Many Americans wonder about the continued appeal of Donald Trump to a large segment of the American public, particularly residents of rural areas. However, when you think about it, this con artist fits into a long tradition of hucksters who have preyed on Americans living in rural areas and small cities where regular entertainment has been limited. I’m talking about carnivals and the carnival barkers. Their arrival in rural towns was anticipated with glee, predominantly in the 19th century but has continued to some degree to the present. Donald Trump is a perfect example of this role as a huckster, who would lie and exaggerate to get people to pay for carnival tickets or to buy objects from the carnival booths. He’s a figure well recognized by Americans outside of urban areas and that familiarity has made rural residents accept him more readily than city dwellers as a source of entertainment, the lies and exaggerations as part of his spiel.
“Hey ya, hey ya. Step right up and get your tickets for one of the best and most unusual shows ever in your county. See a one-legged tight-rope walker swallow swords while a hundred feet in the air. See Miss Betty Buxom perform her special dance revealing parts of her you wouldn’t believe. See a grizzly bear eating honey out of a beautiful girl’s hand. See a strongman lift a platform with his teeth with twenty people jumping upon it. And that’s only the beginning. We have forty other acts that will amaze you and have you coming back to see more. Our Trumpy-Dumpy Carnival show has been reviewed by the New York Times and Washington Post with four star ratings. They’ve written that they’ve never seen a show like ours. And you have to see it to believe it. We’ve had larger crowds than any other carnival or circus.
We’ve played in arenas all over the world: to sell out crowds in London, Paris, Berlin and Moscow, always receiving rave reviews. Now, for the special price of five dollars, you can see the spectacular show that has dazzled the entire world. Can you believe it? Only five dollars. Also, along with your ticket you get premium health care for a year, with physicians who have all been trained at the Mayo Clinic. You also get free prescription drugs as needed. Your children will get free day care and your police force will get an infusion of one thousand additional cops. This is all for five dollars. You have my word on this. Can you believe it. Step right up and step right in. Just watch where you walk so you don’t step in any horseshit. The Trumpy-Dumpy Carnival Show right here in your hometown.
And for an extra hundred dollars a month, you can get a free college education through our organization, with all teachers from Harvard and Stamford. I must also say that we have many special bargains at our booths inside that you can purchase before the show goes on. These are so special that I must keep them secret before you see them to prevent a stampede and people being injured. But step right up and get your chance. It’s a once in a lifetime experience.”
www.robertlevinebooks.com
Buy The Uninformed Voter on Amazon, Barnes and Noble or your local bookstore
www.robertlevinebooks.com
Buy The Uninformed Voter on Amazon, Barnes and Noble or your local bookstore
Posted at 08:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: carnival barker, Donald Trump, exaggerations, huckster, lies
Caricature: DonkeyHotey/Flickr
Political junkie, Vietnam vet, neurologist- three books on aging and dementia. Book on health care reform in 2009- Shock Therapy for the American Health Care System. Book on the need for a centrist third party- Resurrecting Democracy- A Citizen’s Call for a Centrist Third Party published in 2011. Aging Wisely, published in August 2014 by Rowman and Littlefield. Latest book- The Uninformed Voter published May 2020