Patrick - I agree with your analysis but not that we are the ones who set the stage. That's victim blaming. Trump isn't even bound by his oath of office. He refuses to recognize any of the structures that are part of a rules-based order or accepted human decency. That's on him. But yes, we do need to understand what we're dealing with or…
Patrick - I agree with your analysis but not that we are the ones who set the stage. That's victim blaming. Trump isn't even bound by his oath of office. He refuses to recognize any of the structures that are part of a rules-based order or accepted human decency. That's on him. But yes, we do need to understand what we're dealing with or we become props in the clown show. Can malicious brutality be constrained by a rules-based order and human decency? It's an existential question. In the next four years, we will find the answer.
Trump's psychopathic amorality is certainly not the fault of the people who never voted for him. But he would never have gained such vast power without the cult-worship bestowed on him by millions of Americans; the choice by "conservative" influencers to package his glaring faults as singular virtues; the decisions by GOP politicians to defend and protect him for their own purposes; the calculated hedging and sanitizing done by media outlets either for profit or from a misguided effort to appear "balanced"; etc.
Trump is just one person with a severe personality disorder. Trumpism is a large set of poor judgments and cynical moral compromises made by millions of other people.
I understand where you're coming from, but I think it's critical to face an uncomfortable truth: we are not just bystanders in this crisis. We, as a collective, voted for this. The American people chose this path—Through decades of decisions, apathy, and misplaced priorities. To deny that is to absolve ourselves of the responsibility to fix it.
This isn’t victim-blaming; it’s accountability. Trump’s refusal to adhere to any rules or principles is abhorrent, but he didn’t emerge in a void. His rise is the culmination of a system we’ve allowed to erode over time. Yes, his malicious brutality challenges the very concept of a rules-based order and human decency. But we cannot pretend this is a "him" problem. He is a symptom of a deeper rot, that we both created and voted for, again.
The task ahead isn’t a four-year battle—it’s a generational project. At the very best, reversing this decline will take 30-40 years of effort, persistence, and systemic change. It’s a daunting timeline, but it’s the truth we need to accept if we hope to make progress.
I’ve written more about this here: https://substack.com/@complexsimplicity/note/c-79872455. We are the ones who set the stage, and we are the ones who must dismantle it and rebuild. To dismiss this reality is to risk becoming props in the very clown show we detest.
The existential question isn’t whether malicious brutality can be constrained—it’s whether we, collectively, are willing to admit the problem is us.
Patrick - I agree with your analysis but not that we are the ones who set the stage. That's victim blaming. Trump isn't even bound by his oath of office. He refuses to recognize any of the structures that are part of a rules-based order or accepted human decency. That's on him. But yes, we do need to understand what we're dealing with or we become props in the clown show. Can malicious brutality be constrained by a rules-based order and human decency? It's an existential question. In the next four years, we will find the answer.
Trump's psychopathic amorality is certainly not the fault of the people who never voted for him. But he would never have gained such vast power without the cult-worship bestowed on him by millions of Americans; the choice by "conservative" influencers to package his glaring faults as singular virtues; the decisions by GOP politicians to defend and protect him for their own purposes; the calculated hedging and sanitizing done by media outlets either for profit or from a misguided effort to appear "balanced"; etc.
Trump is just one person with a severe personality disorder. Trumpism is a large set of poor judgments and cynical moral compromises made by millions of other people.
I understand where you're coming from, but I think it's critical to face an uncomfortable truth: we are not just bystanders in this crisis. We, as a collective, voted for this. The American people chose this path—Through decades of decisions, apathy, and misplaced priorities. To deny that is to absolve ourselves of the responsibility to fix it.
This isn’t victim-blaming; it’s accountability. Trump’s refusal to adhere to any rules or principles is abhorrent, but he didn’t emerge in a void. His rise is the culmination of a system we’ve allowed to erode over time. Yes, his malicious brutality challenges the very concept of a rules-based order and human decency. But we cannot pretend this is a "him" problem. He is a symptom of a deeper rot, that we both created and voted for, again.
The task ahead isn’t a four-year battle—it’s a generational project. At the very best, reversing this decline will take 30-40 years of effort, persistence, and systemic change. It’s a daunting timeline, but it’s the truth we need to accept if we hope to make progress.
I’ve written more about this here: https://substack.com/@complexsimplicity/note/c-79872455. We are the ones who set the stage, and we are the ones who must dismantle it and rebuild. To dismiss this reality is to risk becoming props in the very clown show we detest.
The existential question isn’t whether malicious brutality can be constrained—it’s whether we, collectively, are willing to admit the problem is us.
"The American people chose this path—Through decades of decisions, apathy, and misplaced priorities."
Well said.