h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I wonder if Trump is watching John McCain's memorial service? I just have to say: "Meghan McCain for President!"

Meghan McCain has a lot of spirit. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

And when there's a bad apple in a certain white house, the rest of the barrel is at risk.

Trump did NOT watch the memorial. He spent the day on one of his golf courses (for the 196th time in his presidency.)

He befouled the well, so let him drink from it.

Yes, I sort of assumed that those speeches would be beyond the power of his 10 second attention span to cope with.

And yet, his solipsism would reassure him that everything that happens anywhere is about him. .

Faux News had angry tirades that Obama & Dubya called decency during their eulogies.

I am very much afraid that the genie is out of the bottle.

When convention is broken, the breach keeps getting repeated and spreads.

1976 The Sex Pistols swear on TV and cause outrage (ok, they may not have been the first but it certainly caused widespread outrage). Now?

In the 1980's vehicles started to be used in attacks driving at a target - now commonplace.

Knife carrying on the streets of London (and provincial towns such as Reading, Hemel Hempstead, Gillingham and further from the capital) - once rare, now common. Gun attacks too.

The rise of pornography - once the domain of a few exclusive engravers / painters / photographers. I'm only a search engine and a click away from the strongest porn available.

None of these genies can be put back in the bottle and I'm afraid that Mr Trump won't be that last populist egotistical president / prime minister / whatever either in the USA or elsewhere in the world.

Next up? Probably Johnson who seems to be modeling himself more closely on Trump day by day.

PP.

PP
I think, in some sense, the genie is always out of the bottle. I'm old enough to remember Ken Tynan using the same word in 1963 and the same widespread outrage (probably from the same 'hoping to be outraged' people) at the time. @Commonplace' is a somewhat loaded term in reference to knife attacks and vehicle attacks however, I don't want to come across all Harold MacMillan and Jordan Peterson here. I think you're right to see the internet as a significant change; I watched MacMillan on the news saying "you've never had it so good," whereas the only reason I've heard of Peterson is through reading internet blogs.

@? Where do I think I am? Twitter?

I'm currently reading Peterson's "12 rules for life." Since he's a philosopher, I figure he's entitled to take positions that would get him labelled as conservative or otherwise out of it. He's thought-provoking. Years ago I found similar points in Sir John Templeton's "Discovering the laws of life." Open-mindedness, modesty, curiosity about the universe, honesty, respect for learning -- I hope these things have not become tarnished in the world's eyes.

I didn't "hear" about Peterson. I saw his book when I was browsing in Amazon's bookstore in Dedham, Mass.

I like his point about assuming that the person you are talking to might know some things you don't. Ideally, your education about the world would start on the day you are born, and continue until the day of your death. This makes life a long window of opportunity.

Interestingly, Peterson's book started out as 42 rules. And he doesn't always take his own advice...