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Manny's Reviews > The Man in the High Castle
The Man in the High Castle
by
[Original review, Feb 22 2016]
DISCLAIMER: It would evidently be irresponsible to call Donald Trump a Nazi merely on the strength of A more plausible interpretation is that this is no more than the result of dispassionately calculating that the upside in terms of increasing his attractiveness to the ignorant racist demographic is larger than the downside in terms of decreasing his appeal to many people who already can't stand him. But I admit that I'm no expert on these matters, and I could be wrong.
_______________________
[Update, Mar 13 2016]
look at me im davy crockett says, in comment #80,
Well, I'm baffled. Mr. Crockett clearly doesn't like something I've said. Does he think
a) that the video clip in question has been faked by the liberal media to discredit Mr. Trump,
b) that the idea of shooting Muslims with bullets dipped in pig's blood will not please the ignorant racist demographic, or
c) that I am in fact an expert on the subject, and should not disingenuously claim the contrary?
Mr. Crockett, please clarify. I'm sure other people would like to know too.
_______________________
[Update, Aug 16 2017]
I wanted to wait until I had more information, a policy recently advocated by Mr. Trump himself. And I'd hate to offend Mr. Crockett further. But all the same, the evidence we've acquired over the last few days does seem to increase the probability that Mr. Trump is a Nazi. He sounds sincere when defending the white supremacist terrorist attack in Charlottesville, and one can't help feeling his behaviour means something.
That said, I freely admit I haven't got a statistically tight argument yet. It's just anecdotal.
_______________________
[Update, Nov 23 2023]
Oh my goodness! I'm appalled to read in today's Guardian that Donald Trump has been using openly authoritarian and dehumanizing language reminiscent of tropes taken from early 1930s Nazi speeches!
Well, all I can say is that I'm just as shocked as the journalist. Whoever could have seen that coming?
by
Manny's review
bookshelves: donalds-are-trumps, science-fiction, too-sexy-for-maiden-aunts, transcendent-experiences
Feb 22, 2016
bookshelves: donalds-are-trumps, science-fiction, too-sexy-for-maiden-aunts, transcendent-experiences
Read 5 times. Last read January 1, 1974.
[Original review, Feb 22 2016]
DISCLAIMER: It would evidently be irresponsible to call Donald Trump a Nazi merely on the strength of A more plausible interpretation is that this is no more than the result of dispassionately calculating that the upside in terms of increasing his attractiveness to the ignorant racist demographic is larger than the downside in terms of decreasing his appeal to many people who already can't stand him. But I admit that I'm no expert on these matters, and I could be wrong.
_______________________
[Update, Mar 13 2016]
look at me im davy crockett says, in comment #80,
there is no reason to attempt to reason with "Manny" he is a neurotic bigoted freak who is clearly so deeply insane or at least disturbed in how obsessive he is and should on matters of his repeated spam, violating ToS should be banned without having to consider him personally or his speechLooking at the original review, I am a little uncertain about just what it is that Mr. Crockett is so violently taking exception to. I posted a link to a video clip in which Donald Trump suggested that it would be a good idea to shoot Muslims using bullets dipped in pig's blood. I went on say that I DIDN'T think this made him a Nazi, just a politician who is trying to please the ignorant racist demographic. I concluded that, since I was no expert on the subject, I might be mistaken.
Well, I'm baffled. Mr. Crockett clearly doesn't like something I've said. Does he think
a) that the video clip in question has been faked by the liberal media to discredit Mr. Trump,
b) that the idea of shooting Muslims with bullets dipped in pig's blood will not please the ignorant racist demographic, or
c) that I am in fact an expert on the subject, and should not disingenuously claim the contrary?
Mr. Crockett, please clarify. I'm sure other people would like to know too.
_______________________
[Update, Aug 16 2017]
I wanted to wait until I had more information, a policy recently advocated by Mr. Trump himself. And I'd hate to offend Mr. Crockett further. But all the same, the evidence we've acquired over the last few days does seem to increase the probability that Mr. Trump is a Nazi. He sounds sincere when defending the white supremacist terrorist attack in Charlottesville, and one can't help feeling his behaviour means something.
That said, I freely admit I haven't got a statistically tight argument yet. It's just anecdotal.
_______________________
[Update, Nov 23 2023]
Oh my goodness! I'm appalled to read in today's Guardian that Donald Trump has been using openly authoritarian and dehumanizing language reminiscent of tropes taken from early 1930s Nazi speeches!
