King Louis XVI’s obsession with elaborate escapism like constructing expensive model villages (the Hameau de la reine) and playing elaborate practical jokes at Versailles can indeed be compared to President Trump's use of mass entertainment for distraction. Both leaders leaned into massive, over-the-top spectacles, whether it was the Bourbon monarchy's opulent court pageantry or the highly publicized "UFC Freedom 250" cage match erected on the White House South Lawn. Ijs...
As a Californian, I am totally familiar with this fugly style of crappy open-latticework arch. Every shitty, dust-strewn shitkicker town in the Valley has one. I've heard that Modesto is thinking about tearing theirs down, now that they've become a high-falutin' Bay Area bedroom community, but that's probably just wishful thinking.
my dad grew up in Modesto; our family lived in San Jose so we often made the drive to visit. seeing the arch would signal that the drive was almost over....
I wrote about this today and the rendering makes the argument better than anything I could put into words. John Adams prayed in 1800 that only honest and wise men would ever rule under that roof. Franklin Roosevelt had it carved in gold in the State Dining Room.
— THE SLOGAN OF TRUMPISM AND THE MARCH TO FASCISM AND WAR
Trump's bloody MMA spectacle on the White House lawn aims to attract rightists and thugs around an authoritarian “strong man” regime: a Cesar.
It should be taken deadly seriously not sneered at, considering that the White House Cesar will turn his thumb down on us.
It is a green light for the culture of violence necessary for the political aims of Trumpism, which ultimately lie outside of the law and democracy. Fascism in the streets and around the world.
Not for nothing since the time of slavery have cruel despots organized public spectacles of death and torture of slaves, serfs, and workers forced to kill each other or be subjected to horrors for the jeering crowd, from gladiators in the Roman Colosseum, to Medieval torture, and public hangings.
They were meant to instill fear, dehumanize the audience, and reduce our dignity and solidarity.
They were part of preparing soldiers for the cruelty of bloody wars, conquest, rape and pillage against the “others,” the rivals of the rulers.
Trump's blood sports —where workers beat each other to a pulp for the entertainment of the jeering mob of cigar-smoking wealthy rulers swilling whiskey and placing bets while grabbing women— are aimed at whipping up fascist mobs.
A blood match to the nationalist death cry of: USA! USA! USA! to rally the crazed hordes and prepare them to go forth from the cage match to rampage and kill.
Trump orders: Go forth and conquer! Kill the Iranian schoolgirls, teach those women their place, rip the immigrant child from her mother's breast, kill the fisherman in the Caribbean, beat down strikers for Wall Street bosses! Seize the oil and gold!
It promotes a mindset of indifferent cruelty. This is the violent corollary to the rightist campaign against “toxic empathy.”
“Just step over the homeless person, kick the hungry kids down. Just step on that country. Let's bet on how many will die.”
This is a right-wing political spectacle by an increasingly authoritarian regime that wants to unleash its thugs on us and the world on behalf of Wall Street robber barons and their profits.
I’m waiting for Trump Dong Goon to start wearing his golden wig like his bestie murderous dictator, Kim, complete with giant, oversized floppy trousers. Then, he will hereby order the loser of each fight be blown to pieces by an anti aircraft gun. Let’s make America North Korea again.
He was very sad and bored by his parade. Very low energy. No loud booms or sparkly lights. Not enough tanks. His cabinet members tried to encourage him that it was too a neat parade, but he wasn’t happy. Plus he got sleepy, grumpy, and his cake wasn’t yummy. Sad day.
The Republican Party has made me hate combat sports. I used to love big event fights. Between Rogan, Dana White and Trump the entire sport has gone full MAGA and I can’t fucking stand it.
Weird that 5000 people can assemble on the White House lawn without even so much as a tent for protection from all the bullets and car bombs and drones trying to assassinate them, but all OTHER events have to take place in the safety of a billion-dollar ballroom.
And all the sad wingnuts watching the Great American Corn Dog Festival music lineup reduced to Vanilla Ice are blaming LiBRUL VYLENCE. Liberals won’t even let the surviving half of Milli Vanilli perform, when the real problem is having too many Vanilla-monikers on the list. Kid Rock must be available, right? And aren’t a bunch of country beer guzzlin crooners righties? Is Trump against country music?
Trump Trash at its very best 🩶🤍
https://substack.com/@rossboulton1/note/p-200226410?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=2leuaj
King Louis XVI’s obsession with elaborate escapism like constructing expensive model villages (the Hameau de la reine) and playing elaborate practical jokes at Versailles can indeed be compared to President Trump's use of mass entertainment for distraction. Both leaders leaned into massive, over-the-top spectacles, whether it was the Bourbon monarchy's opulent court pageantry or the highly publicized "UFC Freedom 250" cage match erected on the White House South Lawn. Ijs...
