Change

This is something that I have been thinking on for some time, and am still working through, but it seems to me that, in many ways, the rise of Trump is very much a symptom of a greater societal change – namely the decline of the Pax Americana.

In the 1940’s, 1950’s and 1960’s Hollywood produced a number of (usually very bad) sword and sandal movies – a basic premise of many of these movies is the whole Nero fiddled while Rome burned plot – namely, that the debauchery and decadence of Roman society was in part a means to hide from themselves the decline of their empire (this is based on a more complex academic theory but the Hollywood version is good enough for the time being).  Many of these movies also suggested that Rome’s failure to embrace Christianity was a cause of this decline (historically incorrect but amusing anyhow).

I mention these movies in part because the decades in which they were produced are really the Golden Age of the Pax Americana which the Trump-eteers and other Right WIngers long for.  I also mention them because in many ways, we are living through events which in many ways parallel the decline of the Roman Empire.  What we are seeing is the decline of the Pax Americana – a period in which American (white Christian) culture, might, and political dominance were preeminent throughout the world.  Now America, like the rest of the world is becoming less white, less Christian, and less dominant, and these people don’t like it.  They want a world like their parents (or grandparents) lived in.

In a nutshell, they fear change.  There is nothing wrong with fearing change.  Change is scary and there is never any guarantee that the change will be for the better.  However, fearing change, hating change, railing against change all have the same common denominator – change is going to happen whether you want it or not

Now, a lot of commentators argue that the Trump-eteers are actually a force for change… they want a change from the political elites, yadda, yadda, yadda….  Unfortunately, that is completely wrong in my opinion; the Trump-eteers are merely echoing a common refrain – the Elites haven’t prevented this change from happening so we need a Strong Man to lead us and to prevent the change.  Trump has read the movement well and is surfing forward on it.

At the end of the day, there are two ways to respond to change -struggle against it (it didn’t work for Rome or for post-World War I Germany but who knows, maybe the US will be the exception (I doubt it though)), or move with it… either way change is going to occur; the only question is whether the change will result in Barbarianism or Greater Civilization.