A few weeks after the first attack on Donald Trump's life - last July - I listened to a Dutch podcast that left a big impression on me. The editor of 'De Correspondent' - an independent journalist platform - worded his concerns and thoughts in a way that resonated with my thoughts. Therefore, I decided to transcribe and translate the podcast/essay and share it below. In the text, I added remarks here and there to correct or extend specific statements, as well as to provide my thoughts. All additions in [brackets and cursive font].
created by AI with a well-defined prompt by edje
Was the attack on Trump shocking? Nope..
source: essay by Rob Wijberg - founder of 'De Correspondent'
The most shocking thing about the attack on Donald Trump [edje: the first one this year] was how unshocking it was. Honestly, were you baffled? I wasn't, at least [edje: I wasn't either].
In a country with more firearms than inhabitants and an average of 57 gun-related murders per day, which is now politically almost as divided as North and South Korea, with one side a Republican sect under the spell of an authoritarian cult leader and the other a Democratic deathbed in the grip of an ailing 81-year-old, in such a country, a political assassination attempt is hardly unthinkable. [edje: by now one of the options has been altered: Biden out, Kamala in]
It is also a tradition: four presidents have survived one, four have not. Attempts were thwarted for nearly all the others.
The attack on Trump is also an 'attack on democracy', as various media phrased it, is undeniable. It must be added: 'on democracy' – or what's left of it. I've argued before that news media should seriously question whether the United States can still be described as a democracy, given how advanced its deterioration is. Since then, the democratic future of the US hasn't become any better.
The American media spectacle that passes by every four years might look like free elections, but how democratic is it when you first need hundreds of millions of dollars or have to beg among billionaires just to be a serious presidential candidate? [edje: or simply get crypto-minded people to drop their money into NFTs, tokens and whatnot]. How democratic is it for voters to be presented with only two options - both of which the majority now say - they don't want? What's democratic about the systematic way in which millions of citizens are made unable to vote based on their skin colour and the wrong zip code? And how democratic can you call it when the leading candidate in the polls says - without shame - that he won't necessarily accept the outcome, threatens to prosecute political opponents if he wins, and meanwhile openly daydreams about an illegal third term?
No, the United States are more a democracy in name, a kleptocracy in reality, and an autocracy in the making. It's no wonder one of the most talked-about Hollywood films of 2024, "Civil War," [edje: need to see this one still] revolves around a civil war in contemporary America: it was an earlobe away from the dystopian prophecy coming a step closer.
And even a failed assassination attempt will only increase tensions. Don't expect the elections to be about climate change or the economy anymore [edje: not following all but hear a lot of slandering]. It took Trump less than a minute to turn the attack into a media moment by clenching his fist and posing as a bloodied and invincible martyr with an American flag in the background – an image that virtually all news media adopted uncritically. It exemplifies Trump's most basic instinct: how to turn news into a propaganda machine.
The fact that the Republicans almost immediately blamed President Biden and the Democrats for creating a 'climate of violence' with their rhetoric, follows the far-right media script perfectly, fitting a world that only consists of 'us and them' – but it's insane nonetheless. For years, their cult leader has - literally - called for violence, resulting in a violent coup attempt and the storming of the Capitol. The Republicans, incited by their former president, chanted "Hang Mike Pence!" during that storming – a call for the hanging of their vice president. How much butter can one put on one's head? [edje: Dutch saying which more or less means: how ignorant and blind-to-the-reality one can be].
The fact that public intellectuals and politicians continue to claim - with a straight face - that political violence is 'un-American', is almost laughable. Political violence is practically as American as obesity and apple pie. Ask Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, George Floyd, or yet another high school shooter with a semi-automatic weapon and a political manifesto in hand.
So yes, the attack on Donald Trump is horrific, deplorable, and unacceptable, but shocking? I wish it were.
The attack on Trump is an attack on democracy in critical condition. And his increasingly likely re-election [edje: perhaps a little less now with Kamala as his opponent] in November will be the further demolition of it.
Did this essay provoke reactions in you?
Hammer the comment section down below 👇
What to say. It all looks like a bad movie with all usual suspects. But then again...what is the difference with our our own shitshow in politics at the moment right? Pff.
All is well? Doing any ADE?
IMDB ratings will not be high if we would through our politicians up the board 😆
ADE: from thinking "lets not do anything" it seems that it'll be something like 909 and 'Eerste Communie' for me this round. What about you?
I have some Radion tickets for the Friday, might also pop in on breakfast club on saturday but all not sure on that.
909 would totally be curious for the Royksopp set
Sounds nice. Breakfast club: that is a long time ago I was there last.
