Being The Donald

Moderator: Super Moderators

Post Reply
User avatar
Riddick
Pirate
Posts: 15705
Joined: 11-01-2002 03:00 AM
Location: Heartland USA
Contact:

Being The Donald

Post by Riddick » 02-28-2016 09:57 PM

It isn't easy being The Donald just now, what with the news of his stumbling over himself Sunday concerning endorsement from David Duke and the KKK. Now so much the way he's dancing around THAT says something about him, how surprised should anyone be? He's going after votes, and anything BUT caring what he says -

So what is it about what he says, AND HOW he says it? Here's a couple interesting reads...

Excerpted Edited & Abridged from
What ‘Being There’ Says About Donald Trump
by Andrew Belonsky

Jerzy Kosinski’s 1971 novella ‘Being There’ explores the ways in which American culture, particularly the political sphere, thrives more on image than brains, grit and guts.

‘Being There’ concerns a simple gardener whose utterances are all soundbites culled from television. However, after falling in with politically connected people who interpret his elementary, out-of-context statements as deeply philosophical ruminations, Chance is thrust into the upper echelons of Washington society, including a coveted position as the president’s advisor.

Chance truly does nothing to deserve this honor. In fact, he knows not what it means. All he had is some luck, a handsome face, and an elitist hype machine manufacturing wisdom and insight out of his pop-based conclusions.

It seems Kosinski’s observations on the synthesis between appearance and political culture have become more true than even he could have predicted.

Sure, Trump’s not as attractive as Chance — played by the disarmingly handsome Peter Sellers in the 1979 big screen adaptation — and definitely has a better education, but made an image for himself, one projected for decades through our televisions and tabloids, and voters’ apparent interest in his candidacy suggests that the rationality and reason upon which our nation was built have been bulldozed by a popular culture obsessed with capitalist idolization and easily digestible catchphrases like, “You’re fired.”

This theme has been explored countless times in American culture yet the trend continues unabated, and I can’t help but wonder whether it will lead to the once-celebrated democratic system’s ultimate cancellation. Instead of holding elections, we’ll hold pageants shows sponsored by Coca-Cola.

http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/77223/w ... ald-trump/

Excerpted Edited & Abridged From
Being Wherever
By Robin Lakoff

For all his razzle-dazzle, Trump the builder is making use of a rhetorical strategy that has the same effects on its hearers as the very different strategy employed by Chance the gardener in Being There.

Having lived all his life in isolation, no real world experience and no way to connect words to actual referents Chance speaks in vague generalizations totally devoid of emotion, facial expression, intonation, or gesture. That absence gives his words meaning: merely a conduit for wisdom, he is not personally involved in creating it.

Trump’s style is completely different: highly emotional, excited and exciting, fully expressive and committed to what he is saying. Or so it would seem.

Although Chance’s and Trump’s superficial communicative strategies are totally different, the effects of both on hearers are remarkably the same: instilling the belief the speaker is a trustworthy truth-teller, and the idea he or she have experienced something profound and moving, while in fact they convey nothing.

Both are all things to all people: every hearer hears in every such utterance what she wants to hear, but that meaning is not really there in the utterance itself, but in the hearer’s wishful mind, conveniently enabling the speaker to maintain plausible deniability.

Each one offers a wide range of interpretive possibilities, because both are ultimately empty, devoid of real meaning. Both have pragmatics but no semantics – not the art of the deal, but the art of the wheeler-dealer, the snake-oil salesman, the propagandist.

You may remember the theory (and practice) of the Big Lie: if you tell a little fib, people may be able to see through it, since they can imagine themselves doing a bit of harmless fibbing -

But tell a really big whopper and everyone will say: that is a really amazing claim. No one could possibly have the gall to say it if it weren’t true. Trump is the master of a particular kind of Big Lie, the Big Pragmatic Lie. Just how does he do it?

Face and gestures highly expressive, even his clothing intensely communicative, Trump's forcefulness gives the impression that he has actually made meaningful statements. But the words are emotion-carriers, not concept-carriers, and closely examined, signify nothing (except “I am great!”).

The Donald makes effective use of pronouns and similar words that normally have antecedents that supply their reference, but in his utterances those antecedents are missing and we have to fill them in. Each of us fills in our own.

