What Happens When WrestleMania And Gawker Have A Baby Together?
BY Herschel Smith
8 years ago
PJM:
Trump is a master of the nihilist style of the web. His competitors speak in political jargon and soaring generalities. He speaks in rant. He attacks, insults, condemns, doubles down on misstatements, never takes a step back, never apologizes. Everyone he dislikes is a liar, “a bimbo,” “bought and paid for.” Without batting an eyelash, he will compare an opponent to a child molester. Such rhetorical aggression is shocking in mainstream American politics but an everyday occurrence on the political web, where death threats and rape threats against a writer are a measure of the potency of the message.
The “angry voter” Trump supposedly has connected with is really an avatar of the mutinous public: and this is its language. It too speaks in rant, inchoate expression of a desire to remake the world by smashing at it, common parlance of the political war-bands that populate Tumblr, Gawker, reddit, and so many other online platforms. By embracing Trump in significant numbers, the public has signaled that it is willing to impose the untrammeled relations of social media on the U.S. electoral process.
To be fair, I think this is right but I think there is more at play than this. There are legitimate grievances, but voting for Trump to fix those grievances is sort of like placing your penis on an anvil and beating it bloody, shouting “you won’t do it to us again,” while a Fascist does it again to them as he sings, “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.” Turning now to the other parent, pro wrestling.
He parlayed his appearances on Monday Night Raw into a prime-time WrestleMania 23 match. The mega event was billed as the “Battle of the Billionaires” and featured a showdown between a wrestler sponsored by Trump (Bobby Lashley) and a wrestler chosen by McMahon (Umaga) — and was refereed by none other than famous McMahon antagonist Stone Cold Steve Austin. Even the taunt-filled ringside contract-signing showcased Trump, prefiguring his insult-laced debate performances. At stake was a golden head of hair: The loser would be forcibly shorn of his famous locks in front of a record pay-per-view crowd.
I’ve been toying with the idea that Donald Trump isn’t a human, but an apparition of some sort, designed by evil forces to have an adverse impact on behavior. My thoughts still need to be fully formed before laying that out there as a mature idea, but Trump is certainly having a bad affect on behavior.
The goal is to harden men. It is to force them to bare their asses, pull their pants down in public, use foul language, discuss obscene things, hurl baseless insults towards other people, to be able to do or feel anything without shame, and manifest utterly narcissistic feelings in all things.
The target is to destroy all etiquette, kill the notion of love, grace and kindness towards others, and coarsen the discourse, both private and public. Trump has no ideology beyond this, and the increase of Donald Trump. His values are “without form and void.” He is an empty vessel, into which anything can be poured that benefits Trump and humiliates, trashes, denigrates and dehumanizes others.
And America is enthralled with the shameless reality show that is Donald Trump. It is a sick society, sick unto death.
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On April 6, 2016 at 8:23 am, TexTopCat said:
You certainly have Trump figured out to a large degree. The sad fact is that the two Democratic contenders are much worse. At this point, Cruz seems like the only acceptable choice.
On April 6, 2016 at 9:03 am, Fred said:
‘His values are “without form and void.” He is an empty vessel…’
And his followers believing that they “shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” attempt to fill this vessel as if it were their own creation.
On April 6, 2016 at 5:20 pm, Josh said:
Quote of the year right here!
Now, regarding Kimball’s take on social media, he couldn’t be more wrong. He doesn’t fundamentally understand the Internet, its affect on culture, the affect culture has on the Internet, or any of the psychology or sociology involved. To be fair, he’s certainly not alone, and it’s a topic complex enough that understanding it requires a decade of immersion, expertise in the afformentioned fields, or in some cases both.
I also would suggest that you are allowing the mental, emotional, and spiritual discipline you’ve labored towards for many years to color your expectations of the masses. Discourse has been rough, uncouth, nasty, low-brow, and vitriolic forever. But now you can read it, hear it, see it, and even engage in it by sliding your phone out of your pocket.
On April 6, 2016 at 5:27 pm, Herschel Smith said:
Man has always been sinful, that comes from original sin. But the difference (not due to the internet), today is that it’s on display to a greater degree in public discourse, with celebration of the shamelessness being pushed as the pinnacle of perfection. Oh, you’re right about this not being different than some points in history, but those are inflection points. It’s important to understand history, the ebb and flow of things. The reformation represents a different time, cultural milieu and set of standards than say, the French revolution. We just happen to be in one of those times. The internet didn’t cause it. It is a reflection of it.
On April 7, 2016 at 9:34 am, Fred said:
You bring up an interesting point that got me thinking about the things man has built. Many things represent an aspect of our being, art, towers to the sky, canal systems, roads, machines and more. The internet (content) is the first thing created by millions with billions of contributors. Other than society itself it is becoming the most accurate reflection of what we are to date and much of what we are is rather ugly. Unfortunately, the more some will attempt to control its content, the more distorted and inaccurate the reflection of us, in it, will become. The same way that the controlling of the freely contracted exchange of goods and services (economy) distorts the market place. Of course the attempt at control is just another aspect of what we are as well. There is no real threat of reprisal on the internet, such as in societal interaction, which can bring immediate shame or even physical harm for what a person does and says. Much has been written about the lack of restraint on the internet. I think it’s a good thing. Let’s get it all out in the open, all the ugly laid bare with no threat, no restraint. Like a gigantic turd in the middle of the dining table, there it is. That is what we have become. Maybe, just maybe, some will repent.