While I don’t disagree on some points, the take by this person is pretty foolish.
The safest and most respected communities in the country are heavily armed people and their communities. Americans RESPECT firearms outside of the hellscape shitholes we call cities like Chicago. The most disgusting and failing cities in the country are run by progressive fools. Chicago is a cesspool, Los Angeles is expanding its homeless population by vast numbers, people literally shit on the street in San Francisco. Progressive cities with destructive policies and ideologies.
I don’t love trump, and I also don’t love the other propped up candidate but the media calling someone a series of names like extremist, violent etc every single day, 24/7 is going to make people crazy. If there wasn’t so much negative media coverage about him it wouldn’t be a big deal, he would just be another aging billionaire.
The two biggest examples of how little the current administration gives a fuck about the American people are the disasters in Maui and North Carolina. The administration waited days before looking at it and trump went down within hours after being able to, personally donated millions in supplies and aid.
There are so many examples of this type of stuff, that the progressives want to turn this country into North Korea and that is not hyperbole. They are mentally unwell on so many levels.
I’m independent on the spectrum but this podcast was garbage on the day to day lives of Americans, particularly the ones who aren’t in the urban areas.
Thank you for your response. A honest reaction which I appreciate a lot.
The 'little' time I have spent in the US (various cities and areas, from NYC, Baltimore, and Miami to San Francisco) I realised the US is quite a bit different to my own country (the Netherlands), in many ways. I was shocked to see some of the things you mentioned. The number of homeless people in SF, for instance (perhaps even less than today based on what you stated, since this was about 7 years ago). I can't tell the reason for such, but for Dutch people, this is far out of the norm for what we see in our own society/country. Our government will be ready to support the same day when disasters happen you mention, regardless of political colour. Our politicians would be in jail when they use the words commonly used in your country (regardless of political colour). Safety in the streets in my country is much higher than what you describe. We may have a few blocks here and there a woman should not walk alone in the deepest of the night.
It is with that point of view (not sure if that is the correct phrase) that people from my country view the world.
Yeah it’s challenging to view America from outsides like that. It’s such a diverse and complicated place.
For example most of the people do NOT want illegal immigrants. We want people to do it the RIGHT way. Come through the border gates, apply for citizenship and follow the process. The evil people in the media don’t ever talk about that piece because it’s not able to be used as a wedge to divide people. We are a country of immigrants but we have to be LEGAL for it to work properly.
I know we can certainly learn how to do things better such as helping people when they need it but at the same time there’s a lot of issues with people being lazy and addicted to the help instead of getting off it. It’s a double edged sword!
I know that the good parts of this country and our ideologies mentioned above are left out of the politically charged talking points such as this podcast hosts perspective. I can say that if the current regime wins the presidency the country will likely collapse in short order. It is completely unstructured and destructive. Not that trump is an amazing candidate, he’s not, but he at least wants to seemingly help this country rebuild itself and get past the divisive bullshit being pushed 24/7. We are all Americans, and we agree on WAY more than many people realize and it’s crucial that we get back to that mindset.
I do hope all is going to be resolved, and you all come out of all the shizzle more positively. But it needs time.
It would be fantastic if we could run local communities with the help of DAO. No need for politcal parties, presidents, governors, mayors and such. Sure, we need a lot of experimentation with such governance systems still. For a reason I bought a few NFTs, the first out of 10, I need to claim a plot on Satoshi Island. It is a 30-hour trip (one-way) for me, but the most advanced project on planet Earth to turn (in this case) a little island into a DAO-based governance system.
With such a setup, I truly hope (well, it is more than hope) we will be able to live respectfully in communities in which we help and support each other no matter what.
For now I wish you a great Sunday. NJOY.
That sounds awesome, good luck getting to claim your plot! Indeed we have a LOT of capability that we can harness if we can get out of our own way in terms of foolish governance stuff.
Yes it provoked some internal reactions in me ha ha ha. I'm just surprised you're into such controversial and US political topics now huh, well let's see who else will be provoked! ;)
my interest in topics is virtually unlimited 🎶
glad it brought you more than a smile
we shall laugh as much as we possibly can, is life's motto
Trump timed it pretty well with stopping for a photo op before rushing off the stage. His ear healed very quickly too! Hopefully people will vote harder and fix things 😉
He did! Deep Respect for that part of the show 🙇♂️
Regarding fixing: Let's hope so indeed.
Never heard of it.
I haven't crossed paths with you til now, you from the US?
Am from Europe, the Netherlands
I figured. Cheers!
The movie: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt17279496/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_Civil%2520War
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