We can call his technique, “hyperbolic avoidance”: the use of exaggerated pragmatics to conceal impoverished semantics. Encouraging hearers to draw the desired conclusion is the hyperbole: “There’s nothing more important than what I’m doing,” because “I” am the most important man in the world.

(Trump himself, in The Art of the Deal, refers to his technique as “truthful hyperbole,” but that itself is not truthful, though certainly hyperbolic.)

It is possible that Trump’s hyperbolic avoidance represents his ignorance of something any serious candidate for the presidency of the country should know - the powers and constraints of the office -

Can POTUS, on his own, build a bridge across the border? Ship millions of people across that border against their will?

For over 200 years we have had a document called the Constitution, which is quite specific in laying out just what the President can and can’t do, and the two possibilities above happen to be two of the things he can’t.

Possibly Trump is conflating “POTUS,” a position that has strict checks and balances, with “Chairman and President of the Trump Organization,” a very different position that permits its holder many privileges not available to POTUS. Trump never addresses this important distinction.
---
My favorite Trumperies express his feelings about women. He has been subjected to some scrutiny on this topic following the Megyn Kelly contretemps. He has done his manful best to reveal the kind of guy The Donald really is, womanwise.

I will take care of women’s health and women’s health issues better than anybody and far better than Hillary Clinton, who doesn’t have a clue.

What majestic and monumental gall. The idea that Donald J. Trump automatically knows more about women and their bodies than they do is insulting to half the world’s population, yet no one to my knowledge has tried to confront him on that. His claim would be reasonable only if he were a licensed whereverologist.

The Hillary bashing makes sense only if you read his statement about knowing more about these things than “Hillary” as invoking a metonymy in which “Hillary” stands for “all women.”

(Otherwise, how could he possibly know what “Hillary” knows and doesn’t know? Even a four-year-old has a more sophisticated theory of mind.)

http://robinlakoff.com/language/being-wherever/

Related Viewing: How Trump is Winning with Reality TV
A mind should not be so open that the brains fall out; however, it should not be so closed that whatever gray matter which does reside may not be reached. ART BELL

Everything Woke turns to Image
-Donald Trump Image

Cherry Kelly
Pirate
Posts: 12852
Joined: 07-29-2000 02:00 AM
Contact:

Re: Being The Donald

Post by Cherry Kelly » 02-29-2016 10:57 AM

HMM - if a president can just open the borders and tell border guards - let them all in, then indeed a president can close the borders with a wall and remove those illegals who walked in. We do have immigration laws.

User avatar
kbot
Pirate
Posts: 7302
Joined: 03-12-2008 05:44 AM

Re: Being The Donald

Post by kbot » 02-29-2016 12:15 PM

Was listening to an NPR story over the weekend, addressing the issue of crime in general, and the assertion by the Left that far too many blacks are jailed for non-violent crimes.

Interesting tidbit that came out of the story was how this whole situation came about because Clinton signed the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 into law which made much of this a situation of where we are currently........

Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act

The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, H.R. 3355, Pub.L. 103–322 is an act of Congress dealing with crime and law enforcement that became law in 1994. It is the largest crime bill in the history of the United States, consisting of 356 pages providing for 100,000 new police officers, $9.7 billion in funding for prisons and $6.1 billion in funding for prevention programs which were designed with significant input from experienced police officers.[1] Sponsored by U.S. Representative Jack Brooks of Texas, the bill was originally written by Senator Joe Biden of Delaware, passed by Congress, and signed into law by President Bill Clinton.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violent_C ... cement_Act

:roll: Just can't make-up this stuff..........
There you go man, keep as cool as you can. Face piles and piles of trials with smiles. It riles them to believe that you perceive the web they weave. And keep on thinking free. (Moody Blues)

User avatar
Riddick
Pirate
Posts: 15705
Joined: 11-01-2002 03:00 AM
Location: Heartland USA
Contact:

Re: Being The Donald

Post by Riddick » 02-29-2016 06:31 PM

Cherry Kelly wrote:HMM - if a president can just open the borders and tell border guards - let them all in, then indeed a president can close the borders with a wall and remove those illegals who walked in. We do have immigration laws.
Laws? We don' need no steenking laws!

