Saturday, January 21, 2017

Trump's Inauguration Speech

So, if you haven't, watch Trump's inauguration speech. Don't watch excerpts, which can introduce bias; go to the source and watch the whole thing.

I can see how people could see it as inspiring or uplifting, or other positive things.

I thought it was pretty worrying if seen through the lens of examples of fervent, populist movements concentrating power at the top. His references to hearing the people's voices and that people wouldn't be unheard anymore was particularly scary, as he didn't show how he'd actually be listening to individual real people, and deliberating rationally based on those inputs.

Instead, it sounds like he'll be doing what is needed to maintain that fervour and to increase his power, i.e. he'll be the figurehead of a mob. That's a power structure that is easy to exceed the limits of American constitutionalism. And without that, there's the risk of some very dark times.

But like I said, watch it for yourself. I could be wrong. I hope I'm wrong.