Math was never my strong suit.
And, given my choice of a life path, neither the algebra nor the geometry that were deemed essential to our primary education back in the day loom all that large in my day to day these days. In fact, it was only just recently that I found myself employing geometric principles for the first time in a very long time.
In that particular case, I was trying to educate my wife into the rudimentary angle/leverage/swing ratio necessary to maximize the effectiveness, and minimize the potential danger, of getting around on crutches.
Archimedes confidently assured us that were we to provide him the proper lever, he could move the world. Not just a continent or two, mind you.
The whole world. In his hands. The lever. Not the world.
I mean, he may have been a cocky Greek math geek, but he was no bloviating blowhard.
Only slightly subtle, snarky reference to the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania oh so more than intended.
Meanwhile, it turned out that teaching math isn't all that high on my skill set list, either.
Of course, fair being fair, getting a frightened and wobbly wife confident enough to angle/leverage/swing down the hallway would probably have stymied ol' Archimedes, too.
So, thank heaven for friends who just happen to have a wheelchair in the attic.
Much to what I suspect would be the delight of my high school algebra teacher, Mr. Formosa, though, I have also turned to my dusty, moldy math methodologies lately as I research and write both essays like this one, and a book that I may or may not finish before I grow tired of even hearing the name Trump, having to do with,. well, Trump. And, more as a consequence than an intention, providing an answer of some kind to the millions of folks who, via social media or just good old fashioned chit-chat, ask, repeatedly, and increasingly more often, why? Why did this nation elect a man like Trump?
The challenge to answering that question, of course, is trying to avoid the automatic fallback to the hip and happening top ten that, much like Margaritaville on your favorite oldies station, we've heard over and over and over...and over.
Hillary was untrustworthy. Bernie was a socialist. Obama divided the nation. Hillary and Benghazi. Bernie got sabotaged by the DNC. Hillary and her emails. Anger and frustration. Forgotten voters. Hillary and her emails. And, of course, number one for the 75th week in a row.....
"...he tells it like it is..."
Anti-Trump regular listeners and callers of my radio shows got just as tired of hearing that hall of fame worthy political insight as pro-Tump regular listeners of my radio shows got tired of hearing my go-to response.
"...yeah, well, I had an Uncle who used to get shit faced at pretty much every family function and would 'tell it like it is'.....trust me when I tell you that ain't always a virtue..."
So, discarding and/or disqualifying those tired old "yeah, yeah, whatever" excuses for the Electoral eye-opener, I've lately come up with what I think might be a more erudite, enlightened, dare I say, educated elucidation.
And it all begins with an oldie but goodie from the first year Geometry book.
All squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares.
(WARNING/SPOILER ALERT) The remainder of this piece is going to bring you to a conclusion that will, bet the farm, or disgustingly decadent gold encrusted golf resort in Florida, depending on your political persuasion, very likely offend a significant number of people. Again, depending on your political posture and who you chose to lead the nation last November, you may be insulted, even angered, by what you perceive to be an insinuation that you aren't all that bright. I assure you that, at no time, is it my intention to insinuate any such thing. My intention is to follow the example set by the victor in the 2016 election and 'tell it like it is'. In other words, if you are insulted, offended or even angered, then, please accept my congratulations on having, at least, the intelligence to realize that I am, in fact, absolutely referring to you when I reference people who just aren't all that bright.
Throughout both the primary and general election campaigns of 2016, I repeatedly offered on the radio shows that I believed the election was not going to be a referendum on the economy or employment or immigration or even that hot button of all hot buttons, homeland security.
I offered that I believed that the election would be an indicator as to whether or not the 'tipping point' had been reached. Trump's continued success in the primaries, his continued primary victories and, obviously, his election served only to reinforce that belief.
Right or wrong, such as they are, are subjective value judgements.
Let's just say, instead, that I'm confident that I was correct about the tipping point.
And, of course, a quick explanation of the term 'tipping point' would be useful.
For that, let's talk, for a minute, about California and Hispanics.
Throughout modern times, the population of California was primarily Caucasian with a notable percentage of ethnics, primary among those, of course, Hispanics.
