There’s this exercise that some Americans–aghast at Donald Trump’s norms and traditions shattering and, ultimately felonious, rampage across our political landscape– engaged in during his first sojourn as our Commander-in-Chief. They wondered how their fellow citizens would have reacted if Barack Obama did the same things.
This is not a holier than thou jeremiad. I was one of those people.
Never mind that Trump is a lifelong criminal and that Obama, our cautious, preternaturally dignified former president, would never countenance, much less engage in, such behaviors.
But readers, with your indulgence, I want to resurrect the exercise and extend it to another figure on our political landscape: Elon Musk.
Musk is a white South Africa-born modern day robber baron who lied, stole and wrestled his way to being the world’s wealthiest man through sheer thuggery. But, imagine, if you will, that he was instead a black – stanch that – a Zulu who acquired his prominence the same way Musk did by claiming credit for things created by others, muscling them out of their companies and then reaping untold billions beyond anyone’s wildest imagination.
Some of you may be uncomfortable with invoking race and/or caste, so, let’s say instead of a Zulu from Africa, he’s Russian, Chinese (you’ll see why I picked those particular nations in a minute) or Saudi.
The situation surrounding George Santos—whose identity, even at this late date, we’re still not sure of, what his purpose is, and who exactly is behind installing him in our government—sets me thinking.
