As IF Times

Source: Donald Trump is a unique threat to American democracy – The Washington Post

Now that The Donald has secured the GOP nomination for President,  the onslaught from the mainstream media outlets begins. They’ve clearly put as much thought into their attacks as Trump puts into any given speech.  While Trump just riffs off his original main theme of Make America Great Again, the media seems to subscribe to a central talking point source for their material. Observe the following headlines from the ‘major’ news outlets:

We know that the news business is not exactly robust these days, especially among the liberal outlets and now we know why.  As these headlines from the different sources show, there’s no need to read all of them.  If you’ve read one, you’ve read them all.  This could in fact be a cost saving measure as it’s possible that only one poli-sci college student is responsible for writing the story and the news outlets just syndicate it.

In this respect, the media has adopted the Russian Pravda news model; one central source for news, no thinking needed. Instead of news collection, it’s the news collective. One of the most effective techniques of creating a reality from nothing is to flood the news space with the same repeated message until it becomes so familiar to people that over time, the narrative becomes the truth.  Good is bad, Whites are evil, hands up don’t shoot, global warming; the whole George Orwell thing.

Amusingly enough, the liberal left seems to have run up against an opponent in Donald Trump who is as adept at manipulating the message as they are accustomed to.  So, Lyin’ Ted, Little Marco and now Crooked Hilary will be part of the public discourse.  How soon before Crazy Trump is trotted out by the left?  That should be easy since all of his stated platforms are way out there; build a wall, restrict access to unknown immigrants, bring jobs to America,  America first; all crazy objectives.   The previous guy claimed to halt the oceans’ rise and lower global temperatures… yeah, that was sane stuff.  If anything, the knock on Trump may be for his lack of ambition by comparison.

Source: Muhammad Ali ushered in the era of preening, swaggering athletes: Ted Diadiun | cleveland.com

Clearly, Ali was one of the greatest influences of his time and that influence carries past his generation to this present day.  As this is written, memorial services abound in honor of Ali’s life.  As far as fame and influence, it’s hard to argue with his worldwide recognition.  He was ground zero for today’s brash, swaggering athlete as the linked author notes.  He was the progenitor of that display of “in your face” bravado that is aped today by many pro sports personalities, from Richard Sherman and Cam Newton, to entertainers such as Kanye West.  It can’t be argued that Ali was the hero of most black kids of that era whose last great idol was probably Hank Aaron.

There is another perspective however.  Many will say that the coarseness  and brashness commonly displayed by sporting participants today diminishes the spirit of sport.  Maybe; but that’s what sells, so there’s no reason to back off as long as it pays.   There’s classy and there’s brassy; both work if you’re good enough.  It can be argued that the roots of aggressive Rap culture may have been inadvertantly influenced by Ali’s prose and demeanor.

Apart from bravado, Ali’s most controversial notes concerned his joining the Nation Of Islam and the related refusal to obey his draft orders.   This made Ali a hero to many constituencies.  Although he would later abandon the radical Nation of Islam to support a more passive Muslim ideology, his association gave that group credence and legitimacy because of his membership.  It can also be argued that Ali’s refusal of military service sparked the rethinking of the national conscience on sending  kids to war.

The preceding narrative are matters of fact.  The opinions about them are not. While at the moment, there is almost universal praise for Ali and his life, there are those that don’t think that his life achievements are as laudatory as everyone claims.   This is not, as some may posit, racist.  Years ago, an article was written exploring the nuanced aspects of Ali: Muhammed Ali, Racist.   Pointing out some of the less admirable aspects of Ali’s life does not make one a racist, any more than pointing out the many shortcomings of Donald Trump is racist.

In the reading of the flood of commentaries post Ali’s death, the majority are kind to his legacy.  History will properly remember him as a transformative figure.  That doesn’t make the detractors racists or haters.  Ali went through a very bad period and made some unambiguously offensive statements.   Many of history’s notable figures had significant character faults that were overlooked in consideration of their greater contributions.  People like John Kennedy, Winston Churchill and even the well loved Dalai Lama were/are just people.  People who knew them well enough will most certainly have cause to characterize them as sons of female dogs.  That’s not racism.  Oddly race never comes up in criticism of them. The constant use of that label as an argument trump card has eroded that label of any edge.  It usually means that the user has run out of legitimate rebuttals.

During his eventful life, Ali was involved with dubious people and voiced all kinds of things, not all of them admirable.  He was a boxer and as he famously said, “I just happen to beat people up for a living”.  He wound up being much more than just a boxer though; his actions elevated him to icon status.  Despite his formidable life accomplishments, he took many wrong  turns along the way like everyone else.  Idol or not, he will be blamed by me for giving birth to rap music.  As a final send off, I pen this little homage:

Hey you fools, my name is Ali,

I float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,

I also make rhymes, ’cause I’m so smart,

It’s intellectual poetry, linguistic art,

Y’all can try, to do me better,

Not likely ’cause I’m the master of letters,

During my lifetime, I was the best,

Now I’m done, I’m laid to rest.