Father's Day in the Time of Trump

By Akhilleus

On this, the eve of Father's Day, a day set aside to acknowledge the role played by that member of the family, a role traditionally described as that of a guardian, a teacher, a mentor, a partner, a protector, it is instructive to consider the evil inversion and sick perversion of that role by a thug who demands that he be kowtowed to as the Father of All, the dictator patriarch to whom fealty, money, power, and the abasement of us all is required. He, of course, as is typical with Trump, is not required to provide a thing. There is no reciprocation. He is a taker and the conditions of the inhabitance of this role does not in any way modify that one-sided relationship.

The evil of this person (I will not promote him, ever, to the status of "man" for he is not a man. At least not one that I recognize; certainly not the type of man my father was, that I aspire to, and that I hope one day will describe my son) has become incarnate at so rapid a rate that it's hard to keep track of all the ways that evil has been inhaled by America since his illegitimate election and gaudy (if poorly attended) coronation.

The fact that he and his evil horde have torn families asunder, for the fun of it, makes an epic joke of how a father should act. We often call George Washington the father of our country, but not just because so much of our heritage stems from his actions in war and stewardship in peace. Washington, who, ironically, had no children of his own, offered a model for the generous, wise, humanitarian father, a role not determined by what was in it for himself, but what was best for the rest of America.

But Trump has become the evil anti-father, the philanderer, the cheater, the greedy, selfish, narcissistic, punishing, pain-instilling, chaos sowing, soul-killing patriarch. His treatment of immigrant children is exhibit one in his trial as a thoroughly evil person. The tearing apart of families is done purely to inflict as much pain as possible, and to gather up the dead rosebuds thrown by the white supremacists he courts. And anyone who tries to describe what's going on under his command in cautiously anodyne DC-speak journalese deserves perdition.

He is not just pandering to the white supremacist hordes who demand punishment for blacks and browns and see their children as little more than chattel. He likes it. He enjoys the pain of others. He and Sessions are operating off the old slave master's handbook, and using the Bible as cover for their crimes. Break up the family, crush the mother, the father, and the little children, shatter their souls and smash their wills. Make them subservient, and now and then, whip them. Just for the pure sadistic fun of it.

And as we see with so many of Trump's voters, the evil he so deliciously indulges in shouts to the devils of their worser nature. His racism, hatred, and thirst for violence encourage the worst, most damaging, inhuman instincts in his supporters. Just look at how ICE agents, freed from ethical, moral, or legal constraints, have taken to life under their new anti-father. Perhaps not all, but those whose inherent hatreds were previously kept under wraps are unleashing the dogs of racism and letting them howl.

The evil of Trump is so rampant and so overwhelming I can barely believe this is America. But this America has always been with us. We've just never had a president* who celebrated it with such relish.

And to make it worse, he is simply too much of a coward to acknowledge his own evil. He blames Democrats. He throws his hands up. "Oh geez, I wish I didn't have to tear these babies away from their mothers' breasts, but Obama is making me do it."

Not just evil, but cowardly and evil. A craven, vicious, blackhearted liar.

So, happy father's day to all the real men who take care of children and their families, who put themselves on the line every day, sometimes at great cost to themselves, who stand between their families and a hard, hard world (thanks, Dad, you were the best!).

For Trump and his evil, greedy, lying brood and his equally malicious supporters--for they are all accursed--go straight to hell.

Comments

[PD Pepe]

Bravo! Beautiful and scathing and oh, how I heap good wishes for all the men who are the kind of fathers you describe that do the real job of that fathering. I feel as lucky as you to have had a Dad that fits that bill and a husband that is not only a great father but a stellar human being.

What a damn shame that person–-since you won't use the word "man"––that is supposed to convey that "Father of our country" as our president falls so short of that title––fails exponentially as just a rational, decent human being.

[Mushiba]

Akhilleus, thank you! My father was a gentleman's gentleman and a strong role model in the community in which I grew from a child to an adult. Even though he passed away 22 years ago, he continues to be an imprint for me as I see #45 trying to destroy everything that is of value to humans of good conscience. Your posts are always worth reading, especially with a nice cup of tea. Thank you, again, for writing this beautiful Father's Day tribute.

[carlyle]

Great Britain first used concentration camps to hold the wives and children of the guerilla soldiers during war in Africa, They were a National shame for the neglect and abuses of the women and children.
America first used concentration camps to imprison all Japanese, no matter their citizenship, in dreadful prisons during WW 2. This has been a continuing shame for our country.
The Trump concentration camps of kidnapped children will be a feature in some future study by historians of the decline of America and how a country could lose it's heart.

[Victoria]

I thought the first concentration camps were constructed by the confederates for the captured union soldiers. So in a way, Jeffbo is sticking to his heritage in more than one way.