It’s no wonder that Trump is the most loved and hated President of all time–perhaps the most so of any leader since Napoleon, and the most feared and hated since Hitler.
The reason lies largely with the cult of personalities in the US, and values that are promoted and rewarded in US culture.
As far as the first, the cult of personalities, Americans have long been fascinated by celebrities, and celebrity-like personalities. Of course, humans naturally gravitate towards charisma. However, in this country, only certain kinds of personalities are appreciated and valued. Of course, there are differences for men v. Women. For men, qualities such as gentleness and compassion, humility and restraint, are considered weaknesses in US culture, and Western culture more generally. Conversely, the loudest and most rambunctious usually get the spotlight. Cowboys are glorified, Indians and Mexicans, vilified, like an old Western film.
And Trump is a master of commanding the spotlight. He is also a longstanding celebrity, well entrenched within the history and underworld of Hollywood. And his voice has always been loudly projected from every mainstream media outlet in the world. So, no matter how you feel about him, you cannot help avoiding him.
The second reason has to do with karma, with reaping what you sow, and with the chickens coming home to roost. With all his hateful and perverse language, his self-serving actions and hypocrisy, his extreme arrogance, self-aggrandizing ness and condescending-ness, his lust for power and obvious disconnect from the common wo/man, his disregard for US and International Law, and all the dirt that has been exposed on him– it is no wonder that he is most hated and feared.
But how could people, especially good-hearted well-meaning people, including largely Christians, have so much love for this guy still, and actually defend him at all costs?
The answer, for those who are not ill-intended, is of course a historical lesson on the impact of propaganda in conditioning a population, and the self-interest that is inherent in capitalist theory and in the reality of a capitalist model, and it has always existed by definition and in practice. This is a much bigger discussion that I will save for another day.
Suffice to say here that, for those of us who see this thing with sober eyes, it is our duty to reach the hearts and minds of those of our loved ones and neighbors who are deceived, through an appeal to reason, compassion, and true justice. For the sake of the cause. For the sake of the souls of those we love and care about. For the sake of the cause. After all, if men in combat can recruit their enemies into their ranks after exchanging bullets, then surely, we can make amends and progress in unification during the ongoing process of revolution. And this is revolution! Revolution against Empire, which indeed is a just cause worthy of sacrifice, patience, and steadfastness.
Truth2Power!