Points For Effort.
“Participation trophies.”
This is another of those prevailing harrumphs from your tertiary-level social media connection, the one who voted Trump even though they know in their heart that they are not hateful themselves and can’t fathom why people would be out in the streets protesting with such passion and volume instead of taking a moment to reflect calmly on their loss and then retiring to their corners to lick their wounds like gracious losers.
“These people are rioting because they lack coping skills. It’s what happens because they grew up getting participation trophies. In my day you only got awards for merit.”
YOU JUST VOTED TO INSTALL INTO THE HIGHEST SINGLE SEAT OF NATIONAL POWER SOMEBODY WHO HAD ZERO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE IN PUBLIC OFFICE AND WHOSE HISTORY AS A BUSINESSMAN IS LITTERED WITH FAILURE AFTER FAILURE WITH HIS NAME LITERALLY WRITTEN UPON THEM AND WHO IN FACT IS ABOUT TO GO ON TRIAL FACING FRAUD CHARGES.
Donald Trump could have run for mayor of New York City, or governor or senator for New York, or Congressman for his resident district. He could have lobbied for appointment as a commerce or economics advisor in the administration of any such office prior to seeking that of the presidency. If he had done that this year and won such office, it would be disappointing but not alarming. But he chose to do none of these things in his life before now. Instead, he decided he wanted the top job because he believed it was something he was owed immediately, on the basis of nothing but his amassed wealth.
Our president-elect has been granted his forthcoming tenure in no small part because he was fortunate enough to be born white, male, heterosexual, and the scion of an affluent family; a man whose father refused to let his son learn anything from his first failures except that there would be a soft landing and more money where the first batch came from.
We have elected to turn the Oval Office itself into a participation trophy. Don’t even start with me about what the protests indicate about those doing the protesting.
Creative Control 