As I continue to come down from last weekend's David Foster Wallace conference, I stumbled onto this Salon piece, reflecting upon Wallace's prescient forewarning regarding the seductive dangers of reality-TV culture, (if 'culture' in this instance is the right term). Like James Incandenza's film, Infinite Jest - a film that entertains its viewers to death - we are rapidly spectating ourselves into a nihilistic conflagration. One might wish to find solace in the fact that Trump's approval rating declines on a nearly daily basis, and that he is now sitting at record low support for any president at this point in their administration. Is this not, we might wonder, evidence that America is growing weary of the Reality-TV President? Yet, we risk missing the forest for the trees if we fail to see that Trump is merely part of a much larger problem - one player in the spectacular carnival of souls that daily constitutes our leisurely milieu. However low his numbers may be, we (and I speak from a first-person perspective) continue to watch. We tune in to find out what's new with the Russia investigation, we wait with bated breath to see which official he will inappropriately fire next, we laugh snarkily at his latest tweets, we cheer on the folks at CNN as they assume the mantra of political satire. We are no less enamored of the spectacle than we were two years ago - spectating ourselves to apocalypse.
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41 Comments
6/22/2017 09:29:02 am
When the election started, I have been praying for God's intervention to move in our country, which is the United States of America. I know that the place I belong is very controversial as a nation because it tolerates same-sex marriage. I do not find this pleasing because I am a firm believer of the sanctity of marriage. This statement is for my personal thoughts. I just want to release my sentiment about it. That's why I pray that God will give wisdom and guidance to our President Donald Trump. 6/27/2017 10:17:31 pm
I agree with this comment. I also prayed during the elections that may God guide our nation. I think what happened is God's will. He has His own reasons for letting things happen. We just need to put our trust in God and do whatever we can as a person. Thanks for sharing your opinion though.
elissa
6/27/2017 10:15:42 pm
cutee 7/9/2017 09:49:59 pm
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I don’t like Trump I don’t think that he is the deserving person as America president. 12/31/2017 07:27:40 pm
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Excellent. 4/18/2018 07:55:09 pm
I can really relate to this article. We are experiencing almost exactly the same situation. Our current administration faces a lot of controversial issues. Those issues include “extra-judicial killings” in the Philippines that is now become a worldwide trend. Unfortunately, the government fails to solve this cases that are related to that issue. I agree with what you have said, we are also in the “risk of missing the forest for trees”. Maybe our leader is merely a part of the bigger problem. Thanks for this article, I really wanted to share this with other. 4/19/2018 09:48:01 am
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HOMEPAGEAuthorVernon W. Cisney is currently an associate professor of interdisciplinary studies and Jewish studies at Gettysburg College. Archives
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