I just finished reading the book, Myth America: historians take on the biggest legends and lies about our past. It’s a collection essays on everything from American Exceptionalism to police violence to racism in America. My big takeaway from reading this book is that nothing is currently happening in our country regarding politics, media or spin is new.
There are numerous examples presented throughout the country’s 250 year history that demonstrate that Trump’s antics, positioning, politics and populism simply repeat what has been done many times before.
It was interesting to read about “the immigration problem” with the Italians and Irish, the Mexicans and the Chinese from more than 100 years ago and see the similarities to today’s “build the wall” and “immigration crisis” rhetoric.
Scare tactics, fear mongering, race baiting, and “us against them” positioning are not new.
And as much as I think he’s a self-centered buffoon and asshole, Trump is not unique. He’s not Hitler either. He’s just one of many in a long line of politicians and con men manipulating the system to maximize his own self-interest.
The book doesn’t focus on Trump specifically. I’d say it is more focused on showing how current US “conventional wisdom/myths” about capitalism, classism, market manipulation, the New Deal, socialism and gun control are all deeply rooted in our society.
The more history I read, the more I believe that people are people. We are quite predictable in how we will act, react and think our present circumstances are “unprecedented”. (Note: they never are.)
I’d recommend this book to anyone who is open to having their worldview questioned.