Grab ’em by the pussy
Boris Johnson announced his resignation this month. Shame is still relevant in British politics, and in this case it had a positive influence. Across the pond, the Trump Party (formerly known as the Republican Party) has promoted a shameless America. Shameless politicians will never resign, especially when shamelessness is a core principle of their party. The other party in the “United” States tends to operate with shame as an aspect of their value system. For example, in 2017, the Democratic Senate Minority Leader asked Al Franken (now a former Democratic Senator) to announce his resignation on account of impropriety. The party was ashamed of his behavior.
One of the two viable political parties in the USA holds a distinct advantage due to an asymmetrical adherence to what once upon a time were common values of decency. Politicians in the Trump Party have proven time and again that they’re able to operate without a moral compass: they will face no repercussions. The Republican message to Americans about women is still “Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything” (the exact words of a former POTUS). Zero shame. Indeed, the appeal of this political party is that you need not care about anyone but yourself. Shamelessness is just one of the many benefits of being a Trumpist (let’s be clear: benefits for the individual, not communities or the nation).
Despite comparisons made for years now, there’s no doubt today that one of these two men is worse than the other. Considerably worse. Bojo was reprehensible; Donald was reprehensible and malicious to the core. Cartoon by French-Burkinabe writer/ artist Damien Glez.
The grassroots of shameless America
Of course, the USA being what it is today, you have more than just a major political party preaching shamelessness. If it weren’t part of the culture, you wouldn’t see it reflected so blatantly in politics. We see wellness grifters and other such self-absorbed “influencers” (the least useful people to a society) telling millions of Americans that shame is never good. And don’t forget the hysterical neoreactionary media figures who make money by bemoaning the plight of masculinity. To them, shame is a non-masculine feeling; only women should feel shame.
Put it all together and a shameless America makes perfect sense. Low-life citizens sought revenge on their compatriots and the world by electing a POTUS with no shame. Yet he became more of a mascot than a working president. Not only a buffoonish mascot for the nation, but a mascot for the very concept of shamelessness. You know a country is in trouble when the Phillie Phanatic (mascot of a Major League Baseball team) is capable of shame while the president of the nation is not.
The Phanatic, a bipedal flightless bird from Philadelphia, is capable of shame. Conversely, Donald Trump has provided the world with no evidence that he is capable of shame. This is only one of countless reasons the Phillie Phanatic would have made a better POTUS than Mr Trump.
Both extremes are untenable
The strict Puritan society of the Massachusetts Bay Colony wielded shame as a powerful tool in the early days of white America. As high schoolers find out when reading The Scarlet Letter, shame was an instrument of control, misery, and unintended consequences. Today we are glad to see that type of shame absent from most cosmopolitan American communities. But on the other extreme, a glaring lack of shame leads to a truly dystopian society. Life in the States in 2022 brings this point home clearly.