To my dying day I will never understand how anyone can tolerate this pathological liar.
There are three factors that work for him.
- Since he has no integrity or backbone whatsoever, he says what people want to hear. Even if he does fuck all.
- Conservatives have a lot of hatred for the changing society - he gives them an enemy to "fight" against. Even if it's jewish space lasers.
- Some people think that things happen in a vacuum. They vote for one part of the conservative agenda that they agree with and ignore the threat he represents as a whole.
They’re too embarrassed by this point to admit they made a mistake (and they see what happens to people like Chris Christie) so they stay with the cult.
It’s also a Reverse Cargo Cult:
In a regular cargo cult, you have people who see an airstrip, and the cargo drops, so they build one out of straw, hoping for the same outcome. They don’t know the difference between a straw airstrip and a real one, they just want the cargo.
In a reverse cargo cult, you have people who see an airstrip, and the cargo drops, so they build one out of straw. But there’s a twist:
When they build the straw airstrip, it isn’t because they are hoping for the same outcome. They know the difference, and know that because their airstrip is made of straw, it certainly won’t yield any cargo, but it serves another purpose. They don’t lie to the rubes and tell them that an airstrip made of straw will bring them cargo. That’s an easy lie to dismantle. Instead, what they do is make it clear that the airstrip is made of straw, and doesn’t work, but then tell you that the other guy’s airstrip doesn’t work either. They tell you that no airstrips yield cargo. The whole idea of cargo is a lie, and those fools, with their fancy airstrip made out of wood, concrete, and metal is just as wasteful and silly as one made of straw.
1980s Soviets knew that their government was lying to them about the strength and power of their society, the Communist Party couldn’t hide all of the dysfunctions people saw on a daily basis. This didn’t stop the Soviet leadership from lying. Instead, they just accused the West of being equally deceptive. “Sure, things might be bad here, but they are just as bad in America, and in America people are actually foolish enough to believe in the lie! Not like you, clever people. You get it. You know it is a lie.”
Trump’s supporters don’t care about being lied to. You can point out the lies until you’re blue in the face, but it makes no difference to them. Why? Because it is just a game to them. The media lies, bloggers lie, politicians lie, it’s just all a bunch of lies. Facts don’t matter because those are lies also. Those trolls on Twitter, 4Chan, T_D, etc. are just having a good laugh. They are congratulating each other for being so smart. We are fools for still believing in anything. There is no cargo, and probably never was.
I feel like the thing that's missing about a reverse cargo cult is that a sincere attempt to sell the lie comes first. Once that fails, as it inevitably will (you can only be so insistent in telling people that they're not actually hungry and cold before they call you out on it), that's when the lie about how smart they are to spot the lie and the external comparisons begin.
Your summation was solid, but the straw airstrip quote might be the worst, watery-yet-needlessly-convoluted analogy I have ever heard.
A lot of people think that scams are always about a conman trying to convince them that they're legit. Some scams are, but many take the form of the conman signalling that he actually is running a scam, he's scamming someone you don't like, and he's going to let you in on the scam if you help him.
The beauty of this kind of scam is the mark isn't going to check on the conman's credentials, because the whole point is that he's a shady guy that's running a scam, and the mark thinks they're going to get a share in the loot.
The famous Nigerian Prince scam is like this. It's obvious that the transaction isn't legit, the "Prince" would just use legal means to get the gold out of the country if it were. No need for an internet stranger for a legitimate transfer of gold. It's obvious that the Prince is doing something shady, but he's going to cut you in on the profits of the shady activity if you help him.
Many people on the right feel like Trump is scamming the libs, scamming the federal government, scamming news media. But not scamming them, because they're in on the scam! Pitiful rubes...
He says the terrible shit they are thinking out loud and belittles anyone who disagrees. They are living vicariously through him.
Not a liar, a bullshitter.
Lying requires some respect for the truth. It implies you are trying to deceive by denying or obscuring the actual facts of the matter, but lying still involves trying to convince someone that your alternative story is true.
Trump and Co. are just straight up bullshitters. Reality is completely irrelevant, and they just make up whatever sounds good on the fly with zero regard for whether it's even consistent with what they said 10 minutes ago.
The maddening part with bullshitters is you can't even debate or reason with them because the truth literally doesn't matter to them or their audience.
Reality is completely irrelevant
remember Dick Cheney sneering at the "reality-based community" as the lies he used to justify the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan started coming to light? This contempt for what's real is embedded in Republican DNA.
"He's not lying to me, he's lying to them (the media, libs, etc.)"
Like, imagine you gave up on anything ever getting better and just wanted to fling shit at the people you blame for your misery. There is no bigger piece of shit to fling than Donald Trump.
these are vicious animals
Ah yes, the subtle but ever present dehumanization of opponents and implicit calls to violence (you don't deal with a "vicious animal" by just handing it some paperwork, right?), that's what makes this guy one of the biggest pieces of shit of all time, he is just always working at it and always finding ways to be a disrespectful piece of trash every time he opens his mouth
Can not wait to see him get a fraction of what he deserves
"Lock her up."
