I think the problem isn't that there's a double standard for Trump. I think the problem is that Hillary's supporters keep trying to apply the same standard to both candidates. Because they think Hillary will look better by comparison than she looks on her own terms.
But the two candidates are on completely different terms. Trump is pro wrestling. Hillary is a fixed prizefight.
When Bruce Seldon was accused of taking a dive in his 1996 championship fight against Mike Tyson, he could hardly have defended his reputation by pointing out that Yokozuna was paid to lose to Shawn Michaels in the WWE Royal Rumble earlier that year. It's an absurd tu quoque!
WWE has all the trappings of legitimate competition. But that's all they are: trappings. Everybody knows it's scripted entertainment. The whole thing is fake, but it isn't a lie.
I say it's a similar situation with the candidates. Trump isn't really running on the idea of being more competent than Hillary, or more transparent than Hillary, or more honest than Hillary. Sure, he's paying lip service to those things, but what he's really running on is Being Donald Trump. And everybody knows what that is. Just like everybody knows that pro wrestling is fake. And just like a lot of people like pro wrestling anyway, for other reasons.
Hillary, on the other hand, is absolutely running on the idea that she's competent, and transparent, and honest, and so forth. So questions about her competence, etc., are relevant to her in a way they're not relevant to Trump. Because she's actually serious when she claims to be honest. Because she actually wants us to accept that claim at face value. And because she wants us to accept that claim, evidence against her honesty matters. Trump doesn't care. So the evidence isn't that important.
Hillary is running for the position of Serious Statesman. Trump isn't. Maybe he should be, but he isn't. Pointing out that he isn't won't help Hillary much, because the people who support Trump don't really want or need a Serious Statesman. And pointing out that he's not serious won't really deflect the criticisms that Hillary isn't qualified for the position of Serious Statesman.
And of course, going up to the fans who like to experience pro wrestling as if it were real, and trying to browbeat them into admitting it's fake, just makes you look like a douchebag. Especially when you keep pretending that your supposedly honest prizefight wasn't fixed.
But the two candidates are on completely different terms. Trump is pro wrestling. Hillary is a fixed prizefight.
When Bruce Seldon was accused of taking a dive in his 1996 championship fight against Mike Tyson, he could hardly have defended his reputation by pointing out that Yokozuna was paid to lose to Shawn Michaels in the WWE Royal Rumble earlier that year. It's an absurd tu quoque!
WWE has all the trappings of legitimate competition. But that's all they are: trappings. Everybody knows it's scripted entertainment. The whole thing is fake, but it isn't a lie.
I say it's a similar situation with the candidates. Trump isn't really running on the idea of being more competent than Hillary, or more transparent than Hillary, or more honest than Hillary. Sure, he's paying lip service to those things, but what he's really running on is Being Donald Trump. And everybody knows what that is. Just like everybody knows that pro wrestling is fake. And just like a lot of people like pro wrestling anyway, for other reasons.
Hillary, on the other hand, is absolutely running on the idea that she's competent, and transparent, and honest, and so forth. So questions about her competence, etc., are relevant to her in a way they're not relevant to Trump. Because she's actually serious when she claims to be honest. Because she actually wants us to accept that claim at face value. And because she wants us to accept that claim, evidence against her honesty matters. Trump doesn't care. So the evidence isn't that important.
Hillary is running for the position of Serious Statesman. Trump isn't. Maybe he should be, but he isn't. Pointing out that he isn't won't help Hillary much, because the people who support Trump don't really want or need a Serious Statesman. And pointing out that he's not serious won't really deflect the criticisms that Hillary isn't qualified for the position of Serious Statesman.
And of course, going up to the fans who like to experience pro wrestling as if it were real, and trying to browbeat them into admitting it's fake, just makes you look like a douchebag. Especially when you keep pretending that your supposedly honest prizefight wasn't fixed.
via International Skeptics Forum http://ift.tt/2drlPHz
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