Hey! It's ok. If our current president can ignore the Constitution, then so can the next.
A mind should not be so open that the brains fall out; however, it should not be so closed that whatever gray matter which does reside may not be reached. ART BELL

Everything Woke turns to Image
-Donald Trump Image

User avatar
Riddick
Pirate
Posts: 15705
Joined: 11-01-2002 03:00 AM
Location: Heartland USA
Contact:

Much Ado About Nothing

Post by Riddick » 03-01-2016 03:43 AM

Is Trump Saying "I Know Nothing" An Extremely Clever Historical Allusion?

It is. Or isn't. Only his hairdresser knows for sure! Und dat is all da people need to know...
A mind should not be so open that the brains fall out; however, it should not be so closed that whatever gray matter which does reside may not be reached. ART BELL

Everything Woke turns to Image
-Donald Trump Image

User avatar
Doka
Pirate
Posts: 7967
Joined: 09-02-2009 08:15 PM

Re: Much Ado About Nothing

Post by Doka » 03-01-2016 08:47 AM

Riddick wrote:Is Trump Saying "I Know Nothing" An Extremely Clever Historical Allusion?

It is. Or isn't. Only his hairdresser knows for sure! Und dat is all da people need to know...

Why the question in the first place?
KARMA RULES

Those Who Can Make You Believe Absurdities, Can Make You Commit Atrocities': Voltaire

User avatar
Riddick
Pirate
Posts: 15705
Joined: 11-01-2002 03:00 AM
Location: Heartland USA
Contact:

Re: Much Ado About Nothing

Post by Riddick » 03-01-2016 05:10 PM

Doka wrote:
Riddick wrote:Is Trump Saying "I Know Nothing" An Extremely Clever Historical Allusion?

It is. Or isn't. Only his hairdresser knows for sure! Und dat is all da people need to know...
Why the question in the first place?
Enquiring minds want to know??

Image

Still, even so much it IS a thing that makes some people go "hmm...", it's not the ONLY question that could be raised related to The Donald - in that regard, here's 21 of them
A mind should not be so open that the brains fall out; however, it should not be so closed that whatever gray matter which does reside may not be reached. ART BELL

Everything Woke turns to Image
-Donald Trump Image

User avatar
Raggedyann
Pirate
Posts: 5250
Joined: 08-22-2006 04:50 PM

Re: Much Ado About Nothing

Post by Raggedyann » 03-01-2016 06:25 PM

Doka wrote:
Riddick wrote:Is Trump Saying "I Know Nothing" An Extremely Clever Historical Allusion?

It is. Or isn't. Only his hairdresser knows for sure! Und dat is all da people need to know...

Why the question in the first place?
Bad, bad horrible man who dared ask the great Donald an uncomfortable question about why he thinks white supremacist groups have been endorsing him for months. After ignoring the question for a good long time, he actually did appropriately answer this question the day before, to some other horrible man. But then he thought about this situation overnight and when asked again by current horrible man, Jake Tapper, poor picked on Donald was forced to lie and act dumber than he actually is in order to secure the votes of people who believe white people are superior to people of colour.

I hope this clears it all up for ya. :D
“For evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing.” Simon Wiesenthal

User avatar
Riddick
Pirate
Posts: 15705
Joined: 11-01-2002 03:00 AM
Location: Heartland USA
Contact:

Re: Much Ado About Nothing

Post by Riddick » 03-02-2016 01:24 AM

Raggedyann wrote:
Doka wrote:
Riddick wrote:Is Trump Saying "I Know Nothing" An Extremely Clever Historical Allusion?

It is. Or isn't. Only his hairdresser knows for sure! Und dat is all da people need to know...
Why the question in the first place?
Bad, bad horrible man who dared ask the great Donald an uncomfortable question about why he thinks white supremacist groups have been endorsing him for months. After ignoring the question for a good long time, he actually did appropriately answer this question the day before, to some other horrible man. But then he thought about this situation overnight and when asked again by current horrible man, Jake Tapper, poor picked on Donald was forced to lie and act dumber than he actually is in order to secure the votes of people who believe white people are superior to people of colour.

I hope this clears it all up for ya. :D
Bad men, Trump can deal with. Evidentally, what's really horrible are earpieces.

Trump Blames 'Very Bad Earpiece' For KKK Comments

Meanwhile, Back At The GOP Ranch -

The Republican Party’s Implosion Over Donald Trump’s Candidacy Has Arrived

At a moment when Republicans had hoped to begin taking on Hillary, the GOP instead is in crisis over its identity and core values. This is not how Republican officials imagined their party would be entering the spring of 2016.

