The late Milan Kundera understood the authoritarian mindset in a deep way. “Book of Laughter and Forgetting” and “Eternal Lightness of Being” capture the mindset.
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Tag Archives: Donald Trump
Kundera Understood Authoritarianism
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Aeschylus, Agamemnon, Book of Laughter and Forgetting, Eternal Lightness of Being, Flies, Jean Paul Sartre, MAGA, Milan Kundera Comments closed
Lindsey Graham as Willy Loman (or Not)
Studying Willy Loman in “Death of a Salesman” can help us understand Trump politicians.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged 1984, Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman, George Orwell, Lindsey Graham, politicians, Trump enablers Comments closed
Authoritarians Long to Act with Impunity
Authoritarians long to act with impunity. H.G. Wells captures this fantasy in “The Invisible Man.”
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged authoritarianism, Fascism, H.G. Wells, Invisible Man, Republic, ring of Gyges, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Socrates, Trumpism Comments closed
Pilfered Files, Eustace Diamonds
I compare Trump with Lizzy Greystock in Trollope’s “Eustace Diamonds”–government files for him, diamond necklace for her.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Anthony Trollope, Eustace Diamonds, stolen government documents Comments closed
Warning to Fans of Authoritarianism
Applying “The Frogs Who Wished for a King” to the U.S., Biden is King Log and Trump King Crane.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Aesop, Aesop's Fables, authoritarianism, Democracy, Frogs Who Wished for a King, Joe Biden, Tom Nichols Comments closed
As in 1984, Neo-Fascists Redefine Freedom
Many on the extreme right are defining “freedom” in ways that Orwell would recognize.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged 1984, authoritarianism, George Orwell, GOP, neo-fascism Comments closed
Baldwin, Cop Sadism, and MAGA
In “If Beale Street Could Talk,” Baldwin captures cop sadism of the sort we also seen in Trump supporters.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Fascism, If Beale Street Could Talk, James Baldwin, MAGA, racism, sadism Comments closed
On Trump, Achilles, and Retribution
Trump has been threatening retribution on his enemies. The Iliad shows the corrosive effects of revenge.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Homer, Iliad, laws of hospitality, revenge, ritual Comments closed