Well, all I can say is that I'm just as shocked as the journalist. Whoever could have seen that coming?
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
(Other Paperback Edition)
Finished Reading
(Other Paperback Edition)
Finished Reading
(Other Paperback Edition)
Started Reading
Started Reading
(Other Paperback Edition)
January 1, 1974
–
Finished Reading
January 1, 1974
–
Finished Reading
(Other Paperback Edition)
November 20, 2008
– Shelved
(Other Paperback Edition)
December 5, 2008
– Shelved as:
science-fiction
(Other Paperback Edition)
January 2, 2009
– Shelved as:
too-sexy-for-mai...
(Other Paperback Edition)
April 23, 2011
– Shelved as:
transcendent-exp...
(Other Paperback Edition)
February 22, 2016
– Shelved
February 22, 2016
– Shelved as:
donalds-are-trumps
February 22, 2016
– Shelved as:
science-fiction
February 22, 2016
– Shelved as:
too-sexy-for-maiden-aunts
February 22, 2016
– Shelved as:
transcendent-experiences
Comments Showing 1-50 of 534 (534 new)
message 1:
by
Christopher
(new)
-
rated it 3 stars
Feb 22, 2016 12:15PM
Is it possible that he's engaged in satire? I know, Poe's law and all, but good grief. I didn't think it was possible for him to suggest things more ludicrous than the Great Wall of Mexico idea and bringing back water boarding, etc.
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HFK, I couldn't agree more. The strategy makes sense. Trump is a businessman, he understands how to do his market research, and he knew ahead of time that this one would play well. I think it's a great mistake to call him an idiot: he's evidently very smart.
That's very true. Years ago I worked in an office with one of the smartest individuals I've ever met. He was a complete racist and bigot and never read a book in his life. Big mistake to confuse being smart with being articulate or literary or open-minded.
Christopher wrote: "Is it possible that he's engaged in satire? I know, Poe's law and all, but good grief. I didn't think it was possible for him to suggest things more ludicrous than the Great Wall of Mexico idea and..."It's not satire. This kind of approach works pretty well under the right conditions, and they've been set up here.
HFK wrote: "Populist never are idiots, they know exactly what people want to hear, and are willing to deliver.This same thing will happen in Europe, there is strong signs of it (in my country, too.... Just w..."
Well, the moderate politicians know by now what they're up against. Let's see if they're smart enough to come up with a counter-strategy.
Someone is giving a voice to the fears and frustrations that many Americans have which is well overdue. There is a revolution occurring and perhaps unfortunately he may be leading the mobs but it was inevitable. I would prefer someone else to lead the revolution (I would say Ron Paul helped awaken people) but the pickins are slim at the moment.
MomToKippy, not disagreeing about the fears and frustrations. That's what it's all about. But why would anyone believe a word Trump says? The guy changes his political opinions more often than Lindsay Lohan changes her boyfriends. He'll say whatever it takes to get elected, then he'll move on to the next item.
America, land of the opportunist.
HFK, know what you mean. Here in Geneva, we're a few kilometers from an area in France where the Front National won big in the last elections. People are nervous.
By the way, I hope it's clear that I meant no disrespect to Lindsay Lohan. I'm sure she passionately loves and cares for whoever she happens to be sleeping with this afternoon.
If the back-of-the-envelope calculation I just made is correct, approximately 3.7 of the people reading this are going to be ex-lovers of Lindsay Lohan. I'm really sorry if I stirred up painful memories.
Manny wrote: "If the back-of-the-envelope calculation I just made is correct, approximately 3.7 of the people reading this are going to be ex-lovers of Lindsay Lohan. I'm really sorry if I stirred up painful mem..."Meh. I was with you until you went Lindsay Lohan there. Part of the Trump problem is that so many of us took his candidacy as a joke for so long. It sure ain't funny no more.
Doug wrote: "Meh. I was with you until you went Lindsay Lohan there. Part of the Trump problem is that so many of us took his candidacy as a joke for so long. It sure ain't funny no more."I just felt we needed a little comic relief to throw the impending populist coup into sharper focus. You know, the porter in Macbeth and Slim Pickens waving his cowboy hat in Doctor Strangelove and that kind of shit.
