rightwing

Excerpts from The Trump Diaries: Dumb, Dumber, Dumbest

There is an anti-intellectual trend in America but the reasons are interesting.  Donald Trump’s first cabinet, while not the cause, certainly sealed the deal.  The turning point was not when it was clear that Donald Trump as a blatant liar, that was expected of most politicians although Trump took this to new and pathetic levels.  The turning point happened with Kelly Ann Conway’s remark.  When pressed during the interview with Chuck Todd to explain why [Sean] Spicer would “utter a provable falsehood”, Conway stated that Spicer was giving “alternative facts”.  

This was the invitation for every rightwing conspiracy and opinion to consider itself on equal grounds with logic, rationally thought-out speech, science, and intellectual expectations.  Every opinion became an “alternative fact”.  In other words, if the facts didn’t fit your ideology, it was the facts that needed to change.  This, of course, opened the door to the religious right as well.

Anti-intellectualism is nothing new in America, being centuries old, but the expectation by Donald Trump and his minions to be respected intellectually as equals no matter what the facts are, is.  They stand toe to toe with Christian nationalism for this reason perhaps?  Donald Trump the Republican party, and its cronies offers simple, ignorant answers to complex problems: “I know best” replaces the more sound “I don’t know”.  And “I am right” trumps objective reality.

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This Happened

“You know those protesters are being paid by somebody.”
“Which protesters?’
“Those up in Wisconsin and Portland.”
“Oh, so you are referring to the black protesters regarding the police violence and stuff.”
“Well, they are being paid.  There’s no way they can afford those hotels they stay in.  They don’t work.”
“You don’t know anything about those people.  You are making unwarranted assumptions, and my guess is that you are trying to blame the ‘left’ or ‘Democrats’.  I don’t care, but I think that’s probably what you’re doing.”
“I know what I see.  And yes, it’s probably the liberal communists.”
“They’re what?!”
“They’re communists.”
“Your need to stop watching so much Fox News and get your facts straight.  I’ll bet you don’t even know what communism is.”
“Of course, I DO know what it is.”
“Then what is it?  Define it.”
“I don’t have to do any such thing.”
“You don’t know what it is.  You’re not really even making an argument.  You’re just making unwarranted claims.”

“That’s just your opinion.  AND I know what communism is.”
“Well some of this is my opinion, but  I haven’t made any claims, and I’m asking you to back up what your saying.  I’m just asking for a logical argument.  We have to define terms if we’re going to have this discussion.”
“Your just trying pull  intellectual, elitist tricks.”
“No.  I’m just trying to have a logical argument.  And you won’t define your terms.  We have to be on the same page if we’re to have this discussion.  And don’t get mad.  You started this.”
“No, you’re just trying to make me feel foolish.  I know what logic is, and I’m being logical.”
“Now why would I do that?  I’m not.  I’m just not going to get in a pissing match about opinions.  But I don’t believe you know what logic is.  If you do, define it.”
“I don’t have to.  You define it.”
“I’m not the one making all these claims and I won’t define it for you.”
“You think I’m ignorant.”
“You are ignorant.  But, so am I about a lot of things.  There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“And I don’t watch that much Fox News.  I get a lot of my news from Epoch News.”

“I don’t know them.

“See.  You don’t know everything.”

“I never said I did.”