Two months prior to the election, in Schoolyard Lessons, I imagined the impact of a Trump presidency on children, who would be particularly susceptible to the ubiquitous media presence of a mendacious, vulgar, ignorant, bullying braggart in a position of respect, authority and celebrity.
But now it’s clear that the amplification and celebration of Trump’s appalling speech and behavior is warping the values and character of Americans of all ages. I heard the following dialogue between two young men working out in a neighborhood gym on the West coast of Florida:
“You know, bro, you don’t make it in the world by being nice.”
“What’ya mean?”
“You gotta go after what you want and fuck everyone else. You gotta say what you need to say; doesn’t matter whether it’s true. You gotta do what it takes to win. I mean, that’s Trump. And look at him, he’s got it all. He sees p**** he likes, he takes it. Need to cheat and lie to make money, no problem. He says fuck the IRS, only losers pay taxes.”
“Yea. I guess.”
Both these young men were wearing crucifixes on chains around their necks.
American is a land of contradictions. We are the first nation in the history of the world to produce people who are simultaneously obese and malnourished. Perhaps we also will be the first to host a majority who display the external appearances of Christianity, but whose inner characters are bereft of the Christian virtues. This would be a distinctly odd result, as Christianity in particular puts a premium on works, not words, as the way to bear witness to the message of Christ.
Yet most Republicans, conservatives, and evangelicals have done, as Trump would say, a “deal.” In return for political power and a handful of political objectives, they embrace an amoral monster and employ his sinful toolkit of deception, hate, ignorance, and prejudice. The ends, they explain, justify the means.
There is no faith tradition nor secular ethic in which the ends justify the means. When this becomes generally accepted in a society, no common moral fabric is possible. Moreover, the normalization of immoral means can be reversed only by a cataclysmic event, such as war, or the passage of many generations.
Culture warriors on the right used to worry, with some justification, about the corrosive effect of profanity and violence in popular culture. Where are they now? Americans of all ages are bombarded daily – from the highest office in the land – with casual mendacity, intemperance, vindictive bullying, obsessive braggadocio, and a world view in which all human relations are transactional and devoid of moral content. Even worse, this conduct is celebrated by the influencers and opinion-makers who dominate half of the country.
Politics is transient. Culture endures. Re-read the conversation between the young men in the gym. If this is the America you would build for your children and grandchildren, then vote again for Trump.