Dangerous truths?

Fear and loathing in the news

A lie would have no sense unless the truth were felt as dangerous.

― Alfred Adler

I was reminded of what Adler wrote when I did a rundown of the media responses to the Zelensky-Trump press conference which has attracted so much attention.

The MSM took the opportunity to attack Trump –with an amazing litany of lies and distortions.

What world do these people live in?

Most important of all – what truths are they so afraid of?

Of course, we must also ask who “they” are!

Serial Liars

In this case,”they” consist of “journalists”, who are serial liars, with a socially acceptable kind of sociopathy.

They get their jobs usually by exaggerating or lying about their qualifications and bending over the higher ups. The “truth” for them is whatever their immediate circle thinks, which is what their employers think. Group think,.

“Go with the flow”, even if it leads to a septic tank.

So, when you parse the stories on that now infamous press conference, you can find amazing congruity between different media – the same ideas, the same falsehoods, the same expressions – copy & paste. Fake, fake, fake.

The Trump Show

The media invented Zelensky, the comic who played with the piano with his penis, presumably small enough to manage the keys, and who was elected to restore amicable relations with the Russians and protect Russian culture in the Ukraine.

That Zelensky tjhen turned on a dime — America’s dime— and was reborn as a NeoNazi —an American hero, a defender of “freedom”, fighting for his country and determined to stamp out all vestiges of Russian culture in what had once been “Little Russia”. He was the Good Guy.

Trump is now the Designated Bad Guy — delusional, fascistic, and evil, determined to destroy American “democracy” — a psychopathic narcissist, and a Putin-lover.

As you know, I do not care for the Donald very much. Maybe it’s his make up. And I don’t agree with his erratic and contradictory “policies”, especially his economic wet dreams and his support for Israel and its grisly ongoing genocide in Gaza.

On the the hand , he was elected!

To conflate an unelected dictator and fascist war criminal like Zelensky, a stand-in for shadowy NeoNazi forces and directly responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths, with “freedom and democracy” is ludicrous.

Trump is bad - but not quite that bad!

Sure, Trump is oft times delusional and quotes media lies which he know are lies, probably because he also knows everyone believes them in Mainstream America — zillions of Russian battlefield losses , the sorry state of the Russian economy, and so on — He comes up with unrealistic plans, as hairbrained as some of his previous business ventures, like exploiting mineral resources that are mostly not in Western Ukraine —but in the Donbas, which belongs to Russia.

He is narcissistic—but not more so than his country, which studies show has become increasingly narcissistic over the years.

But is he as bad as the media says? Is he worse than Biden? Is he worse than Obama?

The record indicates that they are all bad.

Trump was right

The MSM make no mention of what you really can criticize Trump for — his approval of Israel — because CNN, WaPo, the NYT, the BBC, and all the rest are registered subsidiaries of AIPAC—and they support Israel too.

They criticize him for bad manners. But Trump was not rude to Zelensky , Zelensky was not invited to Washington to negotiate a deal — he came to Washington with the understanding that the deal was settled — that he had authorized his people to sign off on an agreement with Trump’s people .

Zelensky came under false pretenses. He wanted to get into the news, playing his Defender of the Faith role—attacking the Russians and American negotiation with them—extorting money and guarantees.

The Donald has been a big supporter of Zelensky. He has done a lot for him.

Zelensky’s Russophobia does play to the Russophobia that Trump’s opponents used to derail his first Presidency and are trying to use once again.

The Press Conference was “television”, as Trump pointed out at the end. Only, it was supposed to be Trump’s show - not Zelensky’s.

The corruption of journalism

My grandfather was journalist before he became a jurist. My father was a journalist. I literally grew up in newsrooms.I promised Dad I would never become a journalist — but alas I have done that. Forgive me Dad!

Here in Tokyo, when I was a member of the Foreign Correspondent’s Club, I came to wonder why journalists drank so much. And when they got time to write or research.

I noticed that those with high-level jobs for the most famous Western news agencies were the worst.

I quit the Press Club as boring. There was nothing to be learned here.

Yet, I have worked for various media.

But, back in 2016, I predicted Trump would win, contrary to almost everybody else. It wasn’t because I liked Trump or respected him: I didn’t then; and I still don’t. It was simply because it was clear that he could take the Electoral College if you looked atht trends in the key states and and the unpopularity of Hillary Clinton.

Almost immediately, after his win, I was called a “Trump lover”, trolled on the social media, unfriended on Facebook, and so on.

After that, came Russiagate, which I called a ridiculous media and political vendetta-- and correctly predicted would come to nothing, after costing the American taxpayer a big chunk of money. That too was based on analysis— which any 3rd Grader could do. Duuhhhh….

