A lot has been said and written about the debate already, and I've posted some articles on my Facebook page. That is was a dreadful, destressing 90 minutes of the most appalling behavior by the current president without a doubt. That Biden managed (for the most part) to maintain his composure and speak to the American people about the real challenges before us was indeed heartening, although no one who gets in the ring with a professional-grade mud-wrestler won't come out of the match without a sense of slime upon themselves, an urge to go shower thoroughly. (True for viewers as well.) Yet, for all of it, I suspect most folks saw Biden as a responsible man with a heart.
Okay, now for the fun part. Let me begin this first item that by stating that I oppose the use of violence except in the most extreme conditions that are marked by an immediate threat to our personal or collective well-being that we can effectively counter only by engaging in violence. And--note well--this is just a thought-experiment.
Now, imagine a third-grade Donny Trump. Assume that he's acquired the characteristics that he exhibited last night by this young age. (Not an unfair assumption, I contend.) Donny is big for his age, rich, and more than a bit spoiled, although he lacks any meaningful parental affection. On the playground, young--but "husky" for this age--Donny starts an argument during a ballgame that ruins the game. Others try to reason with Donny, but all to no avail. Then, this scrawny Irish-Catholic, working-class kid--let's call him "Joe"--tells Donny to "Shut up, man, we want to play ball." Donny continues to bloviate and goes on to insult Joe's family. At this point, Joe socks Donny right in the kisser. Donny wipes his bloody lip, voices a threat, and retreats. Donny is not one for an actual physical altercation.
Query: Does history take a different course? Would Donny have turned out differently if someone would have socked him in the kisser when we started his bullying routine? It's a just a thought experiment, a variation of the "if you could have suffocated young Adolf in his crib, would you have prevented World War Two and the Holocaust? Would such an act be morally justified?" (For the record, and for a variety of reasons, I'd argue that such an act would not be justified.) But you get my drift. That so many men [sic] and women bow and scrape before Trump and fail to stand up to his bullying only makes him more brazen. Since we cannot go back in time and attempt to deter him from this practice, we have to do it now, somehow, with the knowledge that this is the only M.O. that this guy knows--verbal bullying.
Well, just a thought.
The second bit of fun out of the debate raised from the fact that watching this president, I thought to myself, "What a boor/boar/bore!" One word in three different senses captures this person (I was going to write "man," but someone might take it as an accolade rather than a description of his sex.) Let's consider the three senses.
1. When I say he's a "boor," I mean, in accord with a simple dictionary definition, "an unrefined, ill-mannered person." When I note that he engages in "boorish" behavior, I mean "rough and bad-mannered; coarse." There are a number of synonyms for "boor," such as "lout, ruffian, hooligan, bully boy, brawler, etc." All applicable, but none with the triple-entendre of "boor."
2. The second sense is "boar," as in a male pig. Being a native Iowan (although not a farm boy), I can't help but think of this guy as a male big: big, grunting, and the "biggest hog at the trough." Bellowing and snorting when he doesn't get his way. His complexion, of course, only serves to reinforce this image.
3. Third, I must say that I find this guy a "bore," to wit, he's really boring. He's a one-trick pony, a circus freak whose novelty wears off quickly when it occurs to you, "Wow, I guess some humans are really like that," and then you saunter on through the carnival to encounter the next freak show. I mean, listening to him is boring, although one can play a drinking game I suppose (I don't do such thing) about the size of the next whopper he's going to offer up, but I'd get quickly get bored with this game. One can only gain so much joy from gazing upon another person's foibles, even if those foibles with that person triggers a certain amount of pleasurable schadenfreude in you.
There you have it: Trump is a bore/boar/bore, the trifecta of imperfection. While so many other terms can describe him, this homonym seems to cover so much more. In fact, my only regret is that I have to write it for you, thus cueing you into my little insight. So much the better if you can work it into a conversation. Try it.
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