The defacement of a once proud country. Rome just before the fall.
Blusterdome 🤣😉
Good news, peeps: Judge Orders Trump Name Removed From The Kennedy Center
https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/power/2026/05/29/judge-orders-kennedy-center-remove-trumps-name-building/
As a Californian, I am totally familiar with this fugly style of crappy open-latticework arch. Every shitty, dust-strewn shitkicker town in the Valley has one. I've heard that Modesto is thinking about tearing theirs down, now that they've become a high-falutin' Bay Area bedroom community, but that's probably just wishful thinking.
Stay classy, Trump.
my dad grew up in Modesto; our family lived in San Jose so we often made the drive to visit. seeing the arch would signal that the drive was almost over....
I wrote about this today and the rendering makes the argument better than anything I could put into words. John Adams prayed in 1800 that only honest and wise men would ever rule under that roof. Franklin Roosevelt had it carved in gold in the State Dining Room.
It's still there, thirty feet from this octagon.
Hurricane to arrive in DC on June 14 th. The entire “cage” will blow away!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
MIGHT MAKES RIGHT!
— THE SLOGAN OF TRUMPISM AND THE MARCH TO FASCISM AND WAR
Trump's bloody MMA spectacle on the White House lawn aims to attract rightists and thugs around an authoritarian “strong man” regime: a Cesar.
It should be taken deadly seriously not sneered at, considering that the White House Cesar will turn his thumb down on us.
It is a green light for the culture of violence necessary for the political aims of Trumpism, which ultimately lie outside of the law and democracy. Fascism in the streets and around the world.
Not for nothing since the time of slavery have cruel despots organized public spectacles of death and torture of slaves, serfs, and workers forced to kill each other or be subjected to horrors for the jeering crowd, from gladiators in the Roman Colosseum, to Medieval torture, and public hangings.
They were meant to instill fear, dehumanize the audience, and reduce our dignity and solidarity.
They were part of preparing soldiers for the cruelty of bloody wars, conquest, rape and pillage against the “others,” the rivals of the rulers.
Trump's blood sports —where workers beat each other to a pulp for the entertainment of the jeering mob of cigar-smoking wealthy rulers swilling whiskey and placing bets while grabbing women— are aimed at whipping up fascist mobs.
A blood match to the nationalist death cry of: USA! USA! USA! to rally the crazed hordes and prepare them to go forth from the cage match to rampage and kill.
Trump orders: Go forth and conquer! Kill the Iranian schoolgirls, teach those women their place, rip the immigrant child from her mother's breast, kill the fisherman in the Caribbean, beat down strikers for Wall Street bosses! Seize the oil and gold!
It promotes a mindset of indifferent cruelty. This is the violent corollary to the rightist campaign against “toxic empathy.”
“Just step over the homeless person, kick the hungry kids down. Just step on that country. Let's bet on how many will die.”
This is a right-wing political spectacle by an increasingly authoritarian regime that wants to unleash its thugs on us and the world on behalf of Wall Street robber barons and their profits.
Metaphor much?
I’m waiting for Trump Dong Goon to start wearing his golden wig like his bestie murderous dictator, Kim, complete with giant, oversized floppy trousers. Then, he will hereby order the loser of each fight be blown to pieces by an anti aircraft gun. Let’s make America North Korea again.
But when Michelle Obama created a vegetable garden, it was a national emergency.
I guess he didn't like his military parade.
He was very sad and bored by his parade. Very low energy. No loud booms or sparkly lights. Not enough tanks. His cabinet members tried to encourage him that it was too a neat parade, but he wasn’t happy. Plus he got sleepy, grumpy, and his cake wasn’t yummy. Sad day.
The Republican Party has made me hate combat sports. I used to love big event fights. Between Rogan, Dana White and Trump the entire sport has gone full MAGA and I can’t fucking stand it.
Weird that 5000 people can assemble on the White House lawn without even so much as a tent for protection from all the bullets and car bombs and drones trying to assassinate them, but all OTHER events have to take place in the safety of a billion-dollar ballroom.
And all the sad wingnuts watching the Great American Corn Dog Festival music lineup reduced to Vanilla Ice are blaming LiBRUL VYLENCE. Liberals won’t even let the surviving half of Milli Vanilli perform, when the real problem is having too many Vanilla-monikers on the list. Kid Rock must be available, right? And aren’t a bunch of country beer guzzlin crooners righties? Is Trump against country music?