"Viscous animals."
So with this guy, it's always whatever the opposite of the truth is, down to the smallest detail. Not only does he know exactly what a fuckin' mugshot is, he practiced this mugshot, he obsessed about this mugshot - so naturally he has to throw in a detail while being interviewed about it - he never even heard of a mugshot before. His carefully practiced blue steel death stare was just off the cuff, because that's the kind of tough guy he is don't you know - not the bone-spur draft-dodging cowardly piece of shit kind.
I never heard “mug shot” before.
Truly a hero to the working class.
and he never heard of what is an indictment and of most of the codefendant. It is just the most pathetic toddler-level lie. Did you eat the cake? Oh you don't know what is a cake? You've never even seen one?
I'm 6 feet and 220, not in very good shape, but Trump is much...blobbier? Than me. No definition at all, it's like someone filled a garbage bag with cottage cheese. I at least have arms and legs 😬
"Donald Trump was the dumbest goddamn student I ever had!’” - Professor William T. Kelley, Wharton School of Business.
"good genes, very good genes, OK, very smart, the Wharton School of Finance, very good, very smart — you know [...] Went to Wharton, was a good student, went there, went there, did this, built a fortune — you know I have to give my like credentials all the time..."
Lol, some of them don't have a lot of money because he owes them money he'll never pay them.
This was total projection on his part. His properties are in need of maintenance, loans are coming due, and money laundering is largely dried up, I'm guessing. He's probably getting ready to declare bankruptcy to get out of an financial penalty he might face. Then he can also claim he was bankrupted by "whoever" and it wasn't his fault.
Also: "Wink, wink, I'm so smart I tricked them into thinking I'm bankrupt even though I have a gold toilet."
Finally, it's a great way to get donations for his legal defense fund.
“Professor Kelley told me 100 times over three decades that ‘Donald Trump was the dumbest goddam student I ever had,'” DiPrima wrote for the Daily Kos.
“I remember his emphasis and inflection — it went like this — ‘Donald Trump was the dumbest goddam student I ever had’
DiPrima explained that Kelley told him this after Trump became a celebrity, but “long before” he was deemed a political figure.
“Dr. Kelley often referred to Trump’s arrogance when he told of this — that Trump came to Wharton thinking he already knew everything,” Di Prima added.
Almost nothing is still something, thanks for that.
Almost nothing also means he knows exactly what they did.
I don't know that I even met a lot of those people
not
I've never met those people
some of them did almost nothing
not
they're innocent
He really thinks he's gonna talk his way out of this. He's in full nudge-nudge-wink-wink mode because that's worked for him his whole life when his crimes were the ones we accept from the upper class (cheating on your taxes, stealing from the working class, stiffing laborers you hired and things like that). I don't think dude comprehends the world of shit that he brought down on himself. I sincerely think that the 2020 election was the first time he's heard the word "no" without any qualifications in his entire life and that this is all just the hissy fit of a spoiled two year old if said two year old had tons of power.
so what did 'the dumbest god damn student i ever had' learn at wharton, anyway?
In the front row I see Ken Jeong, Allison Brie, and Danny Pudi. And I swear to god that's a black Chevy Chase...
That is Kevin, male Shirley, Capricious Caroline Decker from Corpus Christi, and brown Jamie Lee Curtis.
Considering common opinion is his daddy bought his graduation I'm not surprised
"I did see it on television. Handsome guy.”
— President Biden, commenting on Donald Trump’s mug shot.
No f’n way has he not gloated over some poor bastard’s mugshot. He knows exactly what they are, the man delights in others’ misfortune.
some of them did almost nothing
Implying they still did something and that others did more 😂
His diaper is leaking through his mouth again.
Of course they don't have a lot of money. Trump and Ghouliani jacked up the prices of pardons to $20K a pop!
“i’ve never heard of mugshots” does explain some of his business and political strategies
The man who watches a lot of tv never heard this word on news and crime series.
Sounds like he should've gone to Milford Academy, where they teach kids to be seen and NOT heard!
(Arrested Development)
He just says absolutely anything without a single thought.
Surely he referenced mugshots during the whole "Central Park Five" thing, right?
I'm pretty damn sure the rich have literally no idea what the world is like.
Would have thought it crossed his path when he was calling for the death penalty for the Central Park 5.
Is he setting himself up for an afluenza defense???????
I hope it's a fatal case
Ow, my head hurts now. Especially when thinking about how a lot of people's response to this is "Wow, he's just like me, for real".
When we're at the 2 yard line they're going to claim they've been brainwashed by the russians and had no control of their actions. (or similar)
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