Imagine, if you can, a hospital that asks people in the community to publicly vote for the doctor who will be in charge.
So, in the lead up to the ballot, most doctor candidates offer their qualifications and experience; they give examples of what they have done and what they hope to achieve in the future. But there is one doctor who shouts, “I will abolish all illnesses. I will cure everyone and I will not only make you people well and healthy but I will make your entire lives better.” “Yay!” shout the people as they applaud before toddling off to vote for him. They do not stop to think. They do not stop to find out that this ‘doctor’ has no qualifications for the job and has never even been in a hospital, let alone treated someone’s illness. Imagine, if you can, a school that asks people in the community to publicly vote for the teacher who will be in charge. In the lead up to the ballot, most teacher candidates offer their qualifications and experience; they give examples of what they have done and what they hope to achieve in the future. But there is one teacher who shouts, “I will make sure that all children turn out to be clever. I will ensure that your children know absolutely everything and it will not cost you a cent. We will be a school of smart, clever people and I will not let any person who is not as clever as I demand to enter into my school.” “Yay!” shout the people as they applaud before toddling off to vote for him. They do not stop to think. They do not bother to find out that the ‘teacher’ has no qualifications for the job and has not been near a school since he left his own schooling 55 years before. He does not even know how to teach a five-year-old how to hold a pencil. Now, imagine, if you can, taking your car to be serviced. A ‘mechanic’ assures you that he will make your car run like a new Rolls Royce. He promises you that you will never have any car trouble again. (You get the drift? He is not a mechanic….etc. he doesn’t even drive a car). Would you hire a ‘builder’ who promises to build you a bigger and better house with everything you ever dreamed of, but who is a man who has never even held a hammer, let alone drawn up house plans? Would you? Would you allow someone who wasn’t a doctor to perform surgery on you? Would you allow someone who wasn’t a teacher to ‘teach’ your children? Would you allow someone who wasn’t a mechanic to ‘repair’ your car? Would you choose someone who wasn’t a builder to build you a home? No? BUT….this is what the people of USA have done. They have appointed a man who isn’t a politician - who has never been a politician…..who is an inexperienced and unqualified man – to be their President. So……….can you see the similarities between the above scenarios and Trump’s big con.? Trump is not a politician. He has never held political office. He has never even been an office holder in a small community organisation, and yet…and yet….he has shouted at and seduced millions of Americans who have not stopped to think. Millions have believed his empty and unattainable promises and have run like lemmings over the cliff of unrealisable hope, into an unknown and dangerous future. Trump has massaged the masses; he has used their discontent and unhappiness to gain his own reward; the reward of being the leader of the (arguably) biggest power in the world. He is disrespectful towards the political process, has no idea about global trade or foreign policy. He is no politician; he has no experience in affairs of the state or national security. As for Trump the man - I find it hard to describe him without resorting to retelling the many stories of his appalling words and behaviour. Most of us have heard it all before, so here is a concise description of him, from The Guardian (10/11/16), written by Gary Younge from Indiana. He writes that Trump is: “A self-confessed sexual predator, race-baiter, xenophobe and Islamophobe – not to mention a thin-skinned Twitter troll who mocks disabled people – he also refused to recognise what had until now been the boundaries of acceptable electoral discourse.” How is it that this man was able to (Pied Piper like) cajole millions of people into thinking (or, quite possibly NOT thinking) that he would make a suitable President of US.? I realise that many people are dissatisfied with their lives and I accept that many, many people only think of themselves; people whose thoughts and worries do not venture outside their own little bubble of what affects them personally. And I truly accept that there is a huge divide between the haves and the have-nots. So is it a class ‘thing’ and not a political ‘thing’? I think so. This is a phenomenon that is universal. It has been around for decades. Remember the ‘Red Shirt’ mob in Bangkok of about 10 years ago? That was caused by similar sentiment. But, I would suggest that the answer to relieving inequality and disaffection is not to vote in an incompetent man who just may wreck more than the USA – politically, environmentally, socially and monetarily - leading to unmitigated disaster throughout the world.
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Author notesI choose to comment on social issues and write creatively on a variety of subjects - for a variety of audiences.
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