Sunday, May 31, 2020

Foundation and Empire

"There's probably no one so easily bribed, but he lacks even the fundamental honesty of honorable corruption. He doesn't stay bribed; not for any sum."

Foundation and Empire, Isaac Asimov


Ever since I started re-reading Asimov's original Foundation Trilogy two and a half-months ago, I've been struck by the times that it has evoked the deranged spirit of the Trump administration. I guess it only goes to show that as bad as our current situation seems to be, it's really nothing new. Bad presidents are not that much different from bad kings or bad tyrants of other genera. And there's no abuse of power that's new under the sun.

So I've written about it here (-ish) before and Tweeted about it...though I usually take my Tweets down after awhile, in large part because of my tepid-like / distinct hate relationship with Twitter. But this line struck me as even more significant. Not because it's shocking in any way to suggest that Trump is corrupt. I mean, seriously...doesn't that go without saying? If polls mean anything, then they show that even Trump's supporters think that he is corrupt.

The thing is...well, two things spring to mind, actually.
Thing One: The fact that he is corrupt makes no difference to the people who support him. It reminds me of WWE wrestlers who play the part of villains. They cheat in way over-the-top fashion...taking out weapons, interfering in the matches of others, etc. But the crowd cheers wildly for them, and there is usually at least one announcer who comments on the action in laudatory fashion. 
Thing Two: There really is such a thing as honor among thieves. Although it's a bit trite and more than a bit less than completely true, still there's something to Dylan's quip, "to live outside the law, you must be honest." Drug dealers who fail to follow through on the agreed terms of a deal are not going to live very long. Etcetera. And isn't it painful to think than a drug dealer might have more honor than your average drug dealer? Maybe not. Maybe it's just my naiveté showing.

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