Juan Cristóbal Tomic

A MAN WITHOUT FEELINGS, CONSCIENCE, OR MORALS Someone once asked: “Why do some British people dislike Donald Trump?” Nate White, an eloquent and witty English writer, gave a brilliant answer (excerpts attributed to The Times of London): “Trump lacks certain qualities that the British have traditionally valued. He has no class, no charm, no composure, no authority, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no modesty, no honor, and no dignity. Although Trump may look ridiculous, he has never said anything ironic, funny, or even remotely witty. Not once. And I mean that literally. To the British, a complete absence of humor is almost a form of inhumanity. But in Trump's case, it is a fact. He doesn't even understand what a joke is. To him, a joke is a crude attack, an illiterate insult, or an act of casual cruelty. Just look at his endless obsession with someone's backside. Trump resembles a troll. He never laughs sincerely; he merely squeals with delight or mockery. And what is even more frightening is that he doesn't just deliver crude and stupid insults — he actually believes this is perfectly normal. His mind is a primitive algorithm of petty prejudices and instinctive malice. There is no irony, complexity, nuance, or depth in him. Everything is superficial. We can see that he has no inner world, no soul. He is soulless. In Britain, we have traditionally sided with David rather than Goliath. Our heroes have always been courageous underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist. Trump is neither courageous nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite. He isn't even merely a spoiled rich boy or a greedy fat cat. He is more like a giant white slug, a privileged Jabba the Hutt. And worse still, he is a bully. Yet when surrounded by other bullies, he instantly transforms into a groveling servant. He always punches down — something a gentleman would never do. And he takes particular pleasure in attacking those who are most vulnerable, defenseless, and already lying on the ground. That is why the fact that a substantial minority of Americans — perhaps a third — look at him, listen to him, and think, ‘Yes, he's my kind of guy!’ is a source of enormous astonishment and alarm to the British. Because it is impossible to read even one of his tweets or listen to more than a few sentences without feeling the ground open beneath your feet. He has turned mediocrity into an art form. He is the Picasso of pettiness, the Shakespeare of shit. His flaws are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on to infinity. There have always been plenty of stupid people in the world, and no shortage of wicked ones. But for stupidity to be so wicked, and wickedness so stupid — that is something truly rare. Compared with him, Nixon looks trustworthy, and George W. Bush looks intelligent. If Frankenstein decided to create a monster made entirely of human flaws, he would create Trump. And then the horrified Dr. Frankenstein would scream in despair: ‘My God, what have I done?!’ And if idiocy were a television series, Trump would be its entire set.” Stephen King is an American writer who works across many genres, including horror, thrillers, science fiction, fantasy, supernatural fiction, drama, and detective fiction. He has earned the nickname “King of Horror.” King is a literary giant whose words carry authority around the world. Here is a statement attributed to him about Trump: “We can joke about Trump, but this is no joke. He and his accomplices, with the support of the Supreme Court, are turning America into a fascist, authoritarian state. Republicans must stop putting party interests above the interests of their country and recognize the danger.”