When I was a kid, I wondered how we as a country could have declined to such an extent that we were now living in what was derisively (but accurately) referred to as the "Me Decade." It was a time when idealism seemed to have simply faded away, even died out. A time when people seemed no longer to give a second's thought to anyone or anything, instead choosing to restrict themselves to their own narrow self-interest. And I kid you not, the one man who embodied this limited way of thinking and doing things more than anyone else to me was none other than Donald Trump.
It was a shock to me when I learned that the fictional Gordon Gekko was not specifically based on Trump. To me, it fit him almost perfectly.
Trump was empty, shallow and exclusively self-interested back then. Guess some things never change. This man always promoted himself and his crappy products. He touted himself as a genius, and spoke highly of himself in such a crass, vulgar manner that it somehow felt like you were dirtier after listening to him. Call me old-fashioned, but I grew up feeling that it was impolite and in bad taste to talk about yourself, and especially to praise yourself. So it was difficult for me to understand how such a despicable vulgarian, a ruffian, a slick and untrustworthy elitist like Trump could receive such a high profile and get so many people to admire him.
The mystery has not gotten any clearer now, even when it has become clear that it was not simply a tiny minority of people who viewed Trump as some kind of a genius, but tens of millions of people who swallowed that orange Kool Aid, believing him to be, of all things, a true genius and someone worth admiring and emulating. How anyone could see this ultra privileged and pampered, grotesque man as self-made and patriotic to the point of self-sacrifice was and remains beyond my apparently limited understanding.
Naively, I rejoiced in the early nineties, when the "Me Decade" was finally over. I allowed myself to assign too much meaning from Americans turning away from Reagan and Bush and finally putting a Democrat in the White House. I was especially happy when the music scene seemed to be flourishing with creativity and, yes, actual activism. Suddenly, artists had something to say and were not merely singing about having parties and a good time, rock 'n rolling all night and party every day, or smokin' in the boy's room. Almost everything prior to that had seemed like a product of the decadence of the "Me Decade," and it finally was taking a back seat to more meaningful stuff.
Of course, this was an illusion, or possibly a delusion, on my part. In fact, all of this was relegated to a mere trend in the fickle American consumeristic imagination. It went away, and was replaced with....well, something that bore a striking, eerie resemblance to the "Me Decade."
Then came a nightmare, at least to me. The single most selfish, narcissistic person imaginable suddenly became a powerful force in politics. There was something about his presidential campaign that made me feel almost literally sick about the direction that the country was heading. I could not bring myself to admit that it had the distinct feeling of a successful presidential campaign until finally, on Halloween of 2016, while trick or treating with my son, there were just so many Trump banners and flags and bumper stickers that I could not longer deny it. That was the moment when I could no longer deny that it felt like the unthinkable would happen. Maybe about ten days or so later, the nightmare came to fruition. Donald Trump was elected President of the United States.
He brought back the decadence and crassness of the "Me Decade," only this time without limitations. It was the "Me Decade" turning into a whole era, and it was dominating American politics. In fact, it has dominated American politics now for more than a decade, and I am including the four years of Biden's presidency, which felt to me too fragile to last.
Sure enough, Trump became president for a second time, as I pretty much knew he would just days after Biden took office when, instead of being dragged into court or prison for his role on January 6th, Trump held one of his damn political rallies. That was when I knew that him going away would be too good ton be true. This man would remain a political force and very likely would succeed in convincing Americans that the inevitable pain that the country would feel after the end of the pandemic would be, quite conveniently, all Biden's fault.
To me, Trump has always been, and forever remains, the picture of this crass and now distinctly American fixation on "me, me, me." This man forever sings his own praise, wants himself honored at every turn. That is why he remains ever fixated on these stupid vanity projects to honor himself, instead of focusing on the pain that more and more Americans are feeling during these tough times. It is so transparent that this guy has no answers, no substance, that it frankly feels embarrassing to apparently have to point it out to people, many of whom simply refuse to assign the same meanings which, in my case, feel inescapable, because it seems to me that no other meaning is possible. If it looks and smells like shit, frankly, it's shit.
Donald Trump really does feel like a king these days. King Con Don, who has the opposite of the King Midas Touch. In King Con Don's case, everything that he touches turns to shit. That is why this country feels like it is falling apart. How more people don't see that, and how this pathetic excuse for a man, and even sorrier excuse for a supposed leader, remains a mystery to me.
All of this can be incredibly depressing, if you allow yourself to think about it and where it is taking us a country and a society, collectively. But one thing that helps to restore sanity in such dark times as these is trying to have a sense of humor about it all.
When I saw this cartoon below, it smacked of the truth. The other day, I published about how I was not going to participate in any celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declarations of Independence. And with that, I also described how some people feel astonished that some people, like me, could withdraw from celebrating America's 250th birthday.
It's no mystery to me, however. It's because just like with literally everything else, this pathetic and small man has, once again, made it all about him. The celebrations in Washington were a political gimmick designed to glorify him. Like many people, I rejoiced that these celebrations turned into such a miserable failure. It's fitting, frankly.
Still, Trump remains president. Yes, everything he touches, everything he does turns to shit. Even the MAGA cult seems to finally have quieted down a bit - as much as can be expected, anyway - as their enthusiasm for the guy finally has had a reality check. Losing a pointless and unnecessary war that he himself started, humiliating himself and, by extension, the nation time and time again before the entire world, will have a tendency to do that.
Yet he remains president.
This cartoon below feels like a humorous way of pointing out why everything he seems to say and do and touch these days turns to shit.
Enjoy.
MoveOn Facebook July 4, 2026: · A corrupt man leading a corrupt agenda. America deserves better.
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1485361486962365&set=a.221428976688962
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