George Graham

What a Poppy Show!

 

Do you think Trump reads my blogs? I know, I know, he doesn’t read,  he just watches Fox News. But he is doing what I suggested a while back. He’s talking amicably with Kim Jong-un instead of hurling insults and threats at North Korea’s Dear Leader.

Of course, he is doing it all wrong.

He couldn’t resist putting on an empty show designed to dazzle TV viewers instead of taking the time and trouble to work out a viable path to lasting peace on the Korean peninsula.

The result was last night’s cringe worthy pantomime in which Trump sucked up to Kim, calling him “honorable” and saying what an honor it was to meet with the guy.

Kim, for his part, seemed rather wary. He must have known Trump was just staging another TV reality show.

At least “Rocket Man” isn’t still firing off nuclear missiles and dire threats. So this silly “summit” wasn’t all bad.

But, trust me, Kim isn’t about to ditch his bombs and missiles. They’ve brought him recognition as an equal from the mighty United States. And he hasn’t had to give up anything in return.

I doubt any real progress was achieved in Singapore last night. And I suspect the “summit” will lead to no meaningful concessions from Kim in the foreseeable future.

But it brought Trump valuable TV time. And his base must be basking in his reflected fame. They’re already clamoring for him to get the Nobel Peace Prize.

So the farce that is the Trump presidency goes on, providing a continuous circus to keep the masses engaged.

For, as the Roman poet Juvenal astutely observed, all the people need to keep them in servitude is bread and circuses.

So now that we have the circuses, what about the bread? We’re still waiting for delivery on that promise.

More on the “summit”

More on bread and circuses

About the author

gwgraeme

I am a Jamaican-born writer who has lived and worked in Canada and the United States. I live in Lakeland, Florida with my wife, Sandra, our three cats and two dogs. I like to play golf and enjoy our garden, even though it's a lot of work. Since retiring from newspaper reporting I've written a few books. I also write a monthly column for Jamaicans.com