Dear Editor,
The USA presidential debates have brought to the fore anew what many of us are aware of yet seem to be pretending not to know: what hypocrisy looks like. Let me at the outset state that I do not take to the personality of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump; he comes over as a temperamental, cocky, arrogant and snobbish high roller, who bestrides the world like a colossus. He is smug in the thought that his financial empire affords him the ‘right’ to do as he pleases, caring not a toss for what anyone says about him. Indeed, his dangerous self-importance is odious to many. Trump vows to restore America to Americans and “make it rich again”, although he stops short of saying make it ‘white’ by slickly uttering his concern for African Americans and such other coloured folks.
Like most folks around the world I have been watching this American elections campaign from time to time, though not too keenly. And yes, I do go a bit soft on the side of the Democrats. I think that like many Guyanese and people of colour our automatic support and sentiments for the Democratic Party have somewhat historical origins, as while the Republican Party is known to be a party that protects the interests of the wealthy, the Democrats on the other hand look out a bit more for the poor. This is why Guyanese and other nations of colour have justified reason for fear should the Republicans under Trump win the White House.
But the hypocrisy I saw in taking him apart for what he did 11 years ago was beyond me. Now I’ve heard this Republican presidential contender being called all sorts of names; listened to the venom and castigation levelled against him; heard him being described in the most derogatory terms – a simpleton, the devil incarnate and a hater of women. Yet, somehow this vile man, and a misogynist, is perennially attracted to women and they to him; has a life that revolves around high-profile, glamorous and fashionable ladies; and who further somehow manages to come out on top of all those other decent, respectable, brilliant, sharp-shooter Republican candidates to become their presidential contender. This is what befuddles me, how did it happen? Emotions aside, please remember this is the man who when he entered the race was considered the joker in the pack, was supposed to bray and fade away into the distance, but this never happened. Hence, now it is of great concern to see that for the very first time a presidential candidate has so many Republicans and Democrats, Americans and non-Americans on their toes. Come on, are we that naïve to accept that it was an accident?
Editor, you look at those numberless shows they are having on this November election and you can’t help but chuckle as they roll back 11 years to build their case. We see all sorts of rich, well-dressed people, many of whom promote the immorality and debauchery of high society as acted out by Hollywood, who yesterday were swinging with Trump and now who are labelling him the worst ever, as if they have only now came to know him. They have gone back 11 years to book him, when all along they knew the man was kicking his heels, maybe not even remotely contemplating anything presidential then. And also, as if another who became president did nothing similar ever, when in fact he and Trump can hold hands. This to me is the colour of hypocrisy.
As I watched those shows/debates I couldn’t help thinking what strange creatures human beings are ‒ mind you, I am not endorsing inappropriate conduct, but this is the Hollywood stuff they crave. These are the very people who set the bar by which society is judged, and the more sensational, steamy and reckless the affair the better. It is what the magazines and tabloids go for, let’s have more Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie; this is what America loves, these are the folks, the celebrities who are glorified, admired, promoted and sold to society as the ‘real people’. And Trump fits the bill so perfectly: the flamboyant Casanova, a ladies man of marriages and divorces, and blistering romantic escapades in and out of wedlock; like it or not, the man is an Oscar nominee.
Coming back home, if we are to judge our politicians by the values we hold Trump to on this issue we would have the devil’s work. Very few can point a finger at Trump on this 11-year incident. I recall a no-nonsense elderly lady who expressed disgust at cheerleaders at a cricket match; she thought they were too loose in their skimpy outfits. Then I asked her what she thought about the Monica Lewinsky Bill-Clinton story that was making the headlines, and she responded: “Ah leh she guh suh she talks too much.” I’ll bet pennies to pins that this upright lady is also ripping Trump apart right now. But I have to say that for all Donald Trump’s antics, rantings and often unconstrained utterances, you know exactly where he’s at, and where you stand with him. He shoots straight, with no dressing and beating around the bush. The daring and presumptuous things he says even upset his own party loyalists and turn off potential voters, but what the heck, that’s the man. Ugly as it may be, he is being honest, as against others who say what they don’t mean. They smile in your face but no one knows what’s behind that smile; hypocrisy disguised as democracy. But I’d like to go with what President Obama said: “In this election anything is possible”.
Yours faithfully,
Frank Fyffe
