Trump's Palmer Comments: Analysis of Power Politics and Global Risk Implications
Adam R. Zemans
October 22, 2024
The Penis is officially out of the political closet and into Prime Time. Ramifications abound.
As many in the world now know, on October 19th, at a campaign rally, Donald Trump described his great admiration for the size of the golfing great Arnold Palmer’s penis (which even Fox News reported Palmer’s daughter denounced):
The following Trump statement was recorded on video and published by multiple media outlets: “Arnold Palmer was all man. And I say that in all due respect to women, and I love women. But this guy, this guy, this is a guy that was all man. This man was strong and tough. And I refused to say it, but when he took showers with the other pros, they came out of there, they said, ‘Oh my God, that’s unbelievable,’” Trump said. “I had to say it,” Trump continued.
As reported in The Washington Post, “At about 10 minutes, the digression about Palmer lasted roughly as long as Vice President Kamala Harris’s entire speech at a get-out-the-vote event earlier Saturday in Detroit. Trump’s speech was filled with asides, abrupt changes of subject, and profane and personal attacks.”
For Trump, having a (Big?) Penis appears to be quite a defining credential among, as his story goes, his many incredible qualifications and, most of all, his extremely high Intelligence Quotient (IQ). What is really going on underneath the Emperor’s clothes? The Penis is, in U.S. society, a proxy for Power. Everything else equal, the longer and/or wider the Penis, the more power its owner has, goes the logic. And, therefore, Penis means dominance and, ultimately, victory.
Notwithstanding Trump and others of the Penis School, everything else is not equal, and power is a bit more complex. Vice President Harris has plenty of its 11 or so dimensions. For those interested in the ways in which the more important aspects of power function, there are many books that Trump and the Penis School have not read. (Reading is not their Thing). Recall, for example, Bob Woodward’s book, Fear: Trump in the White House (2018) for more on Trump’s reading prowess.
Another classic read on power: Nye, Joseph S. (2011). "The Future of Power". If elected, Vice President Harris’ power would rise much higher than Trump’s, at home and abroad, for many reasons, including, especially, her comparatively larger senses of timing (when to use the Big Stick), judgment, balance, and prudence. While size might be critical for Trump and even many U.S. voters, the manner in which Power is wielded is essential. All puns, supra, intended.
What does any of this have to do with ELA Nonprofit Consulting’s mission? As it turns out, a lot. Our mission is to research and teach optimal human responses to growing conflicts and unprecedented global risks with emphasis on fostering higher ambition and accelerated action to limit climate change; optimizing Artificial Intelligence; and facilitating the development of public servants and public service organizations who are facing barriers to market entry in these endeavors.
If elected, Trump’s machinations would undoubtedly inflate one thing more than any other: global risk, while making a mockery of public service. Trump has clarified that he will cut off ambition and slam the breaks on climate change mitigation efforts. As reported by PBS on October 17th, “Donald Trump, Former President of the United States (R) and Current U.S. Presidential Candidate: When people talk about global warming, I say the ocean is going to go down 100th of an inch within the next 400 years. That's not our problem. Our problem is nuclear warming.” (PBS provided a slam-dunk fact check of Trump, as linked above).
Furthermore, if anyone believes that Trump would effectively regulate Artificial Intelligence, they should read Wired magazine’s October 17th article on the same.
In conclusion: the Penis and its School should be put back where they belong, and may we pray that the swing vote bends toward sanity.
