Let’s call the duck, Donald!

Don’t get me wrong here: being forthright is of course laudable, especially when politicians are known to twist words to leave the audience perplexed.

Wasn’t it Bertrand Russell who said: politics is about sententious platitudes devoid of any truth!

So, in the world’s greatest run for high office, there’s our man Trump! When he recently said: get the child out of here, during a public gathering, one has to give him full marks for being blunt but zero for putting it so harshly.

Everything said and done, politics is not always about blurting out what one feels, it’s about sugar-coating what one wants to say.

In a capitalist world with ever rising adoration for wealth, his line: ‘the beauty of me is I am very rich’ may have many people going into a frenzy, but since this fellow is reaching to become a world leader, millions may not appreciate such a crass comment.

Again, Shakespeare comes to mind: have more than though showest, speak less than thou knowest! (King Lear)

Or, how about this reported observation: my fingers are long and beautiful, as it has been well documented, are various other parts of my body.”

Er, well, I mean, Trump was possibly trying to say that he is well endowed down there.

Gosh! At times one is compelled to think: is this chap running for the head of the White House or Penthouse?

Obviously, such cheap comments, aimed at offering instant titillation, have takers!

Especially when you have plenty of money to spend in organising large gatherings of sycophants.

In fact, the entire Donald Trump election extravaganza seems to be emanating from an uncouth foundation, devoid of sensibility and common sense.

The fact that he has admirers sends an unnerving message to the world; much of what Trump is saying brings out dormant xenophobic ideals from the masses.

Take the callous comment made towards the parents of a killed Muslim soldier and his calls to ban Muslims from entering USA following the San Bernardino shooting.

Going beyond the realm of this demagogue, globally, there is a disconcerting rise of Islamophobia with regrettable acts of racism committed against those who are just following their faith.

Once more, when we analyse the worldwide religion based terrorism impartially, the reason for widespread paranoia does not appear too unjustified since it’s human nature to use a few incidents to develop a lasting general perception.

To bring in a local context: there is a tendency among many in Bangladesh to harbour antipathy towards people hailing from the district of Noakhali. Maybe in the past there have been incidents when several people from this district were found to be masterminds of some skullduggery, but it’s never right to take it as an irrefutable truth that all persons from this area are vile.

By the way, I am not from Noakhali, if that’s what you are thinking.

While it may be irrational to look at any burqa clad woman and feel that there goes a living symbol of a repressive social order, the truth remains, most Western societies may fail to understand that some of those who are veiled may practice more freedom than others with the veil and the lifestyle accompanying it providing a structured, disciplined existence.

Anyway, the issue here is Donald Trump. A few days ago, one writer wrote that Trump was stirring up embedded fears in people and manipulating the apparently unrelated terror attacks by radicalized Islamists to his political advantage.

Curiously, at these pre-election rallies, which seem to be choreographed, no one ever asks why extremism has become so pervasive and what the role of the US has been in the past in instigating this global social scourge?

We know America is great but someone has to come up and admit, this great country led by some talented people made some glaring blunders in the past for which, we now see a virulent form of religious extremism; we made the monster and, have to fight to contain it.

Well, for what faux pas Donald committed by saying all the wrong things, one has to also say: he has the guts to blurt out what he feels.

To be honest, with that trait, one can become a hero in one country but to be the president of the USA and deal with a multitude of global cultural and political subtleties, the ‘trump card’ is not to be too direct.

Reportedly Trump once said said: You know, it doesn’t really matter what [the media] write as long as you’ve got a young and beautiful piece of ass.

Whether we like it or not, or feel offended by that line because it degrades women, in heart, many know that to be right.

Then again, the trick is always to seduce and put it delicately and not too brazenly!

Source: bdnews24