27 June 2020
Trump: A Person Who Distrusts Experts
Tom Nichols, author of
“The Death of Expertise,” writes that social media have allowed widely
separated cynics to form broad movements that contradict expert information.
These can then be exploited by demagogues to build political strength.
One explanation of
Trump’s refusal to observe the guidelines of his Coronavirus Task Force or the
CDC is his general disregard for the superior knowledge of experts. This
applies also to almost all fields, including military affairs, national
security, climate change, and others.
An intriguing contrast
may be drawn between Trump’s own upbringing by parents who deferred
obsequiously to his impulses and the possibly opposite formation of his most
loyal staff members, including Jared Kushner, Steve Mnuchin, Mike Pence, William
Barr, not to mention Kellyanne Conway.
None of these Trump aides probably were coddled
like the Donald was as a child. Nor did
any of them likely have the wealth provided by their parents that he did. Therefore, they were conditioned to defer to
his narcissism and have been able to retain their jobs. They also have adopted his cynical counter
theories in the face of relevant experts.
It makes you wonder what ultimate reward they have agreed to or assume they will
receive.
The presidency of the republic could not have been
envisioned by the Founders to be earned by someone who was able to convince the
nation that his instincts outweighed the advice of experts who know the facts
of any situation facing the country.
However, the Founders didn’t anticipate an electorate that could be
bamboozled by a masterful reality TV show star.
The constitutional government they devised has been proven to be
vulnerable to technological and communications innovation. Excising the current resident from the White
House will require a political campaign that adapts to the electorate’s need
for entertainment.
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