Herbert Marcuse introduced the concept of
one-dimensional existence, back in 1964. A one-dimensional person is a product
of consumerism, technology, and conformist ideologies. One-dimensional people
are happy with material comforts and superficial freedoms. They are rendered
incapable of critical thinking, creativity, and authentic individuality. Hence
they fail to see the system’s fault lines and injustices. In fact, the creators
of the system make the society appear so efficient and materially fulfilling
that all opposition succumbs to a natural death. The system creates the
people’s needs through the media, propaganda of all sorts, advertisements and a
mass culture.
Probably, Marcuse’s concept is more
relevant today than in 1960s. How else would we explain the victories of our
present-day leaders, the latest being Donald Trump’s. Why would a nation like the
United States of America elect a man like Donald Trump as its president?
As Ali Chougule writes in today’s Free
Press Journal, Trump won in spite of “four criminal indictments, two
impeachments, three expensive law suits, 34 felony counts and endless reckless
utterances in his campaign speeches.” Chougule ends his opinion piece saying
that “There is little illusion about how Trump intends to govern, given his
naked motivation for the pursuit of power and the preservation of the cult of
personality he has built around himself.” Trump has no respect for law and the
values, norms and traditions of democracy, laments this writer.
Yet why did he win the election?
I know Marcuse’s concept of one-dimensional
person is only a facile explanation. There’s more to the victories of people
like Donald Trump in the States and Narendra Modi in India. Look at the ‘popularity’
of others like them: Putin, Xi Jinping, Netanyahu and Kim Jong Un. [I have
chosen to ignore people like Iran’s Khamenei who belong to an alien galaxy.]
If we let people like them govern us,
there is something seriously wrong with us. I don’t think it’s all about our
one-dimensionality.
The editorial of India’s Outlook
magazine is titled Be Afraid, Be Very, Very
Afraid. Be very,
very afraid of Donald Trump is what the Outlook is cautioning the
world. He is a violently one-dimensional man who will just eliminate his
perceived enemies. The editorial begins with a quote from Trump himself: “We
pledge to you that we will root out the Communists, Marxists, fascists, and the
radical-left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country,
that lie and steal and cheat on elections.” The editorial goes on to say how
Trump has threatened to eliminate journalists if needed and how this first man
of America has no respect for women at all. He called Kamala Harris a “sleaze
bag.” He said he wanted to see Liz Cheney facing “nine barrels shooting at her.”
Why did the people of the USA elect
this man as their President, this violent, narcissistic, uncooperative, and mean-minded
trader?
“The wall in Mexico will be built, he
says.” Outlook’s editorial ends. “But no wall is high enough. And no
fear is too much to keep people from writing the stories that need to be
written.”
Today, I read nearly a dozen articles
on Trump’s victory, in different Indian journals. None of them is optimistic,
to say the least.
Let me end this post with two images. The first is from a Malayalam weekly, Desabhimani. The second is from X.
Hari OM
ReplyDeleteThat X quote sums it up. The sane world is now holding its breath... YAM xx
The sane world is shrinking!
DeleteBoycott Donald Trump!!!!!!🏛🏛🏛🏛🏛🏛🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪😄😄😄😄😄🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🐴🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍
DeleteTrump scares me. I didn't every vote for him.
ReplyDeleteThe world is concerned.
DeleteDonald Trump (b.1946 New York City United States) American businessman philanthropist & politician 45th & 47th president of the United States (2017-21 & 2025-present).
Deletei want peace, donald trump
ReplyDelete