Round Table

By Jill Schary Z. Robinson

What makes Trump so offensive: his fear, childlike anger, and insecurity generate accusations. His “wall” is built of resentment. The ego cements it.

            I watched the debate – serious trouble when even the candidates I think are smart and would be good leaders were behaving like rowdy sixth graders. Allowing themselves to act like Trump: expressing fear and rage, roused up by abrasive questions about the past. There is hardly any successful man from the 50’s and 60’s who wasn’t “coming on” to women, and we let them because it meant we were beautiful. Corporations encouraged women to be “seductive”! Betty Friedan and other women talked about this game—so did Helen Gurley Brown—and so did I. We broke down the rule, “Act like a lady.” We wanted to be men, to have our own powerful man; we have the power now: I watched Bloomberg’s face, frozen, the world he was raised in is gone. A good man would make money, “admire” women (even Trump knows that.)

            Women have changed. Powerful men have not. But this, as last night’s debate revealed, is all about yesterday.

            The concept of president may be archaic. What we need is a united nation. We need a unifier; a circle of wise experts who are not looking for what “I” can do, but who are willing to agree, it’s gotten too big for its britches, as in fact, has our planet.

            The time has come, if “life” is to continue for our grandchildren (or ourselves) that screaming debate was a sign: we are done with the way democracy worked. One human cannot lead.

            No human driven by rage and fear to explode and attack can be expected to maintain the reason and balance the steady perspective wise leadership requires.

            You cannot get rid of Trump by acting like Trump.

            The candidates should form a fresh coalition, run as a team dedicated to a positive, balanced program for America’s recovery.

            We must hear each other.

            We must talk of the present.

            We must stop screaming at each other.

            Anger and fear saves no one, creates no hope.

            America has changed.

            Watching the debate showed we have caught the contagious disease of every power in history. Example: “There will always be an England.” The young English writers who visited recently confirmed, “there is no England.”

            We cannot “Make America great again.” It had some great moments, but always maintained a firm class system.

            What happened last night had nothing to do with getting rid of Trump. It was far more harrowing: we have become Trump, screaming, rowdy, name calling. Even debate moderators aced like sixth graders, shouting out accusations which have no relevance to today. Trump is driven by fear which generates resentments, self-loathing, and thrives on uproar.