Devil’s Advocate: Serving you a cocktail of wit, humour and sarcasm
The outcome of the 2024 USA Presidential election has taken the world by shock, with Donald Trump poised to return to the White House as the 47th President. How did a figure who is facing criminal charges and numerous court battles, convicted, impeached, and even underwent a near-fatal assassination attempt, ascend once again to the most powerful position in the world?
Critics, including Democrats, labelled him a threat to democracy and likened him to Hitler. The question now looms; will his leadership destroy the world even before climate change will?
The most perplexing question for me has always been, “Which came first? Chicken or the egg” but now I need to grapple with this Trump phenomenon. So, it was time to bring together my two sounding boards: Xena, the die-hard feminist and Appu the unbiased deep thinker, who looks at a situation from different perspectives, to analyse this anomaly.
Xena dove straight into the debate. “This is just patriarchy standing in the way of women,” she declared. “Kamala Harris had both the qualifications to become President—one, she’s a woman and two, she is a woman of colour, and in her case, both black and brown. I used to think India was the most patriarchal country in the world, but it turns out the USA holds that title. India currently has a woman president of colour and had a woman prime minister for many years! The USA and Donald Trump continue to reflect systemic racism, sexism, and misogyny, preventing a woman from becoming President. Just think back to what happened with Hillary Clinton.”
Appu interrupted, “Xena, you’re mistaken. The “racist” USA elected a Black man as President for two terms, and it was Joe Biden, a man, who was determined to have a Black woman as Vice President. He personally selected Kamala Harris for the role and even stepped aside and parachuted her into the presidential race, bypassing all other contenders, including men. Even after her defeat to Donald Trump, some Democrats are pushing for Biden to resign and make Kamala the President, just so the country could have a Black woman President, even if only for a couple of months. What more should a man possibly do to empower a woman and not be called a sexist & misogynist?”
“The campaign manager of Trump, Susie Wiles, is a woman. Why would Trump, a sexist and misogynist man entrust his come-back campaign to a woman? He has now appointed Susie as his Chief of Staff and the likes of Tulsi Gabbard and other women to top positions.”
“The Democrats approached the election as if it were a battle between man and woman, focusing too much on race. They became preoccupied with woke agendas such as DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusivity), gender equality, abortion and completely overlooked the economy, illegal migration and cost of living. Relying on celebrities, who live in a world untouched by issues like rising living costs, to endorse Kamala was a misstep that backfired spectacularly.”
Xena whined, “But Donald is a threat to democracy, and he will be a ruthless dictator.”
Appu retorted, “The Democrats, supposedly the guardians of democracy, were hardly following democratic principles. Kamala was ushered in without any fair primary process for selecting the presidential candidate, all thanks to their caucus.”
“The Democrats’ rallying cry, “Trump is a threat to democracy. He must be stopped at any cost,” fuelled violence against him, resulting in three assassination attempts—the very crime of incitement they had accused Trump.”
“Donald Trump and the Republicans have dominated the elections with a trifecta—winning the Presidency, Senate, and House and all the key swing states, with a huge mandate. Trump even secured the most popular vote, decisively defeating Kamala. Her performance has been dismal, especially among Black and Latino voters, both men and women. So, it is not racist, sexist and misogynistic men who brought about her downfall.”
“Hillary Clinton referred to Trump voters as “deplorables,” while Joe Biden called them “garbage.” Not exactly the best way to win over your own citizens during an election.”
Xena complained. “Donald brags like a macho man about stopping wars and bringing peace to the world. Kamala, however, would have been far better for the world. With her great diplomatic skills and feminine touch, she would have calmed wild figures like Putin, Zelensky, Xi, Netanyahu, and other men who are driven by toxic masculinity.”
Appu smirked. “Kamala raised US$1 billion for her election campaign, yet squandered it on paid celebrity endorsements like Oprah Winfrey, air travel, and advertising, leaving her with a US$20 million in debt. If she can’t manage an election budget, how can she be expected to handle the U.S. economy and worldly matters?”
Xena continued. “The men are being sexist and chauvinist, mocking Kamala’s joyful laughter by calling it a “cackle.” Why can’t a woman laugh heartily and freely, just like men do? Her speech was dismissed as “word salad.” Is this an indirect way of telling women to stay in the kitchen, making salads and sandwiches? When will a woman of colour ever be the President of USA?” lamented Xena.
Appu comforted her. “Look Xena. The only guaranteed way to ensure women can assume the top position is to ban all men from competing. The next US Presidential election should be declared an all-woman contest by both the parties.”
“In fact, this is already happening in other fields. Executives at ASX-listed companies are directing recruiters to focus exclusively on women for certain senior positions to meet diversity targets. Chris Karagounis, managing partner of the executive search firm Alex Kaar, has said that companies hiring for C-suite and senior management roles have repeatedly instructed him to exclude male candidates, emphasizing that “a female must be appointed.” Recruiters say that some clients have requested female-only searches for specific vacancies. In one instance, a male executive told Mr. Karagounis that he needed to find a woman for the position because part of his bonus was tied to achieving a gender diversity goal.”
“By the way, as per the “Out of Africa” theory, all modern humanity originated in Africa, with dark skin, and then migrated to other parts of the world. So, in effect, we all can lay claim to being Black, if that helps you to relax a bit.”
Trump is often ridiculed as the “Orange” man. Is Orange now the new Black?
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.
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🔥 Bhushan Salunke dissects #Trump’s unexpected return as USA’s 47th President, sparking debates on democracy, gender, & race. 🤔 Is Orange the new Black? 🍊 Share your thoughts! 🌍 Read more for deeper insights. 🗳️ #TheIndianSun #DevilsAdvocatehttps://t.co/7oeIZvEHaX
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