Percival seeks the Holy Grail

Donald Trump, the so-called President of the United States, is fundamentally ignorant of history, literature, philosophy, and the humanities in general.  Trump epitomizes the romantic ideal, completely unaware of his failure to understand reality.  This is a common trait of people who are intellectually lazy, and particularly the intellectually lazy who are born with the proverbial silver-spoon-in-mouth-syndrome.

This immature fascination with romanticism masquerades as optimism.  Trump appeals to “…the tired and hungry masses…” by speaking of the fairy tale ending of the knight on a white horse riding in to rescue the damsel in distress. The white night can hack his way through the bramble bushes and slay the dragon with a single thrust of his gleaming sword.  The ending credits roll and the darkened theater lights up to the weary movie goers who escaped difficulties of life for a few hours of fantasy.  The credits are now rolling on the Trump Movie of stunted emotional growth.

Certainly our country has been in distress for the past 16 years or so.  911 was more dramatic than Pearl Harbor.  Folks learned of the attack on Pearl Harbor over a period of days through printed news stories and the radio.  911 struck us in the face in real-time.  The planes struck the towers and few of us were able to eat our lunch a few hours later.  The war on terror knew no bounds – and the enemy was masked by false prophets.  Barely seven years later, while the multiple-front war raged, the world economy collapsed.  It matters not the cause of economic despair – the result was further despair by weary Americans.

The economic collapse pushed Obama’s campaign of hope behind the starting barriers of most administrations.  The gates opened on the starting barriers but the track was awash with mud.  Every step found a slippery slope.

After fifteen years of wars and economic strife Trump came blazing down the trail like Zorro with his sword glaring from the high noon sun.  “Who is that masked man?” people asked.  “I don’t know.  But he left a silver bullet.”  The romantic ideal.  Where flailing around with a sword always wins for the good guys.  The Lone Ranger rides again.  Trump’s message:  The good guy always wins and I am the good guy.  The weary populace bought the snake oil.

“I like soldiers who don’t get caught,” Trump said of McCain.

“It is time for America to start winning wars again,” Trump boasts.

“We will build a wall and Mexico will pay for it,” said the weasel.

“I know more than the Generals,” boasted the braggart.

“Grab them by the pussy,” gloated the front-runner.

From a National Press Club speech:

“I have millions of followers. Millions. I don’t do press releases anymore. If I want a press release, I put it out on Twitter…. It’s like owning the New York Times without the losses.”

“I happen to be, in my own way, an environmentalist. I’ve won many awards.”

“I have great feelings of compassion and helping people.”

“It all began with the great success of Trump Tower — best location in New York, most visible building, the highest-rate retail space than anywhere in the world. Gucci is there as my primary tenant.”

So how might we distinguish Trump from Zorro or the Lone Ranger or the generic White Knight?  You never hear those guys brag – they put their money where their mouth is. They don’t have to brag – their actions are sufficient to win the hearts of the despairing people.