Manny wrote: "MomToKippy, not disagreeing about the fears and frustrations. That's what it's all about. But why would anyone believe a word Trump says? The guy changes his political opinions more often than Lind..." Yes it is a truly strange phenomenon unfolding here. And I did not even give a second thought to that LL comment! ha! How insensitive of me!
Liberals in nice places often just don't get it. They probably never will because it hasn't been them that has been raped or suffered life long damage in muggings or whatever. And Trump is not a Nazi. He is a Populist. This is not the forum. Manny and others would never see the "eyes" in this. Or the minds.Working people, blue collar, service and humongous amounts of others are furious. And every time someone else disses America (as on this thread) as the "type". I'm sure it will be worse and worse. MomToKippy is right. There is a revolution going on of what used to be called the "silent". They are fed up. No one is giving them free phones, free food, free housing, free roofs, free educations. And they actually go to work for hours PHYSICALLY every single day. Neither party reflects their ire at this time.
I'm absolutely amazed at the Chicagoan Democratic since birth fireman and police officer that are triumphing Trump right now. If you lived their lives for more than a week, saw what they saw, you "might" begin to see why.
America needs someone for aspiration and inspiration. Not hand outs. Most of us that came here, we didn't come to stand in the "free stuff" line.
Would I vote for Trump? I doubt it. But I'm sure that I would never vote for the corruption of incompetent sycophants exactly like the places that my people left. And it is there presently. That's for sure.
Does Trump fit the definition of a populist? From my understanding a populist is a political party outsider who runs on an anti-establishment platform and appeals to a "will of the people". They promise that, once they get power, the "people's will" will be realized again through him/her.Trump fits a lot of that, but I'm not clear how anti-establishment he is. He pisses a lot of GOP leaders off, but he isn't outside of party lines for the most part (which shows how terrible most of the GOP is). And I'm also not clear if he's actually set on fulfilling the "will" of the common conservative voter. (Whatever that might be since it's impossible to find strong agreement on issues on average.) From his speeches, he doesn't seem as interested in what most voters think as he is interested in what he himself thinks.
Jeanette wrote: "Liberals in nice places often just don't get it. They probably never will because it hasn't been them that has been raped or suffered life long damage in muggings or whatever. And Trump is not a Na..."Oh, I get it alright. I can see why people are disappointed and angry. Not as disappointed and angry as they were in Germany 90 years ago, but enough that they're willing to look seriously at alternatives they normally wouldn't consider for a second.
I understand the question. But I don't understand why Trump is the answer.
what the actual fucking fuck
Warwick wrote: "what the actual fucking fuck"Well, that was my initial reaction to the "pig's blood bullets" speech too. But then I wondered if I couldn't rephrase it.
Yeah I just needed to get that down before I processed it into something more articulate.. I'm still a bit lost for words actually..
#24 - the most reasonable comment yet (though all the reviewer's are likewise agreeable)
Well, I think it's the businessman in Trump coming to the fore. He is linking domestic industry (pig farming) to military industry (bullet manufacturing). It will give a boost to both farmers and engineers.
Rand wrote: "An author/professor local to my geographical location—which just so happens to be one of the places where Trump had a "well attended" rally last year� visited a Trump campaign office a short while ..."Hey, that was a very good piece (though also pretty scary). Thank you.
Warwick wrote: "what the actual fucking fuck" Why Warwick - you sound like a populist! (-:
Glad you enjoyed the article, Manny.And thank you for using this space as a forum. PKD would smile to see folks trying to shame you for applying his story to the current global political climate.
Rand wrote: "PKD would smile to see folks trying to shame you for applying his story to the current global political climate."Nice point :)
(view spoiler)
This election this year is a very interesting phenomenon that I am actually enjoying watching. I don't think you can generalize that much about his supporters. Americans are giving the middle finger to the government and "bought and paid for" politicians by supporting Trump. And I don't blame them one bit.
It's certainly interesting and dramatic, but at the same time pretty frightening. Trump doesn't appear completely sane, and most of his policies don't actually make any sense, but people are flocking to vote for him.
Manny wrote: "It's certainly interesting and dramatic, but at the same time pretty frightening..."Exactly. It ceased to be amusing when it started to seem possible that he could become the most powerful man on the planet (and only those in the US get a say in the matter).
It must be some form of mass hysteria.A frightening thought: how many people would have ridiculed Hitler before he became chancellor? Quite a few, I think...
