Our Medieval Executive

                                      Our Medieval Executive
 
            Back in the late 1990’s and early aughts of this century I was teaching at Brown University.  Amid those ivy-covered walls there were often debates about “modernism” vs. “postmodernism.”  Modernism, by definition, is “a style or movement in the arts that aims to break with classical and traditional forms,” whereas “postmodernism” is defined as “a late-20th-century style and concept in the arts, architecture, and criticism that represents a departure from modernism and has at its heart a general distrust of grand theories and ideologies as well as a problematical relationship with any notion of ‘art’.”  All of that is very heady, of course, and is the type of debate one expects to find confined to the groves of academe.  I bring it up here because, while trying to make sense of the bizarre historical moment we find ourselves in, I realized that concepts like “modernism” or “postmodernism” couldn’t be further from what we witness on a daily basis, where we are subjected to observing the flailing of what I can only describe as a failing medieval monarch.  As such, Donald J. Trump has no awareness of “modernism” or “postmodernism.”  In fact, I believe he qualifies as a pre-Gutenberg, pre-literate being, at best.

            If we consider the evolution of Western Civilization, the distinct dividing line between the “Modern” world and earlier history is defined by the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment (also known as The Age of Reason).  The Medieval Period, or Middle Ages,  preceded that break in Western history --- and that is where we find Donald J. Trump firmly situated.  The Scientific Revolution, a period where the flat-Earth conspiracy theory was finally dismissed, along with the equally incorrect notion of Geocentrism (everything revolves around the Earth) ushered in an “Age of Discovery” and the Protestant Reformation.  Gutenberg’s printing press and movable type  expanded the middle class, promoting vernacular language over elitist Latin, another step into the world of modernity.  None of that progress has ever entered Donald Trump’s world.  Like our Medieval forbears, Trump is a believer in superstition, conspiracy theories, and magical thinking (aka – “religion” ---  in the Middle Ages, an extremely corrupt Roman Catholic Church held Europe and its population hostage to Papal whims and rigid doctrine).  Like Middle Ages monarchs, he believes in a variation of their theory of regal divinity --- Trump believes in his “Divine White” of superiority over everyone.

            Like a Middle Ages Monarch, Trump has his own version of the “Crusades,” singling out Muslim populations for exclusion (if not elimination!) and has instituted his own variant of an Inquisition, with his suppression of migrants (particularly children) along our Southern border.  None of what he does is based on any tenet developed during the Age of Reason/the Enlightenment.  Trump, in fact, has shown a stunning ignorance of the philosophy that created our founding documents and principles and he has, quite clearly, never read a page of the Bible.  Trump’s basic impulse for authoritarianism is one of his most recognizable Medieval traits, in fact.

            Examining Trump’s (lack of) response to the Coronavirus pandemic, as with his conspiracy-theory notions about Climate Change, illustrates not only an ignorance of science but a lack of understanding or respect for the critical aspects of the discipline.  In Bill Barr he has not only found his “Roy Cohn” but, in the context of what we’re examining, his Cardinal Richelieu (I know, he’s a Renaissance/post-Renaissance figure but it’s such a great parallel!).  From my perspective, Bill Barr has distinguished himself as America’s Iago.  But I digress.  What we see in Donald Trump is a man who is not only learning-disabled and intellectually stunted, but also trapped in a mindset that is 600 years old and totally inappropriate for the world of 2020.

            Just as Medieval monarchs did not know how to deal with the Plague in mid-1300’s Europe, Trump has shown an equal inability to grasp what is going on regarding the pandemic.  Worse, we can absolve those Medieval Monarchs because the Scientific Revolution had not yet occurred and they had no idea how those rats and fleas were infecting their populations.  Trump, on the other hand, willfully chooses to not only ignore the science but to actively rail against it.  Like numerous Monarchs throughout history, Trump’s belief that he is the center of the universe and all must revolve around him, only puts his inadequacies in high relief. 
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            I don’t think this analysis makes any difference in our assessments of Trump --- whether it is the Peter Principle, the Dunning-Kruger Effect, or his apparent similarity to Medieval monarchs --- we are stuck with him, a man “promoted” above his level of competence who is too ignorant to know how ignorant he is and who acts like a ruler from the 14th century, before science or Reason began to hold sway with Western thinkers.  Our only recourse is to make sure that people vote on November 3rd (if not sooner!) and we not only remove Trump from office but also dismiss his sycophantic House of Lords in the U.S. Senate.  As citizens who believe in Science and understand the Enlightenment, it is the least we can do.