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Dead End?

Updated: Apr 10

Drawn on November 9th, 2024 | Published from Miami |

A cross of a martyr planted above the heads lost in the name of democracy.
Dead End?

Like Prometheus, we find ourselves forsaken by fate — not to have our livers devoured, but to offer 'honesty' as prey to those who would peck it apart. Despite abundantly well-founded concerns [1], I am frequently petitioned with a detached consolation that echoes along the lines of, "He won't actually do what he says. Have faith in Donald Trump." Blind 'faith' — a request I would ordinarily find impossible to honor — feels even more corrupt in light of his legacy. So, given that I am constitutionally incapable of finding refuge in that kind of ignorance, it seems only reasonable to clarify my trepidations with this observation:


Revolutions rely on collective heroism, while schisms hinge on a single martyr. As of the early morning of November 6th, 2024, America now faces a schism rather than a revolution — marking the moment when pluralism gave way to populism.


Pluralism is rooted in the inclusive representation of competing interests through rigorous negotiation; populism thrives on exclusivity, craving faith over anything else.


By understanding the sacrifices that forged our freedoms, we can resist the lure of populist mythmaking. Perhaps only when people honor the millions dead for their right to vote — by wearing miniature guillotines around their necks as readily as crosses — will humanity finally favor the lasting sacrifice of revolution over the fleeting glory of martyrdom. Though plenty of heads have piled high in the name of emancipation, time and time again, whether Napoleon or Putin, man seems compulsively wired to shamelessly hoist a crucified prophet atop that grim peak, as if pluralism could only be sustained under the unpalatable guardianship of populism [more here]. In this 'Trumpgrade,' has America's long history of progress finally reached a dead end — where the republican mantle succumbs to empire at the hands of a party that ironically bears the same name?


“From Fanaticism to Barbarism, there is but one single step.” [2]

— Shaftesbury (1671-1713) & Diderot (1713-1784), Concerning Vertu or Merit , 1699 & 1745.



With just a few scratches of a pen, a 74.5 million American majority elected their populist [3], Trump, to be leader of the free world: a man who, on more than one occasion, has unapologetically forfeited his right to appear rational [more here]. By indulging in his unpredictability, his apologists surrender to the supernatural, conditioned to assess his actions in units of faith rather than logic; thereby effectively raising him to the ranks of messiah.



Presidents are elected by the people, but kings are anointed by God. (Which do you think Trump fancy's himself as?) And yet, nudged by a maelstrom of identity politics, a rare case of American universal suffrage has ironically dealt a self-inflicted blow to U.S. democracy — elevating feeling over objectivity, cult loyalty over the collective, and lies over truth. Deep down, the best grifters know that, above all, the tallest tales nurse on faith to exist.


"Truth is too naked. She does not excite men." [4]

— Jean Cocteau (1889-1963)



In the end, you’ll forgive me if I find “faith” an entirely inadequate panacea for the challenges now facing our democracy, especially in the shadow of the 47th president's unhinged proclamations that teeter on the divine [5][more here]. This pivotal moment calls for allegiance to principles of science and reason, not fealty to an exalted, insecure, and absolutely immune [6] individual.


In Trump's America, where trust in elections is pathologically shattered by conspiracy on even the eve of a vote — only to fall silent when tides turn his way [7] — damage is progress. This raises serious questions, with historically catastrophic answers:


For instance, should the laws of the free market — supposedly rooted in the tenets natural of selection — really dictate how society is governed?


We have witnessed a moment in time were the most heavily subsidized anarcho-capitalists — the Darwinian model's staunchest evangelists — have managed to convince their groupies that 'survival of the fittest' applies to 'individuals' over the 'tribe'; conveniently omitting that archeology proves it was through empathy and mutual aid — not eugenics — that Homo sapiens escaped the savannah.


To be fair, America was corrupted by snake-oil long before this election took place, but the dosage has reached truly lethal levels. Indeed, at what point in society does it become normal for voters to be swayed more by fundamentally flawed tariff policies [8] and pledges of vague "concepts of a plan" [9] showcased as healthcare reform, than by the looming resurgence of science denial [10]? Must we completely destroy the system like spirited anarchists, essentially rendering planet Earth flat, only to rebuild our knowledge to where it is round again?


Critically, faith or not, should the complete moral bankruptcy of voting alongside Neo-Nazis [11] — the bad guys — not be the line drawn to save the dignities afforded us by democracy? Only by resisting the tempting comforts of faith — especially one as misplaced as in Donald Trump — can we reclaim the fruitful promises of pluralism and protect our democratic ideals from imminent extinction.



[1] (matched by a jaw dropping 90.91% confirmation consistency) Nicholas, P. and Lebowitz, M. (2023) Dozens served in Trump’s cabinet. Four say he should be re-elected., NBCNews.com. Available at: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-cabinet-endorsements-rcna96648 (Accessed: 2024).

Just four of the 44 former members of Donald Trump’s Cabinet surveyed by NBC News said they’d publicly endorse their onetime boss in his bid for re-election.


[2] Original French; « Du Fanatisme à la barbarie, il n’y a qu’un pas. »

Third Earl of Shaftesbury, A.A.C. and Diderot, D. (1745) ‘Epître à mon Frère’, in Essai sur le mérite et la vertu | Concerning Virtue or Merit (1699). Zacharie Chatelain. Available at: https://fr.m.wikisource.org/wiki/Essai_sur_le_m%25C3%25A9rite_et_la_vertu/Texte_entier%C2%A0 (Accessed: 2024).


[3] 2024 Election results:

Demographics:

Analysis of gender gap:

Strong religious support for Trump (Christian demographic) 22% of his electoral base:


[4] Original French; « La vérité est trop nue. Elle n’excite pas les hommes. »


[5] Trump's ecumenical claims:


[6] "Absolute Immunity" SCOTUS ruling:


[7] Election lying the eve of the election:


[8] York, E. (2024) How will trump’s universal and china tariffs impact the economy?, Tax Foundation. Available at: https://taxfoundation.org/blog/trump-tariffs-impact-economy/ (Accessed: November 2024).

"President-elect Trump may want to impose tariffs to encourage investment and work, but his strategy will backfire. Tariffs will certainly create benefits for protected industries, but those benefits come at the expense of consumers and other industries throughout the economy."


[9] Former president Trump says he has a ‘concept of a plan’ to replace the Affordable Care Act (2024) CNBC. Available at: https://www.cnbc.com/video/2024/09/10/former-president-trump-says-he-has-a-concept-of-a-plan-to-replace-the-affordable-care-act.html (Accessed: November 2024).

"I have concepts of a plan." — Donald Trump, ABC Presidential Debate, September 10, 2024


[10] Lidell, J. (2024) Trump calls climate change a ‘scam’ after Hurricane Helene Hammers states, The Independent. Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-climate-change-scam-hurricane-helene-georgia-b2621271.html (Accessed: November 2024).

“It’s one of the greatest scams of all time… people aren’t buying it any more. I don’t want to use bad language, my wife said, ‘Please don’t use bad language.’” — Donald Trump, Speaking at a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, September 29, 2024


[11] The Nazi and antisemitic support:

All audio is AI generated.

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