It is no secret that I am opinionated. Although flexible when presented with a contrary opinion, I am unapologetic in articulating blunt positions and pushing emotional buttons. After all, this is the luxury of having a bully pulpit. It’s also a blessing of the First Amendment and the Internet.
But there are boundaries—even for an opinionated and sarcastic Blogger. When I became editor of Wild Duck more than 5 years ago, I made a New Career Resolution. I committed to never discuss three topics. They were over-hyped, argued and litgated in other venues. I didn’t want the noise and I didn’t care to defend my opinion nor deal with the return fire. Not on these three issues..
I don’t expect you to click through all the links below—but as you can see, my New Career Resolutions were kicked to the curb. I broke two of three promises in the very first year!
- Personal vendettas against vendors, no matter how egregious their practice
[Verizon #1] [Verizon #2] [Dollar Car Rental] [Keurig/Green Mountain] - Religious beliefs of any public figure (No making fun of zealots)
[Congressman Paul Broun] [Governor Mike Pence] [Menorahs & Trees] - The abortion debate (and especially, Planned Parenthood)
Despite pontificating on all of these banned topics, on election day 2016, I made a new resolution to at least remain quiet about Donald Trump. I wrote six articles about him before the election. But the fact is that he has won. And for the past 3 weeks, I resisted the temptation to rant, whine, complain—or hold my breath until the family jewels turn purple. He won. He is our Chief Honcho Elect. ’Nuff said!
Well, at least this latest resolution was good for 3 weeks. Today, I break that commitment by linking to this article: Jane Goodall, the famed anthropologist and expert on primate behavior, offers a simple and scientific explanation for Donald Trump’s behavior and outrageous claims.
Donald Trump hoots & stomps at Jane Goodall
She demonstrates with rigorous academic precision, that Trump’s statements and attacks map directly onto chest-thumping, tree dragging, hooting and stomping of lowland gorillas. And not every act is a metaphor! For example, male Gorillas don’t just attack others they perceive as competitors, they berate, degrade, lie, bully and demonstrate p*nis size to ensure that they get their way. Even more interesting, they increase their humiliation and attacks on any other male who fails to support their earlier attacks.
Seriously, this is no joke! It’s academically valid and very illuminating. Don’t just take it from me…check it out here. And just for the record, this post is not about Trump. It’s a wildlife documentary and a tribute to a highly respected scientist.
A few months after posting the above piece, the NPR radio show, Marketplace, found a closer parallel to Trump rhetoric. Marc Jampole, a blogger and poet from New York discovered that a Trump speech has an uncanny similarity to a stand-up comedy routine.
“Most stump speeches have a beginning, a middle and an end and follow classic speech structure, which basically is tell the audience what you’re going to say, say it, and then tell them what you just said,” Jampole says. “Trump doesn’t do that. It appears to be free-form just like a comedian.” His followers hear him as a comic hero and a disruptor.
“In the Caddy Shack movies, comedians Rodney Dangerfield or Jackie Mason played rich guys who were really average Joes breaking down the barriers of elite institutions,” he said.
Listen to Trump and Dangerfield side-by-side. Click the audio link in the Marketplace transcript—or download the audio clip. Don’t be surprised if they both say “Your all great. I love you! Take my wife. I don’t get no respect!”. The similarity is not just startling. It is a spot on match!
[As reported by Robert Siegel, NPR Narketplace on Jan 19, 2017]