UNDERSTANDINGG DONALD

This is about Donald Trump (and others), so, of course, it should begin with a quote from Shakespeare.  And it does, with “all the world is a stage.” I hold that it is in different ways.  One, as William put it, is that a man plays different “roles” (e.g. youth or husband) depending upon his age and circumstances.  These conditions usually establish a context within which others judge and draw conclusions. 

Basically, this means that we learn whom to believe, trust, etc, and whom not to believe.  Most of us know someone who has endless dreams, and even can describe detailed plans.  We also know if we should believe that he will attempt to follow through on his plans or not.  Similarly, in negations with a supplier the customer often knows that a “rock bottom price” is still not the lowest.  The coach who strongly assures his team of victory may yet expect to lose the game. 

In other words, a “completed statement,” is one that is properly understood. It may not actually indicate what it strictly conveys.  This is to say, as Shakespeare would put it, actors say lines which may have nothing to do with the real person who plays the roles.  No one calls them liars.  His enemies do not understand that Trump is, in his heart, a stand-up comic, with, occasionally, serious issues and powerful ideas.  It would be useful to understand which Trump is functioning at any time.

These days the word “liar” is used promiscuously. Allow me to comment on these charges against Trump.  He is frequently---endlessly!---attacked as one.  Yet, in fact, I offer that the charge is unfounded… at least some of the time.  First, apparently intentionally, Donald presents himself as playing the role of “one of the guys”---the type who occupy middle class bars.  Precision in language among this class is not valued, nor required.  Words are used primarily to identify positions and values, and not to expresses nuances.  This type, along with most Trump supporters, overlook factual errors.  They see them as trivial things, having as little significance as grammatical or spelling errors. 

Before I mentioned a completed statement with reference to the full meaning of a statement.  I hold that there is also a completed lie, that expresses the truth, namely a variation of the facts.  For example, “Mexico should pay,” when completed in the brain of the listener, actually is: “I would like it better if Mexico could be made to pay.”  The fact that a few words are left out does not mean that we can not supply them for ourselves.  Actors do this all the time, using tone and gestures to complete a line in the mind of the viewer. 

ALL presidents are subject to analysis after presentations of goals and positions.  However, Trump is held to a higher standard while offering a lower one.  To accept his crude expressions the elite would need to soil themselves. It is simpler to declare him a liar and sip some sherry.   

Thus, when properly understood, Trump is no more a liar than the rest of us… well, maybe a little bit more.