'Ruption in Book Five: Working Through the Maze 2018

I read an interesting article this morning that explained some things I’ve been seeing. Now, when I say “explains some things I’ve been seeing” that doesn’t mean “This article is true because it corresponds to my views.” Instead, I’m saying “I am giving some credit to this article for discovering what I have observed.” The distinction is… I have seen, I have been curious, this article discusses it. As opposed to: I believe, I sought confirmation, this article gives me that. It is an important distinction to make and an important thing to point out as the “News” world is now filled with Primarily Opinion Programs (Fox News, MSNBC), Profit Centered News (CNN, NBC), Bullshit Spewing Hate Triggers (Stormfront, InfoWars), uneducated blogs, and foreign sources. If you believe something and want to reinforce it, there is a source for you to quote. If you want to challenge yourself, you should question and research your sources.

The article I read (here) discussed corruption and the fact that the Citizens of the United States seem to disagree on what constitutes corruption. This was played out largely this week as Fox News covered Mollie Tibbet’s suspect instead of Manafort’s verdict or Cohen’s plea. It is further playing out as Trump supporters declare that “Trump has done a great job and done nothing wrong!” OR as Trump supporters declare “All politicians break the law and lie, this is just personal attacks against Trump!” Or as Trump supporters declare, “Who cares if he paid off a porn star?!” Many in this country and around the world look at the people and wonder, “You claim to be against corruption but have specifically mentioned several ways in which Trump has acted corrupt! WHAT?!” The article suggests it comes down to a connotative problem with the word corruption.

The denotative meaning of corruption is
a : dishonest or illegal behavior especially by powerful people (such as government officials or police officers) : depravity
b : inducement to wrong by improper or unlawful means (such as bribery) the corruption of government officials
c : a departure from the original or from what is pure or correct the corruption of a text the corruption of computer files
d : decay, decomposition the corruption of a carcass

The article suggests that while some Americans view the Trump presidency via Definition A and are upset with the President; other Americans have viewed his entire political campaign and rise with an emotionally filtered version of Definition C.

Trump versus Hillary. Trump supporters continued to say that Hillary was “the most corrupt candidate ever” while passionately supporting Trump. However, Trump at the time of his candidacy was being sued for fraud, investigated for sexual assault, and had already been in the courts publicly for things like “Fraud, Illegal Business Practices, and prohibiting black people from living in his buildings.” So Hillary is corrupt, but so is Donald! People called it “cognitive dissonance” that folks could see Hillary as so corrupt but consider Donald so pure. The article begs to differ. It isn’t a version of psychological confusion or complication but a disagreement on what version of corruption is most rotten. Corruption, here, is most threatening when it is a departure from the status quo. Corruption as dishonest or illegal behavior by powerful people is acceptable as it is the status quo. Corruption as Woman President, White Minority Panic, and Cultural Emasculation is the true threat.

Whether you agree with that principle or not, it explains what we’re seeing.

For example, this week in West Virginia, at yet another Trump Rally, his supporters were shouting “Drain the swamp!” and “Lock her up!” (meaning Hillary Clinton). This rally was on Tuesday night. The same day as Manafort’s conviction and Cohen’s plea deal. SO… from a dispassionate outsider perspective.... Trump supporters were calling for Trump to “cleanse Washington of corruption” and “imprison a former political adversary” on the same day two of Trump’s close campaign associates and friends were convicted of things that would be considered corruption and could lead to their imprisonment. HOW is that not cognitive dissonance?

Because Trump (as a powerful, wealthy, white man) consistently goes after The Other. Trump bashes Muslims, Blacks, Mexicans, Immigrants, Democrats, Republicans, the Wealthy, the Poor… if you feel that there is a group out there threatening your status quo, Trump has attacked them and promised to deal with them. For some people, that makes him their hero. If “corruption” is the rotting away of what a person considers the spirit of America… then anyone who claims to be protecting that spirit is a Godsend.

Why do the poor think he’s doing a great job on the economy? The GOP Tax Breaks have already proven to increase the deficit hardcore while wages continue to stagnate or decrease… the tariffs are directly hurting the Rust Belt and Agriculture sectors… the CEOs are seeing their profits increase and the Stocks and DOW are shaky but climbing. Why is he doing, in their minds, such a fantastic job on the economy? Status Quo. This is the way things have always been, but he makes us feel like we have a voice and he says he’s doing big things to help us… give him time.

When Trump attacks Illegal Immigrants while lining his own pockets via tax payer paid trips to his own resorts and hotels; people celebrate his attacks on corruption. Because the corruption of self-dealing is “status quo” while the idea of The Other violating our laws and our country is “corruption of the most vile kind.” Forget for a moment that the majority of people discussing this topic have almost zero understanding of Immigration Law. The more important concept is “Status Quo.”

Why can people who claim to be Patriots, passionate children of the United States of America, calmly say that they don’t care if a hostile foreign power attacked our nation’s election? Because in doing so, the status quo was maintained. The Russians, who every intelligence network and community say were behind the attacks, protected America by giving us a white male president thereby protecting the status quo.

And if you, as a Trump supporter, believe these observations are all bullshit. That it has nothing to do with the status quo and you’re just so infuriated because the Democrats are eternally corrupt and Donald did nothing wrong… explain to me how you can ignore 34 indictments, multiple convictions, and physical evidence in this so called “Rigged Witch Hunt?” Explain to me how you can see “aggressive self dealing” as not corruption? Explain to me how time after time Trump has behaved in a vile, legally corrupt manner; and yet his supporters think he’s done nothing wrong?

I won’t debate you. This topic deserves no debate. When Trump goes on National Television (as candidate) and invites Russia to hack his political adversary… that is corruption. When Trump repeatedly attempts to interfere by word and deed with an investigation into his own campaign… that is corruption. I won’t change your mind, you won’t change mine. But I do want to know why you think he’s done nothing wrong. Because I’m not willing to simply believe “cognitive dissonance.” I’m not willing to accept that a “mental disorder” has seized so much of this country.

And before anyone starts in on “Because you watch the damn MSNBC, CNN fake news bullshit media”… know that I don’t. Know that I read BBC, watch Fox News and CNN only once a day. I don’t let pundits tell me how to feel or what to think. I look at the news not the opinions. When Donald Trump’s tariffs fuck Agriculture… I say “fuck Agriculture” because of how things went… not because some talking head said “fuck Agriculture.” When I point to how disastrous the tax break is and will be… it isn’t because a pundit said “terrible!” It is because the CEO to Hourly pay numbers have been published charting the course of change since the tax breaks were signed. And when a President intentionally puts people like Betsy Devos, Scott Pruitt, David Shulkin, Ben Carson, and others in charge? That is proof enough for me about what kind of President he is.

For what has become sadly obvious reasons, this entry will only accept Private Notes to avoid ad hominem and mean spiritedness.