I was called a “Putin-lover” and “Putin-pawn’. Trolls erupted all over Facebook.

Then came Hunter Biden. I predicted that one too—a no-brainer which suits someone like me, fine — but with similar consequences.

Truth & Consequences

What is “prediction” anyway but just being able to see “truth” (facts, reality) and “consequences” (likely results)?

The problem with the “journalists” is that they live their lies – their lifestyles depend on blinding themselves the truth, even when it is right before their eyes. Intellectual dishonesty morphs into emotional dishonesty. The hypocrisy is an eco-system.

Of course, it isn’t just journalists-- this syndrome affects many people outside the profession—especially those in the “professional class”, Visit LinkedIn sometimes.

I am not smarter than anybody else. Or even better informed. The information, after all, is there for everybody to see. The disinformation is there also —glaringly obvious—if you can compare what is said about events with what actually happened.

My career was always based on an awareness of truths and realities. I was hired mostly by Japanese companies as a “fixer’ when all else failed – not despite my contrarian view-- but because of them. In a conformist society like Japan, there is always a place for someone who is outside the box – as long as they stay outside.

That’s what “gaijin” means — “outsider”. Which is fine with me— that’s what I have always been as a result of my particular, if not peculiar kind of autism.

Truth and consequences?

If you tell the truth, you will lose some friends, or maybe find yourself sidelined.

But I am already sidelined by my age, 78. I have almost no income, no pension worth mentioning, no savings —but somehow I get by. Which is OK.

So I don’t go to restaurants to wine and dine beautiful women. What would they want with me? As long as I have a few good friends—many of whom I have made here on Substack —and I can look after Ichi and Chappy, I am rich.

What is “friendship”? Something I learned from the messages I exchange on buymeacoffee.com and here on Substack.

“seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another.”

― Alfred Adler

In the end, truth matters.

Addendum: Vance the “Attack Dog”

Vice presidents are usually content to stay in the background, better seen than heard, and serve tea.

If you skim the headlines on Google, you will see JD Vance has been characterized by a seeming majority of the MSM as Trump’s “attack dog”.

Like many metaphors, this one has a lot of nuances, none of them very complimentary.

a.) Vance is vicious

b.) Vance just does what he is told to do

c.) Vance is an animal

I am sure you can think of others.

At the same time, some writers suggest that Vance is positioning himself to become the next president — as Elon Musk seems to think he should.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk Friday heaped praises on US Vice President JD Vance and said he will one day follow in his boss Donald Trump's footsteps as "future president." "Best VP ever and our future President," Tesla CEO Musk posted on his social media platform X.

Musk, the world's richest person and Trump's top donor during the 2024 presidential campaign, posted a similar message last week, saying: "Best VP ever and hopefully our future President."

Mind, you some people think that Musk is a shadow president.

That aside. Vance is :

a.) outspoken — unafraid to voice his opinions, Eight years he go he criticized Trump in no uncertain terms.

I go back and forth between thinking Trump is a cynical asshole like Nixon who wouldn’t be that bad (and might even prove useful) or that he’s America’s Hitler. (private text later public)

b.) very articulate— rational, persuasive

c.) highly intelligent

d.) creative

e.) conservative but flexible

f.) a team player but individualistic

g.) from the bottom rungs of society, not the very bottom— but definitely not the top

h.) ambitious

Trump by contrast is often not able to express what he really wants in a rational way . He has ideas but he is little capacity for critical thinking and since he doesn’t read, he is often out of touch, He is emotional and reactive. He was born with a platinum spoon in his mouth, He is adult child from who politics is a playground

If Vance had not intervened with Zelensky, Trump would have probably not noticed what Zelensky was trying to do— or maybe just not cared.,

Vance was not an attack dog protecting his master.

Rather, he was defining a situation to prevent ambiguities later. Without putting Zelensky down too hard, he had to somehow punish him enough to deter him and presumably his European allies from causing more trouble later .

By alerting Trump to the fact that he was being insulted, Vance could rely on Trump’s emotionality in setting up an “either/ or” — namely, either zelensky complies fully — or he is cut off. Is Trump Vance’s “attack dog”? Maybe his Nixon?

For the record, Vance has never been a fan of Western Ukraine or Zelensky or the G7 elites.

What was also interesting was Vance , reaching out to touch Trump at the end in a gesture of reassurance. What? A politician with (forgive the pun) the human touch?

His abilities are something that Musk, for all his faults, no mean judge of character, “groks”.

Brotherly love

Chappy and Ichi spent the morning playing, chasing each other and wrestling, Now they are tired.

The Blues Brothers? LOL.

Snow here in Tokyo. Putin article being revised as I deal with “Putinism”, not to mention Maoism and Stalinism and other “isms”,

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