The Stain Left On American Civilization
Here is a thought for you. If everyone in America, who voted for Donald Trump, was suddenly infused with a medieval oriental concern for honour they would kill themselves. Because the stain left on American civilization by this generation of voters will never go away. It is so bad and reaching such levels of disgusting behaviour that nothing will ever get that stain out. To regain face, as they say in that eastern way, taking your own life is the only viable option left open. Nothing short of this will redeem the honour of these folk or the country. I love that Japanese/Chinese intensity around this stuff!
Shameful America In The Trump Era
A decade of Trump, has damaged America more than anything else in its last 50 years. Making enemies at home and abroad in record numbers like nothing we have seen in half a century. Debasing their humanity on the world stage, as stupidity and evil vie for first place in a race to the bottom. You can survey old and young observers around the world and they will condemn the fall of the United States in an equally horrified fashion. It is hard to believe that Trump could assemble such an extreme bunch of nasty, mentally unfit, and shallow thinking members of cabinet. It is a tour de force of derangement and diabolical intent.
Japanese Honour & A Concern For Others
“A historical examination of the Japanese way of thinking, the role of shame in Japanese society, and Japanese folktales and myths reveals a deep-rooted system of social sanctions emphasizing honor in the Japanese culture. Japanese are taught to avoid injuring others, but not necessarily to feel guilty, in the same sense as Judeo-Christians are. Rather, Japanese are taught to “feel bad” about unacceptable action. That is, the mechanism of social control is emphasized, rather than internalized feelings of guilt. Cultural expectations occur based on family and larger social life centered around the family. The expectation to maintain group harmony, to “meet their” or “have consideration for others”, and to maintain the reputation of the family, are integral parts of fulfilling the social expectations of Japanese.”
The crux of the fundamental difference here, between American culture and that of Japanese, is the ‘have consideration for others’. This is not an individually focused culture, where it is all about me, me, me. Rather, like many eastern cultures, community is more important than the individual. Family rises above the singular person. The shift from patriarchal family groups to the individual-centric culture has been a historical journey over millennia. It has occurred faster and more dramatically in western nations than in the east. However, what we are seeing in Trump’s America could well be the tipping over point into a morass of self-aggrandisement, cruelty and greed at the expense of others. It is time to go back in the other direction – in the direction of a concern for others.
Trump Is A Stain Forever
Donald Trump and his henchmen and women provide the stain left on American civilization for all to see. No amount of scrubbing will remove that indelible stain. Like blood, it is hard to get out. Sometimes it is only through a sacrificial act that atonement can be made. The oriental soul knew what was required in such profound moments. Life demands a life when the stakes are this high. 9 million Americans have left for more hopeful shores elsewhere, since Trump was re-elected.
“Lastly, honor/ pride is an aspect within Japanese culture that is very different from the American culture. Within the US the idea individualism is a common and strong belief. The concept that each person is special is also unintentional or maybe intentional message that American society also portrays like giving every kid a ribbon in a competition. In Japan, doing your role within society, your workforce, your family, will benefit them as whole is a much more common thought process. “
“In the United States, you have an actual crook who is president, a convicted felon, Donald Trump. This travesty of a human being is inventing bogus charges to indict those who have challenged his behaviour in the past. The dichotomies of now, sees a real crook using the US DOJ to pursue individuals who were doing their job in prosecuting or investigating a career liar and con man – Donald Trump. The truth is probably the most serious collateral damage in this whole sordid situation. Once the power elite lose all contact with the bedrock of factuality the entire nation is in major trouble. Arrogant bad liars taking the stand at senate hearings will come back and bite us all in the end.”
Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of The Stoic Golfer; Money Matters and America Matters: Pre-apocalyptic Posts & Essays in the Shadow of Trump.
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