President Trump, the populist canary in the coal mine?steemCreated with Sketch.

in hive-175254 •  4 years ago  (edited)

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https://westshoreroar.com/news/students-teachers-sort-through-reactions-to-capitol-building-raid/

The Canary.

A canary is a small bird that coal miners used to take down with them in coal mines to warn them of dangerous carbon dioxide levels. If the miners notice the canary die or be rendered unconscious, the miners would quickly evacuate the coal mine so they wouldn't have a similar fate. In essence, the carbon dioxide will kill the canary before the miners, and it was a good early-warning system.

The phrase is used to symbolize a warning of an impending doom. The election of Donald Trump is the canary in this context.

Trump was the symptom.

Former United States President Donald Trump has been reckless, incoherent, rambling, and unapologetic. All of which, I can get passed. But within all of that dysfunction, he has unveiled to the American people a truth that many politicians for decades have carefully hidden and helped cause; the United States has an economic insecurity problem! And it's getting worse.

Even though “mass media” and “conventional wisdom” has told us that the protesters are angry because of racism, xenophobia, elections, and Trump...the protesters from all sides have much more in common than they think; more debt, less savings, stagnant real wages in a growing number of industries and a growing wealth divide between the top 40% and bottom 60%. Trump wasn't the problem, he was the symptom of people's frustration.

Trump was a warning.

The violent protests at the Capitol a few weeks ago and in the streets most of last year have made it abundantly clear, Americans want systemic economic change, not empty promises. And they don't care who does it, they just want it done.

If people have money in their pocket, a bright future, job prospects, low debt, high-income, and high net worth...they don't complain as much...because they're too busy enjoying their lives.

I bet Congressional members at the Capitol Building from both parties were fearful about what can potentially happen as the protesters were bearing down on them. I hope they understand that this potentially is the beginning, not the end. Trump the Populist was the canary in the coal mine. His populism was a warning that our economic system is failing more and more people, and the violence could get a lot worse. I hope our leaders are listening now.

Stay frosty people.

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from my point of view I do not understand how the people who live in that country are in economic problems, since the 60's USA is one of the countries where people live better on the planet, although it has its problems like all the countries of the united states problems such as hunger, abuse of power and lack of justice are not at the level of other countries, communism is based on the deception of the masses and I think the way they have to destroy the United States is to bomb it with promises and thus to steal their freedoms.

I agree. The US is not to the point where there is systemic hunger, abuse of power and lack of justice, not at the level of some nations.

Comparing the United States to the 1960s, the wealth inequality is greater; more money is allocated towards capital and not labor (less wages); the culture has changed from "saving for tomorrow" to "living for today" (which encourages more debt and less savings), and there is less public investment in education, R&D and critical infrastructure (compared to GDP) which impacts long-term growth. These combinations add to the wealth inequality by strapping the government and public with less income, more debt, and less growth, fueling people's discontent, which lead to more social instability.

The US has not got to the point of systemic misery, but as things get worse, the United States may look for someone to blame, China in particular. And with the rise of China’s economic and military power, and the United States relative declining economic and military power, and the loss of prestige that goes with it, the United States may turn that misery outward and start a war to distract itself from its own problems. And that is bad for the entire planet.

I like your comment.