As we move into a new week it looks like the ugly divorce between Musk and Trump will continue to make news. As you’d expect lots of people are weighing in, often with humor and/or sarcasm and meme makers and late-night hosts are having a field day. Author Stephen King is no fan of either of these asshats and has I think cut through it all and delivered a devastating ‘one-two-punch.’
From this article by Euronews I gather a lot of the spirited commentary poking fun at this whole mess has been “Mean Girls’ themed. I never saw that movie but I know the general notion of it. Two spoiled “it” gals insulting and trying to ‘take down’ each other. Ho hum. However it was I gather a popular movie. In real life we’ve essentially got a version where the world’s richest man and the world’s most powerful one (how the hell does either become what they became?) are essentially calling each other skanks. Seeing adults doing playground or teenage taunting is bad enough but when its people with enormous control over our lives it’s another thing entirely.
This kind of petty feuding isn’t just bad, it affects people in very real ways. Here on Politizoom and in lots of other places you can read how all the tit-for-tat is playing out in quite real public policy ways. That’s why while it’s okay to sit back and watch these two asshats trade insults and feel some amusement we need to maintain PERSPECTIVE because this all plays out in the public policy arena. And that’s where Stephen King shines – both accurately deriding the Trump vs. Musk feud but also offering some sobering perspective:
Rather than take sides, the outspoken Trump critic put the argument into perspective by saying: “Couple of billionaires having a hissy little catfight. Who gives a shit? The world actually has problems.”
That’s one short, pointed and devastating take from a brilliant writer. Concise and to the point. Three short sentences totaling seventeen words. Oscar Wilde once commented to a friend in a missive that if he’d had more time he’d have written a shorter letter. Well, King is a prolific author and some of those iconic books are themselves rather long. From where I sit he’s just proven how great a writer he is. Why he’s Stephen King, and I’m just, well me…
I have to admit when I saw a headline about King weighing in on all this I was hoping he’d use his iconic Cujo as a basis for Musk’s turning on Trump. Instead King revised the Mean Girls theme to something more basic. AND noted we’ve got better and more important things we should focus on. Still, I know (and so does King) that both Trump and Musk have egos that will go batshit insane when they learn they’re (in their minds) ‘Battle of the Titans’ got characterized as a ‘hissy fit!’ Ketchup and Ketamine will go flying. No wonder Musk’s son stood between them picking his nose. The kid was probably thinking he didn’t want to be either one of them when he grew up!
In the meantime both at home and abroad deadly serious things are taking place so again, while it’s fine to take a moment and smile at two assclowns making fools of each other let’s keep our eye on the horizon.
***From Ursula*** Zoomers, if you’re able to contribute in any way, we could use help. I’ve been ill and recuperating from a brief hospitalization. Times are tough for political commentary to begin with, and that’s been the case since November 5. Half the country is in a major depression. But we need to keep on keeping on. This too shall pass and there will be a brighter, post-Trump day if we work for it. Please join us and help if you can. Thank you. Ursula
