It Takes a Village...

of Idiots to raise Forty-Five

When Donald J. Trump began his descent into politics on the gilded escalator to announce his presidential candidacy, I responded by beginning a deep dive to learn more about him. “Who is this guy I’ve only heard about obliquely on the news?” I never watched The Apprentice nor read The Art of the Deal so other than his self-confessed successes as a business mogul, I knew squat about him.

Once he became a Republican primary candidate, the first shocking thing I recall him saying was “I love the poorly educated,” in response to that demographic helping him win the Nevada Republican primary. My immediate thought was, “what kind of sick fuck would say such a thing publicly in that context?” The next memorable Trumpism was when he said he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose any support. I knew then that my deep dive would require me to substitute my scuba tanks for a continuous supply of oxygen.

The Washington Post reported in 2016 that Trump considered people who watch reality TV “bottom feeders of society”. Obviously, his brand wasn’t above using that demographic to help boost his fame as an astute businessman in the tough New York City real estate market. Mark Burnett, an NBC producer, was one of the first idiots to propel Trump to legitimacy in the eyes of many other village idiots who glued themselves to the TV every week to watch Trump deliver his famous one-liner, “You’re fired!” Needless to say, this village of idiots did not realize just how staged and scripted The Apprentice was, completely believing in the concept of reality TV and thus, making P. T. Barnum an oracle of wisdom. Burnett’s marketing savvy was supercharged by his video production  prowess, ensuring that every cut and paste of the tape would achieve the most dramatic end product and highest favorable ratings. Mark Burnett’s favorite quote is, “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!”

Jeffrey Schwartz, unwittingly, to some degree, was the next idiot to give Trump props. (Double entendre intended.) Schwartz was the ghostwriter for The Art of the Deal, Trump’s infamous, autobiographical, self-serving book about how he became a shrewd, ruthless and successful business negotiator in the New York City real estate jungle. Jungles were settings for many of Burnett’s Survivor shows so this connection was not accidental. Schwartz has recently published statements regretting and apologizing for his complicity in making Donald Trump a fictitiously iconic fixture in the American business pantheon. Alas, the damage was done but the next group of idiots redeemed Schwartz.

Enter CNN and its hyped-up, breaking-news, 24-hour coverage of anything that gets them ratings. “The most trusted name in news.” James Earl Jones, what hast thou wrought? Garnering an estimated $2 billion in free media coverage from CNN during the 2016 presidential primaries, Trump still held the network in disdain, accusing them of twisting his words. CNN loved the spectacle of Trump with his incendiary comments during his raucous rallies. CNN’s idiot-in-chief at the time, Jeff Zucker, provided a world stage for Trump in his ascendancy to becoming the biggest public liar without being fact-checked. CNN crews simply rolled the tape, allowing the American viewing audience to draw their own conclusions about soon-to-become Forty-Five. Schwartz thanked Zucker for taking one for the team.

Blame is such an easy thing to dispense but almost impossible to get one to accept. However, when a village undertakes a task that goes awry, blame is amortized over the entire village population thus making the blame per villager acceptable. In a village of idiots, babies are taught at a very young age to point fingers at others.