Time, circumstance, ebb and flow, life, generally, made it inevitable that as the Hispanic population grew that there was an expectation that, at some point in time, the numbers would reverse, the percentages would change, simply put, Hispanics would out number whites.
Tipping point.
Numbers crunchers predicted that the changeover would occur sometime in 2013. Various social conditions caused a delay but, now, demographers and those numbers folk are all in agreement that as of no later than July of 2014, there were, and are now, more Hispanics than whites in California.
July 2014. Tipping point.
November 2016 was a tipping point, as well.
Since the dawn of time, let alone the founding of the nation, there have been morons among us.
The dictionary doesn't waste any vocabulary in its definition.
"A stupid person".
But just so we're clear here, let's turn one more page and see what the dictionary offers by way of defining "stupid".
"Having or showing a great lack of intelligence or common sense."
Two slippery slopes at work here.
First, "intelligence" is, although quantifiable via testing and assessment, still lurking around on the list of matters of opinion. As opposed to our friend, say, "pregnant", one can, in fact, be just a little bit stupid.
Second, "common sense". Really? I honestly don't know if I did, in fact, first coin the phrase, but I've used it enough on air to make a pretty good case for parentage.
"Common sense....is no longer common...nor sensical."
For the purpose of making, and getting to, my point, though,let's have a go at conceding that there are, in our midst, at any given time...morons.
Come on, don't be bashful. This isn't bashing just to bash. The tone here isn't mean spirited or hateful, it's just 'telling it like it is', right? Not everyone can be brilliant. Or even intelligent. Or even all that bright.
Quick fun pop quiz....what's a moron's last words?
"Hey...watch this..."
What's a moron's moron buddy's last words?
"Aw, hell, that ain't nothin'....I can do that...".
It's not a lie nor a misstatement nor a mistake to simply offer that there are stupid people in this life.
I spent just five minutes doing the Google and found these warm and fuzzy examples of the morons amongst us.
The employee fired for stealing someone's lunch out of the fridge, but only eating half. When asked why, replied "I just wasn't really all that hungry."
The lady photographed at a service station wrestling with the nozzle on a gas can...with a lit cigarette in her hand.
The vanity license plate reading "BLOND".....upside down in the plate frame.
The bike rider carefully cable locking his bike to a parking post.....the post no taller than the bike.
The person posting a picture of a stunning sunrise, captioning it "Morning Sunset".
The man who posted how sad he was the Michael Jackson had died from "cadillac arrest."
And, hands down, the most memorable of the moronic...a young man wearing an American flag head bandana holding up a homemade placard defiantly announcing....
"...GET A BRAIN! MORANS!"
It's no coincidence that I included that example because that man and that flag and that sign were offering up that red, white and bubba at a Trump rally.
Which brings us back to math and tipping points.
Given all that is known about Trump, his behaviors, his pettiness, his narcissism, his lack of graciousness, class, courtesy, his childish contempt for anyone who dares disagree with him, his misogyny, oh, for God's sake, run the list in your own mind or look it up if you're still for some bizarre reason, unclear on the concept. Given all of that that we actually know, from what we've actually seen and heard ourselves, disregarding rumor or conjecture, why would anyone with no more than a functioning brain vote for a man like that?
And without a functioning brain, wouldn't one rightly be described as a moron?
Over a year ago, I said, for the first of what would be many times, in conversation and, slightly veiled for mass consumption, on air that this election was not going to be a referendum on the economy or employment or immigration or even that hot button of all hot buttons, homeland security.
I believed it was going to be an indicator as to whether or not this nation had finally reached a tipping point.
Had America finally become a nation where the morons were in the majority?
America found the answer to that question in November of 2016.
And because the election was, in many ways, complicated, complex, difficult, a struggle, for some, even a moral dilemma, it's unfair, and incorrect, to suggest that everyone who voted for this man is a moron.
As it is incorrect to suggest that every rectangle is a square.
Props to Mr. Formosa for his selfless efforts to educate....
Every rectangle is not a square...but every square is a rectangle.
Every Trump voter is not a moron....but every moron is a Trump voter.
And there's the problem with tipping points.
They always throw things out of balance.
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