Books

Two of the most important books I’ve read for understanding modern politics are “Orality and Literacy” by Walter Ong and “Amusing Ourselves to Death” by Neil Postman. I’ll save Ong for another day but I could not help think of Postman yesterday after seeing this image of Trump after his assassination attempt.

Postman wrote about the age of television and impact of images on public consciousness. As the world shifted from a literacy-first to visual-first norm, the public became more focused on images and visual charisma than the abstract technical details of governance.

Trump has spent a lifetime in show business. No one knows better the power of the image than him. Incredibly, in a moment of mortal danger he kept enough composure to make sure that he drew incredible image out of an attempt on his life.

Trump in a way is truly a Postman-esque genius. His political rise cannot be understood without understanding the rise of the image in modernity.

Writer, podcaster, and commentator on foreign affairs and politics. Runs /dropglobalnews

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Thank you for this framing. I have often struggled to understand Trump's rise and this is a very helpful framework for understanding his skillset.