Two Truths and a Lie
It's More Than Just a Campfire Game
I read yesterday of a researcher (Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think, by George Lakoff, 1996) who said there are two basic styles of parenting that shape political perspective: “Strict” and “Nurturant” (this is far from exhaustive, as parenting frameworks have been the project of psychologists and sociologists in every age). Broadly, though, the “strict father model” parents see the world as a fearful and dangerous place. They raise their children with rules-based hardness and discipline. This, they believe, will insulate their kids from life’s dangers - children will learn the narrow path to a safer life. Nurturant parents see the world as a community, where humans need to work together for good. These parents nurture their kids with empathy and understanding so they can apply the same priorities to everyone they encounter in this world and coexist in broader, more global and enlightened relationships.
Fine. Let’s go with this dichotomy. These are not new categories. I am borrowing here from Robert Reich, former US Secretary of Labor under President Clinton. He has said Donald Trump defies either and presides over the US as an abusive parent, a narcissistic parent, instead. Everything about his presidential actions, as well as his daily behavior, is abusive. He abuses his power of the presidency. And he abuses everyone in his path.
Amen. When will we stop viewing life with Donald Trump in it as anything in the realm of normal, reasonable, and predictable? Yet, the for-massive-profit media and news industry, among many other massive for-profit industries, continues to prop Trump up as normal so that we would just go about our days as business-as-usual and ignore him, just like we always have.
But…Trump is as predictable as daily lotto numbers. He is as normal as Fyre Fest. And, he is as abusive as the werewolves of London (“He’ll rip your lungs out, Jim”). It is time to be in-your-face honest about this, otherwise we may lose our country in the next weeks to the human trumpster fyre himself, Dirty Uncle Donnie. He is a walking, talking abuser. In fact, ever since the infamous elevator ride ten years ago, we’ve been living in an abusive relationship we never asked for and can’t seem to get out of. We can’t gamble our days any longer - much less our country and democracy - on this memory unit mob boss having his way with us while we sit back feeling helpless and voiceless. This is exactly what abusers want and demand.
Sitting around the campfire, did you ever play the game, “Two Truths and a Lie?” You write down three anonymous things about yourself. When your answers are read, people try to guess who you are. In the end, once someone, perhaps, has guessed you correctly, you admit which were the truths and which was the lie. It’s a great party game.
Let’s do this for Dirty Uncle Donnie. Here are two truths and a lie. Figure out which is the lie:
He embodies EVERY ONE OF the Seven Deadly Sins of the Bible: Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, Pride
Paula White, Dirty Uncle Donnie’s “spiritual advisor,” is a celebrated American faith leader recognized by pastors and theologians across the spiritual spectrum
Trump does not seem to have the skillset at all of God’s “fruits of the Holy Spirit” - Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control
Alright, you’re on to it already. You all guessed #2 Paula White as the lie. Ding, ding, ding! Winner, winner, chicken dinner! In fact, here is a quick snapshot of Paula Jones: three marriages, history of financial malfeasance, only has a high school education, does not have any college or theological school degrees, is a self-proclaimed pastor, and has been tapped by Dirty Uncle Donnie as our President’s (and nation’s) top spiritual advisor.
Why are we talking about this? Because Dirty Uncle Donnie surrounds himself with sycophants, little cult members, so he can continue to be Dirty Uncle Donnie the Abuser to all of us…every single day…and do it, blasphemously, in the name of God.
I am a Lutheran pastor. For the last 22 years, I have stood in the pulpit and talked with congregations about our basic human identity: that we all are sinners in need of forgiveness and salvation from God…every single day. Now, we have a president who claims to be a super-Christian, who lies through his teeth as a breathes, and who exhibits EVERY deadly sin and absolutely NONE of the fruits of the Spirit, while he places at the head of his spiritual guidance department a woman who is no national spiritual leader in ANY sense of the word. In fact, she is a pure fraud. Just like Dirty Uncle Donnie.
If you are a person of faith - or, if you are not, but are a human being who yearns for America to be a place of nurture, empathy, global community and leadership, and a more normal life led by more normal people - you and I have a powerful tool we should be using daily in our writing and speaking to demand Trump’s reform or his removal. The tool is: HONESTY.
HONESTY in pointing out Trump’s dramatic failures via the seven deadly sins
HONESTY in naming the profound vacuousness of anything resembling the fruits of the Spirit in Him
HONESTY in pointing to his hypocrisy EVERY time he displays it
HONESTY in detailing his abusiveness, especially related to immigrants, women, LGBTQ+, Black/Brown/LatinX, farmers, military personnel, the media, the poor, etc.
HONESTY in demanding he be held accountable to every dishonest thing he says and does
This list could go on and on, of course. But, our hope must be that this existential moment will help people of good will transcend partisan labels. We must each do our part to reframe the emergency nature of what we are dealing with and invite our other-side-of-the-aisle friends into this and other shared understandings of this dangerous threat. The time is now! Open your mouths and pens with brilliant HONESTY as you set aside the noise and demand an America once again that is “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”
More later. For now, be brave. It is in you!
Andy
I’m trying to be brave!