After this post I’m not
going to say anything more about The Campaign before Election Day, because
there’s nothing left to say. I just want to go on the record as being both
horrified and amused by the political and media reaction to Donald Trump’s
celebrity-entitled pussy grab: his stated attitude and alleged actions. I do
have a few things to say about that.
First, I didn’t know pussy
was a dirty word; I thought it was slang. So imagine my surprise when the media
felt compelled to say “p-word” and spell it “p***y.” Are you kidding me? I
suppose I should be grateful they’re not using the moronic “va-jay-jay,” but
truthfully, it’s no comfort. I wish we as a culture would (a) grow the fuck up,
(b) call a spade a spade, and (c) stop being afraid of language and re-learn
how to use it well.
But what you call “it”
isn’t important. What’s important is that Trump, for all his exaggerations,
distortions, whopper-sized-lies, and overall 18-month-long rant of insults as
well as inappropriate and ignorant and evasive statements, was not incorrect about what men who are regarded as “stars” can get
away with sexually.
And, there are two
separate but equally disturbing/ revealing aspects to PussyGate. The first is:
as Donald Trump has repeatedly said of himself (and as the media has said about
him): he is not a politician, he is a businessman and a celebrity. Accordingly,
I’m less than shocked by his personal sexual history. And if he weren’t within
a dick’s-reach of the American Presidency, I wouldn’t care less.
I spent over 30 years in
the entertainment business. Most of the men in it, both behind the scenes and
in front of the camera, would never make the kind of coarse, charmless
overtures Trump described in the now-infamous Access Hollywood tape and revealed in his actual behavior – new
allegations about which are coming forth every minute. However, these men are
very aware that some women find rich, powerful, famous men extremely
attractive, and some men use that fact to their sexual advantage. For their
part, some conventionally-beautiful women, both in and out of the business, are
more than willing to be public arm-candy and private sex partners. That’s the
fact, Jack.
This is the world in which
Trump was formed and still lives and works. This is where he gained his sense
of self as well as his view of women. Trump is one of those Masters of the
Universe that Tom Wolfe wrote about in Bonfire
of the Vanities. In that world, you can kiss at will, with or without
tic-tacs, you can even grab a pussy. In some instances you’ll get what you
want, in others you won’t – but you don’t know until you try.
So while in perfect 21st
Century politically-correct mode, those outside this world cry Foul! and Sexual
Assault! the truth is that the casting couch and the tour bus can lead to the
red carpet, the limo, the private jet, the 5-star hotel, and the jewelry store.
Giving pussy can sometimes get you diamonds; easier than paying your own
American Express card. There are few victims here – just players of both sexes.
So spare me the shock and awe.
The
every-man-for-his-political-self politicians, as well as the mediocre
mainstream media, say “But this is coming from a man who wants to be President.” Yes. A Master of the Universe – a wealthy real estate
developer, reality TV show host, and beauty pageant producer who comes from a world
where you can grab pussy with impunity and who’s now trying to grab world
power. That’s who he is. You (Republicans, media) let the gorilla out of his
cage and called him a joke – and now he’s throwing his shit at everybody.
So what’s with the
disgusted surprise? This isn’t news. The Master of the Universe spoke
inappropriately about sex and women –
that filthy act: with blessed mothers and sisters, wives and daughters, decent
women who don’t even have pussies,
they have va-jay-jays. Trump being a dumb, hateful, racist xenophobe with no
policies, no plans, no class, no common decency, and no qualifications
whatever, wasn’t enough to rule him out of the running. No, it took sex to make them back away. Give me a
break.
Listen. I am not saying
that Trump’s language and behavior is okay simply because it’s commonplace. I
am not condoning sexual assault, or the disrespectful treatment of women. On
the contrary, in a world where millions of women are treated like chattel,
marketed like toys, viciously abused by sex traffickers, and have to constantly
fight for the most basic rights – to go to school, to make a living, to drive a
car, to choose their own life partners, to not be maimed or murdered in the
name of someone else’s twisted sense of honor – none of this is a joke. None of
this is harmless or unimportant. What I am
saying is that, once again, it took a sex scandal to (perhaps!) turn the tide.
We are a nation still steeped in our Puritan roots and it pisses me off.
In the final analysis,
what powerful men find offensive is
the concept, let alone the fact, of a powerful
woman. Donald Trump can’t grab Hillary Clinton’s pussy because she’s got
him by the balls. If you think Trump’s outrageousness is less objectionable
than Clinton’s email…well…what can I tell you? As I write this, I’m listening
to Donald Trump say “The Clintons are criminals.” Really? Okay, there’s your
choice. Going forward, no matter what else happens or is revealed on either
side is going to make the decisive difference. The diehard Trump and Clinton
supporters are in place. Now it’s a matter of what all the other people do.
Will those among the
incomprehensibly “undecided” manage to reach a decision? Will the Millennials,
a remarkable percentage of whom claimed in a recent poll to see “no tangible
difference between the two major candidates” (!?) and “just want change”
suddenly perceive the difference and vote like grown-ups, or will they release
their inner teenagers and vote for the erudite Gary Johnson? Or will they just
stay home in scale-tipping numbers? Similarly, will the Blacks and Hispanics
who pushed Obama over the top in 2008 and 2012 come out for the stiff white
lady in 2016, or will they stay home
in equally scale-tipping numbers? Lastly, will The Traditionally Republican
Suburban White Women, freed by the privacy of the voting booth, take a chance
on the old broad they don’t really like and vote for her instead of the King
of Stupidity and Sleaze (Inc.)?
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