An open letter to President Trump

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The Honorable Donald J. Trump

President of the United States

Dear Mr. President:

I write to you today as one who opposed your candidacy and spoke out against your rhetoric, proposals, and platform.

Though we have never met, I feel as though I know you. After all, we both grew up in Queens and are in the same general age group. I wrote a few months ago about the way good bull shitters are regarded in the New York area. Having a “good line of bullshit” is not necessarily a bad thing. Surely you realize, however, that many of our countrymen and women actually take you at your word. When confronted with some of your more outrageous statements, and I am paraphrasing here, Mike Pence replied “that’s Donald,” the implication being to not always take you literally. Unfortunately for all of us, in your current role, words matter more than ever.

You are quick to invoke the charge of  “fake news” when something reported in the media is not to your liking. And your attacks against specific news organizations and reporters remind many of the way authoritarian leaders suppress opposition in countries whose values are diametrically opposed to historically American governance. You have the most compelling platform in the world to offer your version of events and policies. But when your spokeswoman suggests that your press secretary offered “alternative facts” the impression is that you operate in an alternative universe. As the late New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan taught, “everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.”

You and your candidacy deepened divisions in our country and coarsened the dialogue. Yes, we were deeply divided before you ran, but most leaders try to bring people together. You had an opportunity to reach out to those who opposed you throughout the inaugural weekend but chose instead a combative stance that furthered division.

I will continue to oppose your positions and policies with which I mostly disagree. You were elected by people who knew what you intended to do as president. But it’s time to raise your game and recognize that great leaders grow. Find a softer more humble pitch. Take aim at the hateful rhetoric that some of your coalition delights in projecting. Tweet about that. You won the election. Instead of attacking celebrities who challenge you—remember you were an opposition celebrity before you became a politician—show some respect for the opposition. That’s the only way you’ll earn the respect you want from them and the millions of Americans who voted against you.

I will end by saying I don’t expect this letter to make much difference in the way you govern. For the sake of our great nation, I  hope I am wrong.

Thank you.

Trump, Queens, and the art of crap detection

 

Donald Trump and I have something in common. We both grew up in Queens. As a proud child of the borough, I offer a bit of background for those less familiar with that part of New York City.

Queens is where working people live, civil servants, office workers, cops and firefighters, construction workers, small business owners, and to this day, upwardly mobile ethnics. The late New York Governor Mario Cuomo—like Donald and me, a Queens “boy”-- once remarked, and I’m paraphrasing, in Queens, arguing is a way of life. There is a certain in your face honesty that is particular to the region. There is also another communication characteristic that will be useful to understand in the days ahead. To put it directly, I can imagine Donald hanging around the schoolyard in 1961 regaling the other kids with stories and keeping their attention. After he left, one of the kids  might say to the others, “Donald has a great line of bullshit.” Understand, that would have been meant as a compliment as much as a criticism.

Neil Postman (1931-2003) was a brilliant scholar of communication. He was also from Queens. In his career as an NYU professor, Dr. Postman offered insight into mass media, culture, and yes, bullshit. In his classic discourse, Bullshit and the Art of Crap Detection, Postman explains, “sensitivity to the phony uses of language requires, to some extent, knowledge of how to ask questions, how to validate answers, and certainly, how to assess meanings.” By the way, the essay (abbreviated version), linked above, is a worthwhile read and not too long.

A few months ago, Bill Maher and his guest Rob Reiner were discussing how having grown up in the New York area, they were able to recognize much of what Trump was saying as BS. They speculated that people from other regions of the country might not be as familiar with the particular style and  brand of BS Mr. Trump spews.

So, let’s see how this all plays out. Will the president-elect build a wall along the length of the Mexican border and get Mexico to pay for it? Will tariffs on foreign goods bring good jobs back to the USA? Will he even be able to impose the tariffs he’s promised? Will he deport all those he said he would send back? Will he really push for congressional term limits? The list could go on but you get the point. Real or BS? Guess we’ll soon find out. 

That's my opinion. What's yours?

(Addendum--11/16/16)

With the benefit of observing the president-elect for a full week in his new role, here are additional observations.

Because Mr. Trump is prone to BS we should be ever more vigilant. As Postman points out, bigotry is a particularly malignant form of BS. And although when he's president much of the BS may never become reality, but too much will with a same party Congress. Words themselves have power. We are seeing each day that coarse language and hateful rhetoric have dire consequences, empowering bigots and motivating intimidation. We must not acccept this as the new normal. Stand up; speak out; remain true to the best in us, not the worst.