Random musings

Remember this? I remember actually understanding and perhaps rather reluctantly, tending to agree with Zizek on this. As I understood it, his reasoning was that Trump is so bad that he might be just the shock treatment that the system needs to actually make the necessary steps to improve. It was radical and certainly somewhat counter-intuitive for many of us, but I begrudgingly have to admit it made sense. Now I find myself wondering if his view was not a bit optimistic (dare I say it?), perhaps even naive?

How do I come this conclusion? For the simple reason that it is simply too easy to demonise Trump, and so he has become the representation of the system, while he too is simply just a product and symptom of it. Kicking him out of the presidency is not going to solve the problem. It simply takes us back towards status quo, in all its manifold glory. From the religious right embodied in Mike Pence to the Democrats on the so-called left.

Trump has a sturdy group of supporters who will probably support him no matter what. Just as European countries have a small, but significant proportion who support their right wing parties. I suspect we will keep stumbling on for some time yet one way or another.

Having said which, a respite from Trump would be nice.