They had wanted to unite around a nominee with an inclusive and broadly appealing message and begin prosecuting the case against Clinton. Instead, they are wondering anew whether mainstream voters could accept Trump as the nominee. FULL STORY
A mind should not be so open that the brains fall out; however, it should not be so closed that whatever gray matter which does reside may not be reached. ART BELL

Everything Woke turns to Image
-Donald Trump Image

User avatar
Raggedyann
Pirate
Posts: 5250
Joined: 08-22-2006 04:50 PM

Re: Being The Donald

Post by Raggedyann » 03-02-2016 02:04 AM

Trump's ear piece was so faulty that he repeated Tapper's question back to him at least twice. Granted, he didn't say KKK as he is not familiar with white supremacist groups apparently. lol

Here I was thinking this election was going to be so boring.

From Trump's speech tonight when asked how he will get along with Paul Ryan:

"Paul Ryan, I'm sure I'm going to get along great with him," Trump said. "And if I don't, he's going to have to pay a big price. Okay?"

Donald Jong Un. :D
“For evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing.” Simon Wiesenthal

User avatar
Doka
Pirate
Posts: 7967
Joined: 09-02-2009 08:15 PM

Re: Being The Donald

Post by Doka » 03-02-2016 10:15 AM

I realize that there are many Elitists, that are so excited to have hillary become president, since the last almost 8 years have been such a blessing to them, they want more of the same or worse. Those that think that after O leaves the nest that it will be back to "business as usual", NOT SO! You will have no idea what has truely been done to the US ,but you will, find out bit by nasty bit , in the years to come. Nothing will ever be the same, ever! If nothing else, the Corrupt sucking Establishment, (both republican & democrat) are squirming like being placed in a hot skillet. They have even called for Trump to be "Eliminated", that's how Civilized they are! Weigh your options folks. Know what you are going to get or go for the "Unknown". And I will tell you, the Unknown is looking better to me all the time. 'Cause while you are watching the "Show" more unspeakable things are being done, not only to you, but the rest of the world.

By the way Ra, o is comming to Canada to get young Mr T "straightened out on "Climate Change", next Tuesday I think.
KARMA RULES

Those Who Can Make You Believe Absurdities, Can Make You Commit Atrocities': Voltaire

User avatar
Raggedyann
Pirate
Posts: 5250
Joined: 08-22-2006 04:50 PM

Re: Being The Donald

Post by Raggedyann » 03-02-2016 06:30 PM

Doka wrote:I realize that there are many Elitists, that are so excited to have hillary become president, since the last almost 8 years have been such a blessing to them, they want more of the same or worse. Those that think that after O leaves the nest that it will be back to "business as usual", NOT SO! You will have no idea what has truely been done to the US ,but you will, find out bit by nasty bit , in the years to come. Nothing will ever be the same, ever! If nothing else, the Corrupt sucking Establishment, (both republican & democrat) are squirming like being placed in a hot skillet. They have even called for Trump to be "Eliminated", that's how Civilized they are! Weigh your options folks. Know what you are going to get or go for the "Unknown". And I will tell you, the Unknown is looking better to me all the time. 'Cause while you are watching the "Show" more unspeakable things are being done, not only to you, but the rest of the world.

By the way Ra, o is comming to Canada to get young Mr T "straightened out on "Climate Change", next Tuesday I think.
Voting for the unknown is always an intelligent idea. Trump has made his style of thug leadership perfectly clear. There is nothing unknown about it. What the rest of the world does not understand, is why would the American people vote for a low class scum as a way to express discontent with the establishment. I'm sure a lot of Americans are wondering the same thing.

It certainly has become a "show" and we have no choice but to sit back and enjoy this sad charade and laugh our heads off at all the Trump facebook meme's. We are like a flock of migrating birds that turn on a dime and fly in perfect unison every time the elite, via the media, crook their feathers to lead us in one disastrous direction after another.

