America's God King

Craziest church I've ever seen: Lima, Peru, December 2014.

A while back I used a metaphor to describe Donald Trump to explain his influence on America. I said he was a virus.

That was just an affectation of my youth, however. I have a new idea about DJT. And it's not a metaphor. 

Trump has become the God King of America - you know, like an Egyptian pharaoh, a man following on the tradition of the divine right of kings - that primitive way that humans used to order their societies, the way that America was specifically designed not to follow.

The current head of the world's largest democracy is, peculiarly and oddly successfully, a proponent of those good old days when rulers got their credibility from God all mighty. 

I can prove it to you. The hallmarks of rulers anointed by God are infallibility, unaccountability, the narrative of their legitimacy, intolerance of difference, and devoted adherents and priests that enable and enforce all of the above. 

Infallibility - Donald Trump does not tell lies. He tells you what the truth is. Example: "Frankly, we did win this election."

Unaccountability - Donald Trump answers to no one, not Congress, not the 80 million plus people who didn't vote for him. See example above.

Narrative - Trumpism explains that America was founded by white people whose success relied on an underclass of enslaved or underpaid black and brown people. If those people are elevated to where they are no longer an underclass, or are allowed to vote, well, that's unAmerican, and must be stopped.

Intolerance - Donald Trump is right and if you disagree, you are wrong. You should at least be fired, but could also be killed.

Adherents - Trump's followers, even those who cannot vote for him, are zealots dedicated to the gospel, believers in the infallibility and enforcers of the unaccountability and intolerance of the God King. That's why you can't tell them anything. And why they resort to violence.

Priests - Every God King needs his acolytes. Trump still has Rudi Giuliani left and Conrad Black.

Like I said, the institutions of American governance were designed to offer God Kings no foothold, and, this time, it looks like they held well enough to bounce Trump off. 

But it is amazing how close he got. 

Bruce's Art Project

Take all the discarded Christmas trees lying around and decorate them with all the discarded masks and gloves lying around and call your masterpiece 

"2020: You Just Can't Get Rid If It"

Thanks for reading!

Have a great week!

Karen