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It is a great but unhappy privilege to be alive today, to see firsthand how humanity has failed to govern itself. Donald Trump and his chief advisers in the leadership of the global superpower personify this failure, as they found themselves in power not through violence or other primitive means, but through the process of democracy, the political system which is justly considered the best that humanity has devised. Thanks to technology and social media \u2013 and the unbridled narcissism of the protagonists \u2013 we all have front row seats to global developments. We see, in real time and at great depth, who determines the fate of the world. The conclusion is inescapable \u2013 it will take a miracle for our civilization to survive the next three years. There is one consolation, though: We may die, but we will die laughing.<\/p>\n
In humanity\u2019s long march, there will have been leadership groups more incompetent and more dangerous to those around them. However, before our time, the mental processes of each of us were not known to all, as is the case today with Trump\u2019s posts on social media, along with those of his advisers. Also, in the past, no leader wielded anything close to the deadly power that Trump has at his fingertips. Who he is and what he does are not only of historic interest, they can determine the future of the planet in a matter of minutes. In the past, when people faced hostile leaderships, misery and danger, they resorted to black humor as a form of resistance, as a survival mechanism. In the Soviet era, for example, citizens used humor to subvert the fake image of prosperity and wise leadership that the regime imposed on them. In our days, leaders can undermine themselves. Responding to a question early this year on whether there were any limits on his global power, Trump told the New York Times: \u201cYeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It\u2019s the only thing that can stop me.\u201d That mind is occupied to an inordinate extent with actions that are as dangerous as they are reckless, with delusions of grandeur and displays of monumental pettiness. In the last few days alone, we saw how his self-adulation has progressed from his musing that he could be elected pope, to posting an image of himself as Christ, while laying into Pope Leo for having the temerity to speak against the war that the American president unleashed in the Middle East. In addition, Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic, advised the pope to watch his words, to stay in his lane. Minister of War Pete Hegseth (of nationalist Evangelical persuasion), recited a \u201cprayer,\u201d echoing a fake biblical passage from Quentin Tarantino\u2019s \u201cPulp Fiction.\u201d We don\u2019t need huddled citizens in queues for cabbages to whisper jokes ridiculing the regime. \u201cTrump and Friends\u201d work toward this on their own, loudly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In this climate, Trump\u2019s threats to wipe out Iran\u2019s civilization, his disregard for the consequences of his actions, his glee at the death of political rivals, his posting a video depicting the Obamas as apes, do not shock, they simply confirm that the ridiculous reigns supreme. Knowing that our fate is in these peoples\u2019 hands, our last line of defense is laughter. And the hope that this time, too, shall pass.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n