America’s Asshole, Trump: a Literary Analysis
by Steed Dropout
April 3, 2016
BEHIND HIS BEHIND
Trump’s Tower, by Ed Monroe.America’s romance with assholes begins in the Bible (Cain) and ends with Donald Trump (Cain’s Kin).
Trump also owes Charlie Sheen, Dabney Coleman, Hulk Hogan, and Jack Nicholson, actors who burnished the asshole persona.
Novelist John Barth noted, a half-century ago, that it was impossible to depict a villain in the age of the anti-hero.
The lives of scores of actors and politicians have proven Barth right. (Yearly books on Hitler and John Wilkes Booth are in the hundreds). Now comes Trump, an anti-hero to end all anti-heroes.
Anti-heroes, according to experts, operate like their mentor, Machiavelli, and his ends justifies the means ethos. The public just loves this.
Like Godfather anti-hero, Michael Corleone, Mafioso Trump is all about business. He’s full of offers that can’t be refused (under duress).
Literary anti-heroes, experts say, were anti-establishment. So is Trump. Lit anti-heroes are also noted for ambiguities and other vagaries.
Trump has fought so hard to be an asshole, we would not want to take that away from him, by re-labeling him an anti-hero.
HE’S STILL AN ASSHOLE
As Trump tramples his way to nomination, and as his “negatives” match Hillary’s, the possibility emerges that Trump will be our national asshole.
This wouldn’t be the first time a president had been considered an asshole, or worse. In fact, a whole cottage industry of citizens has, historically, devoted itself to calling one or another president—an asshole.
Already, foreign editorialists are buying the Trump/asshole meme, even in countries where their own chief executives are assholes, or worse.
Trump and his asshole supporters need not await history’s ass-hole award; he’s already a winner.
Presidents have, since the information age, sought (manipulated) approval. Trump can skip all that.
He’s an asshole; he’s our asshole. He may be an important asshole, if he destroys the Republican party.
Samson pulled down the temple walls and Jesus bullied the money-lenders out of the temple.
They were anti-heroes.
More photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/berkboy/