Nandakishore wrote: "A frightening thought: how many people would have ridiculed Hitler before he became chancellor? Quite a few, I think..."Indeed, quite a few. I understand there were a lot of Mein Kampf jokes.
But see, people are angry with Washington. An irresponsible, rich, not completely sane buffoon started an unnecessary and very expensive war, impoverishing the country, and now the only solution is to elect someone who's more irresponsible, richer and even less sane. "I eat and eat and still I don't lose weight!"
Yes, see what we got when we supposedly elected someone "fit" for the job? Other past presidents may have projected an image that is more sane but I think it is a facade. Trump has actually said numerous times that US foreign policy is responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths and he is right on that and other things. What a heretical thing to say as a republican! It appears that there is no stopping him at this point and it is hilarious to watch the lying media and establishment squirm. They deserve this and much much more (think of those who have died for these fake wars) for how they have lied to and misled the American people.
Yes, fair's fair: I do like the way Trump said straight out that Dubya lied to the country in order to get an excuse to start the Iraq war, which ended up killing hundreds of thousands of people and wasting trillions of taxpayer dollars. Not to mention further destabilizing the whole of the Middle East, but I think he's been a bit more reticent about that part.So fine, he does say a few sensible things. But they're mixed up with stuff that's completely crazy. There won't be any great wall along the US-Mexico border, and if by some miracle there is then Mexico certainly won't pay for it. It's just bullshit. Similarly, there's no way that 12 million illegal immigrants will be deported. And he talks about kicking Isis's butt, but how's it actually supposed to work? He reduces serious foreign policy issues to the level of Facebook comments.
Trump teaches that you begin negotiations demanding much more than you want so that the compromise is closer to the original plan, his proposals seem constant to his line of negotiating.
also clearly this post just highlights your demagoguery and complete ignorance of the actual issues and proposed ideas.
look at me im davy crockett wrote: "Trump teaches that you begin negotiations demanding much more than you want so that the compromise is closer to the original plan, his proposals seem constant to his line of negotiating."So when he says he's going to kick Isis's butts, he actually means that he'll settle for just expressing dismay about their latest atrocity and scheduling a few token bombing missions? Sorry, I still don't speak Trump...
For those interested in following the US elections, Nate Silver's site FiveThirtyEight is probably the best. In 2012 Silver projected (using statistical methods better than any other pollster) that Obama would defeat Romney easily, while Republican pundits found themselves universally shocked at what emerged on election day.
The Klan has endorsed Trump, BTW.
Nandakishore wrote: "The Klan has endorsed Trump, BTW."What a disgraceful slur on Mr Trump! I looked up , and here's what David Duke, former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, really had to say:
Voting for these people, voting against Donald Trump at this point, is really treason to your heritage. I’m not saying I endorse everything about Trump. In fact, I haven’t formally endorsed him. But I do support his candidacy, and I support voting for him as a strategic action. I hope he does everything we hope he will do.Hang your head in shame Nandakishore! All we have here is someone who used to lead the Klan informally telling other Klansmen that he thinks they'll approve of what Trump's doing and that they should help him. That's not "Klan endorses Trump". Shoddy reporting!
And I am telling you that it is your job now to get active. Get off your duff. Get off your rear end that’s getting fatter and fatter for many of you everyday on your chairs. When this show’s over, go out, call the Republican Party, but call Donald Trump’s headquarters, volunteer. They’re screaming for volunteers. Go in there, you’re gonna meet people who are going to have the same kind of mind-set that you have.
Hey, I'm a leftist liberal. As Ann Coulter says, lying is second nature to us.And we don't have shame. ;)
There won't be any great wall along the US-Mexico border, and if by some miracle there is then Mexico certainly won't pay for it.Feh, that's yesterday's news. The latest is he'll build a giant net to combat the Zika virus, and get the mosquitos to pay for it.
Your political opinions have nothing to do with this book. I am personally indifferent to Trump and American politics as a whole, but I gotta flag this as it is completely irrelevant. Please keep that trash out of pages dedicated to my favorite author, kthx.
Sid wrote: "Your political opinions have nothing to do with this book. I am personally indifferent to Trump and American politics as a whole, but I gotta flag this as it is completely irrelevant. Please keep t..."Flag away, Sid! I take it as a compliment.
Warwick wrote: "what the actual fucking fuck"Yeah, that. Me too.
This is perhaps not the right review for me to write this, but your shelf names are bomb.