I understand your hope for true change as I got swallowed up (no pun intended) with the Obama hope and changey BS. If change is forthcoming at some time in the future, I probably won't be around to see it, so all I can do at this point in time is laugh.
Last edited by Raggedyann on 03-02-2016 07:51 PM, edited 1 time in total.
“For evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing.” Simon Wiesenthal

User avatar
Riddick
Pirate
Posts: 15705
Joined: 11-01-2002 03:00 AM
Location: Heartland USA
Contact:

Re: Being The Donald

Post by Riddick » 03-02-2016 07:00 PM

Doka wrote:Weigh your options folks. Know what you are going to get or go for the "Unknown". And I will tell you, the Unknown is looking better to me all the time.
NOT going completely to hell would be a great thing for America. Looking for a redeemer, that's a toughie. On the one hand I can't at all picture a Trump presidency as being the next best thing to the second coming of Christ... OTOH, I can imagine a HRC presidency as a heaven on earth - a universally mandated and redistributed world of hurt made to order for masochists.

My sense is, the way this election is going, to get through it all I'm definitely gonna need lots of barf bags. Mr Creosote sized.
A mind should not be so open that the brains fall out; however, it should not be so closed that whatever gray matter which does reside may not be reached. ART BELL

Everything Woke turns to Image
-Donald Trump Image

User avatar
Doka
Pirate
Posts: 7967
Joined: 09-02-2009 08:15 PM

Re: Being The Donald

Post by Doka » 03-02-2016 09:05 PM

Riddick wrote:
Doka wrote:Weigh your options folks. Know what you are going to get or go for the "Unknown". And I will tell you, the Unknown is looking better to me all the time.
NOT going completely to hell would be a great thing for America. Looking for a redeemer, that's a toughie. On the one hand I can't at all picture a Trump presidency as being the next best thing to the second coming of Christ... OTOH, I can imagine a HRC presidency as a heaven on earth - a universally mandated and redistributed world of hurt made to order for masochists.

My sense is, the way this election is going, to get through it all I'm definitely gonna need lots of barf bags. Mr Creosote sized.

Can't disagree with a thing you say Riddick. And I sure don't see anyone as a savior, we are going to go through some tough times, that seems clear to me and others as well, no matter what. But with a leader that might negotiate for the people ,not negotiate for the people who bought and paid for them. I also have a sense, that a new way to do things might offer more opportunity for those that just don't want to be "takers" all there lives. The old way of government is certainly NOT working for us, now is it? In fact there might be a lot new ways to do all kinds of things, better ways. As a people all we need is an "opportunity".
KARMA RULES

Those Who Can Make You Believe Absurdities, Can Make You Commit Atrocities': Voltaire

User avatar
Raggedyann
Pirate
Posts: 5250
Joined: 08-22-2006 04:50 PM

Re: Being The Donald

Post by Raggedyann » 03-02-2016 10:00 PM

Doka wrote:
Riddick wrote:
Doka wrote:Weigh your options folks. Know what you are going to get or go for the "Unknown". And I will tell you, the Unknown is looking better to me all the time.
NOT going completely to hell would be a great thing for America. Looking for a redeemer, that's a toughie. On the one hand I can't at all picture a Trump presidency as being the next best thing to the second coming of Christ... OTOH, I can imagine a HRC presidency as a heaven on earth - a universally mandated and redistributed world of hurt made to order for masochists.

My sense is, the way this election is going, to get through it all I'm definitely gonna need lots of barf bags. Mr Creosote sized.

Can't disagree with a thing you say Riddick. And I sure don't see anyone as a savior, we are going to go through some tough times, that seems clear to me and others as well, no matter what. But with a leader that might negotiate for the people ,not negotiate for the people who bought and paid for them. I also have a sense, that a new way to do things might offer more opportunity for those that just don't want to be "takers" all there lives. The old way of government is certainly NOT working for us, now is it? In fact there might be a lot new ways to do all kinds of things, better ways. As a people all we need is an "opportunity".
"I'm going to bomb the **** out of ISIS and take all the oil" says Trump. This means that many innocent people will die. But as most will be Muslim, I guess this is a non issue to those who love the new Mr. hopey changey huckster. At least Trump is stupid enough to shout out his war intentions. I wonder now if all the past politicians who so carefully hid their warmongering aspirations are now feeling a bit stupid. Hell they could have been totally honest and everybody would have loved them too. :mrgreen:
“For evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing.” Simon Wiesenthal

Post Reply

Return to “Politics and Government 2014 - Present”