Two recent articles from the Slate and Reuters relate that Trump's poll numbers have fallen sharply (12%) after his recent comments on both the Paris attacks and on the New York Times reporter, Serge Kovaleski. Previous polemical statements made by Trump only seemed to help his numbers, and may help explain his unchecked proclivity for alienating groups that he feels impair the "greatness" of America.
Why then should his mockery of a physically handicapped reporter be any different? This point goes to reinforce the Think Progress article by Judd Legum published a few months ago, in which ideas of the French philosopher, Roland Barthes, were invoked to explain the Trump phenomenon. Legum pointed out that Trump's popularity continued to grow, despite caustic statements that he made disparaging the heroism of John McCain, who was a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War.
Legum compared Trump's campaign strategy to the overblown theatrics of a professional wrestling match, and indeed, it may come as little surprise, even for those who aren't fans of WWE, that Donald actually appeared on several episodes, an act which ended with Trump supposedly humiliating the Chairman of WWE, Vince McMahon, by tackling him outside the ring, and later, by shaving his head. It is in just this sort of atmosphere that Trump practiced his political theatrics, and it is to just this sort of crowd that Trump has the greatest appeal.
But this is also where Trump has failed to fully appreciate the complex character of his sports fan audience: sports fans tend to be very sympathetic toward individuals with physical handicaps. Thousands of examples can be produced here, but just reflect on a recent example, the saga of Chad Carr, son of Jason Carr, a Quarterback for the University of Michigan. Chad was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer that ended his life late last year. ESPN responded to this tragedy by airing a special feature on Chad. This little boy became an inspiration to thousands of U of M fans through his own love of the game and through his family's love of the same.
Although Chad Carr's story is just one of thousands that have circulated through sports media for decades, it is something that Trump has clearly missed, and it is likely to be his undoing. This dimension of sports media focuses on humans whose personal struggles with illnesses and handicaps of every variety are offered as testimonies to the beauty of human willpower. In publicly mocking one of these individuals, Donald Trump has insulted them all, and has displayed a sociopathic trait that sports fans everywhere can easily recognize. Trump is no longer the protagonist in the game. By mocking the physically impaired, he has now become the antagonist, a man sports fans long to see fail.
Why then should his mockery of a physically handicapped reporter be any different? This point goes to reinforce the Think Progress article by Judd Legum published a few months ago, in which ideas of the French philosopher, Roland Barthes, were invoked to explain the Trump phenomenon. Legum pointed out that Trump's popularity continued to grow, despite caustic statements that he made disparaging the heroism of John McCain, who was a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War.
Legum compared Trump's campaign strategy to the overblown theatrics of a professional wrestling match, and indeed, it may come as little surprise, even for those who aren't fans of WWE, that Donald actually appeared on several episodes, an act which ended with Trump supposedly humiliating the Chairman of WWE, Vince McMahon, by tackling him outside the ring, and later, by shaving his head. It is in just this sort of atmosphere that Trump practiced his political theatrics, and it is to just this sort of crowd that Trump has the greatest appeal.
But this is also where Trump has failed to fully appreciate the complex character of his sports fan audience: sports fans tend to be very sympathetic toward individuals with physical handicaps. Thousands of examples can be produced here, but just reflect on a recent example, the saga of Chad Carr, son of Jason Carr, a Quarterback for the University of Michigan. Chad was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer that ended his life late last year. ESPN responded to this tragedy by airing a special feature on Chad. This little boy became an inspiration to thousands of U of M fans through his own love of the game and through his family's love of the same.
Although Chad Carr's story is just one of thousands that have circulated through sports media for decades, it is something that Trump has clearly missed, and it is likely to be his undoing. This dimension of sports media focuses on humans whose personal struggles with illnesses and handicaps of every variety are offered as testimonies to the beauty of human willpower. In publicly mocking one of these individuals, Donald Trump has insulted them all, and has displayed a sociopathic trait that sports fans everywhere can easily recognize. Trump is no longer the protagonist in the game. By mocking the physically impaired, he has now become the antagonist, a man sports fans long to see fail.
