BREAD AND CIRCUSES

Emperor Trump

Don Quixote Trump and Sancho Vance save the world

Wikimedia Commons by DonkeyHotey

I’m not a political scientist nor do I play one on TV but I’ve watched enough historical and political shows to recognize when an empire is in decline. Recently, those signs have been frequently showing up in the United States.

Not long ago, the U.S. was at its zenith, an empire of influence throughout the globe. It was by far the biggest economy and had the strongest military.

Seventy-five years ago, America ruled the world and eventually defeated its biggest foe, the Soviet Union, barely firing a shot in the process. But before long, it began to unravel, engaging in foreign wars with an undeserved sense of hubris.

The Vietnam War saw the U.S. lose to a tiny East Asian country, notwithstanding its overwhelming military and economic strength. Claiming to have learned its lesson, the country instead invaded Iraq, only to find its predicted easy victory illusory.

Now, despite Donald Trump’s promise not to engage in foreign wars, America finds itself fighting a losing battle against Iran. Costing the country more than a trillion dollars, the war has so far failed to meet any of its stated objectives.

In the meantime, America’s military weapons stockpile has been decimated, and its standing as a trusted ally and policeman of the world has suffered greatly. Growing powers like China no longer fear the U.S. and instead threaten its supremacy.

Instead of stepping back and shoring up its economic and military strength, the U.S. is doubling down and pretending that it remains an invincible world power. And its president spends much of his time seeking self-glorification.

We now see the American emperor building monuments to himself, such as the new White House ballroom, the proposed giant arch, the renovated Reflecting Pool, the renamed Kennedy Center, his face on American currency, and his desire to have his orange visage added to Mount Rushmore.

Once a powerful nation starts engaging in the provision of “bread and circuses” for its people, it’s on a downward slide. Like the transition from the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire, the Trump Administration is foregoing republican democracy and is instead engaged in handouts and mindless entertainment.

You need look no further than the grand spectacle on Emperor Trump’s birthday on the White House lawn. The 60-million-dollar card of bloody UFC fights is the modern-day equivalent of the Roman gladiators of old.

As the U.S. Empire slides further into decline, Trump is more and more engaged in personal trivial annoyances. Rather than fix the country’s ills, Don Quixote Trump, the knight-errant, and his squire, Sancho Vance, tilt at windmills and low-flow toilets