The Republican party in the US is a cargo cult. This useful metaphor derived from an anthropological phenomenon that came out of the Melanesians during WWII when the locals observed planes and ships bringing huge amounts of goods to their shores for no reason they understood. Then the war was over and the deliveries stopped. The people realized that something had to be done to revive this marvelous chain of events, and so they designed ceremonies meant to call them back. Of course, they didn’t work. But then, that happens a lot.
So that’s the way the Republican convention is going. Instead of presenting a well-developed platform for voters to consider, they just said, “Ditto. Same as last time.” In short, what Trump wants. It begins to be clear that this convention is largely ceremonial, meant to call the previous events back, and a case of “let’s not have a convention but just pretend we did.”
Much of it is driven by the fear of what Trump might do next if he missed this chance to rant and rave from a podium, the act that means more to him than sex. After all, sex means only one person’s paid praise unless you have a harem. What might he do? At least he won’t outright outlaw public education, not so long as Betsy DeVos can do it covertly. But something equally outrageous. We still haven’t protected the post office well enough.
I suspect that many will follow Jeff Flake, Kellyanne Conway and a host of others and get outa Dodge. Realizing that it’s safer then, next week will see more names than this week unless someone can make a point by resigning, which many have, particularly military leaders who understand logistics.
The point of a cargo cult is the mysterious appearance of wealth which then set up an expectation without knowing why it happened and where it came from. As we learn more and more about where Trump’s alleged wealth came from and learn more and more about it coming from dubious sources, we have to rethink whether we really want that stock market cargo and whether paying for it might cost us more than we can bear.
Already Covid-19, which is a counter-cargo deficit in spite of being labeled a war, has imposed more deaths than WWII, but mercifully it has left the buildings intact. Only hundreds of thousands dead. Now there will be a lot of work for lawyers to sort out the wills and lack of wills. For some this will also be a cargo of unexpected bequests from people who died in a hurry without preparation. On the other hand, some deaths will leave tremendous medical debts and health insurance chaos. Already the precautionary shutdowns have destroyed businesses.
Like Melanesians before they were yanked into the rest of the world, many Americans had no concept of what basic federal agencies and institutions actually did. Mostly the awareness was because of restrictions, much resented as interference, rarely understood. Why else would they defy common sense precautions like masks and standing far enough apart that infectious spit spray couldn’t reach that far. Six feet? Or more?
Last night I watched an episode of “Balthazar” in which the bad guy was wearing a mask with a big enough mouth hole to allow his spitty raving to hit his victim in the face. Forensic pathologist Balthazar took the droplets on a q-tip and had enough DNA to identify the criminal.
Balthazar might refer us to this website:
My guess as a layperson is that Trump is in Stage 4, which lasts about two years before the next step. I suspect that’s where he was in 2016.
FOUR
– Difficulty concentrating
– Forgets recent events
– Cannot manage finances
– Cannot travel alone to new places
– Difficulty completing tasks
– In denial about symptoms
– Socialization problems: Withdraw from friends or family
– Physician can detect cognitive problems
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About now he appears to be entering Stage 5 or even Stage 6.
FIVE
– Major memory deficiencies
– Need assistance with ADLs (dressing, bathing, etc.)
– Forgets details like address or phone number
– Doesn’t know time or date
– Doesn’t know where they are
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SIX
– Cannot carry out ADLs without help
– Forgets names of family members
– Forgets recent events
– Forgets major events in past
– Difficulty counting down from 10
– Incontinence (loss of bladder control)
– Difficulty speaking
– Personality and emotional changes
– Delusions
– Compulsions
– Anxiety
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The American public that hasn’t had direct experience with dementia of aging people (not so many now) still clings to the ceremonies of the Cargo Cult, the Republican “Convention” or pretense thereof.
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