling out from underneath us.
On edit one more thing. Trump mentioned “the touch“. I have read over the years in various literary milieu that the wealthy are nervous about what they call “the touch“. That’s why they hesitate to shake hands, if they do it’s a light touch and they pull away almost instantly. I’ve had occasion to experience that myself And if I recall correctly, the first time I ever read about that was in Ian Fleming’s Goldfinger, when Bond meets the title character. I may be mistaken, but I’m pretty sure it’s in there. Mini years ago I treated one of the DuPont family and it was exactly as described. I never offered my hand again even though I saw him on many occasions in my office.
= new reply since forum marked as read
