The Trump Presidential Twitter Library

“Trump is honestly almost like a savant when it comes to tweeting.”  

- Trevor and Jake Tapper discuss The Daily Show's Trump Presidential Twitter Library at SXSW.

This is a blog entry that I meant to post last week, but never quite got around to it. There were other things that I blogged about earlier in the week, and then on Friday, when I originally planned to publish this, the New Zealand mosque massacres occurred. That got me writing on that particular topic, and even if I had not written about it, it would have seemed very indifferent to publish something as lighthearted as a comical look at Donald Trump's tweets on a day when something so horrific and shocking had occurred. Yet, I was at two workplaces on that day, and it seemed that most people seemed completely unaffected, and hardly shocked at all. It seems that we Americans truly have become indifferent to mass shootings, and perhaps the fact that this shooting took place literally half the world away added to this seeming sense of indifference.

Hopefully, I am wrong. But as an American myself, having viewed the tendencies of Americans towards the news in general, and world news in particular, I am sorry to say that I do not believe myself to be wrong on this particular matter. Trust me, I wish I was, but far too many Americans are entirely indifferent about any news that occurs outside of American borders. Far too many Americans already do not believe that quality lives, and possibly wisdom, can be seen outside of the United States, or that we Americans have anything to learn from anyone else. And as far as mass shooting are concerned, we Americans clearly have become desensitized to that sort of thing. I remember when Columbine shook the world, even the United States. It seemed unthinkable at the time. It says something about our country that if that were to happen today, it might hardly qualify as more than a blip on our news radar, because truly, the shock value of mass shootings is now reserved to staggering numbers and/or shocking footage of shootings, like the one in Las Vegas a few years back. New Zealand seems to us too far away, and that is part of the problem with America.

This mindset allows Americans to continue to feel that they could, and indeed should, largely ignore what the rest of the world has to offer. And it is this mindset that gets us to elect someone who reflects this national cultural blindspot, this hubris and arrogance to assume that we are the only ones who matter or are worthy of our full attention (and even then, most Americans hardly give their full attention to any news story these days). In short, that is how we elect someone like Donald Trump. It kind of brings a rather bleak new meaning to the words, "Only in America," does it not?

Now, I am not one who runs out to buy, much less read, every political book that comes out. There are some that I have read, some that I think about, or have thought about reading, and some that I have attempted to read. However, the vast majority of political books that come out - even the big, huge ones that are supposed to be ground shaking, I mostly ignore. 

Hell, following politics is depressing, I have found. Particularly if you are an American, in the late 20 century and especially now in the 21st century. It has gotten so bad, that it might be comical, if it were not tragic. I mean, seriously, at least three of the last four men to have occupied the White House have been downright comical, and the other one was more hype than substance. We went from a respected superpower with the highest standard of living by far, and a stellar reputation around the world for having helped to liberate numerous nations in Europe, Africa, and Asia during World War II, and have basically squandered all of that.

Now, we have a circus act in the White House, with far and away the biggest, least funny clown being the one who is actually in charge. And let's face it: we have tens of millions of Americans - roughly 30 percent of the country - who often show incredible immaturity in taking delight in Trump's antics. It is pathetic, and very, very depressing. What a fall from grace!

These days, our national living standards have declined sharply over the course of decades, and Trump surely is not about to fix that. Hell, he lies so much, that he cannot even be trusted to speak a word of pure truth. And with the whole world watching, that means that our reputation has plummeted along with those formerly enviable living standards. Our infrastructure is crumbling, our schools are failing, our economy is already being rivaled by China, and what economic growth may exist is built on a bubble of $22 trillion in debt for the national government, while privately, American citizens also are drowning in more debt than any other society has ever faced before. Plus, Americans have what is now a deserved reputation for ignoring or outright disbelieving science, which has clearly not added favorably to our already damaged reputation?

That is not to say that Trump is at fault for all of this, because much of this began decades ago, long before Trump ever thought of running for the White House. But since he is a grotesque figure who takes pride in his own decadence, and since he seems to personally embody all of these faults on steroids, he has come to represent the decline of this nation like no one before and, let's hope, like no one will in the future.

Indeed, Trump has been a master scam artist. He has conned people like no one in history, and it has allowed him to add to his already considerable empire of wealth and excesses, as well as tricking enough people to think that he actually was fit to serve in the capacity of the nation's highest office. One of the reasons for this, and one of the most iconic aspects of Trump's infamous time as a candidate during the 2016 election, was his insistence that the entire world was laughing at us (the United States). It was a self-fulfilling prophecy, as indeed, now, the world really is laughing with Trump in charge. 

For many of us here in the United States, it is not nearly as funny.

However, we can at least turn to humor during these dark days, if only to keep a little sanity. There is a book out Trump Presidential Twitter Library, released from Trevor Noah's The Daily Show. 

Although I do not intend to rush out and buy the book, it might be something that I borrow from the library or something. Because while it is political, it also is likely both funny and revealing. 

Unfortunately, it is also a part of American history now.