MAGA is goo-goo-ga-ga for spectacle

[Radiorum]

We live in an age in which spectacle replaces reality. MAGA is goo-goo-ga-ga for the shows Trump puts on. He keeps the base occupied while he goes about his dishonest, corrupted way and turns the country upside-down.

That Americans are susceptible to spectacle is well established – Consider the “American saves the day” literary trope.

The MAGA movement is hypnotized by spectacle more than anyone else. (Must be that lack of critical thinking skills) Get them narco-terrorists!

Trump is the president of spectacle – images meant to capture attention – like blowing up of boats in the ocean and the cruelty dealt on the city streets by masked ICE – all meant to divert attention away from the decimation of programs that help American people and the Epstein files and Trump’s corruption.

And Trump continues to make a spectacle of himself – posting himself as the pope, or a superhero, or a movie star.

It seems like so much of the Trump administration’s spectacle is a nonstop, never-ending monologue of self-praise.

In his 1967 book, The Society of Spectacle, Guy Debord makes the case that spectacle – propaganda – is one of the most important tools of the authoritarian.

The book begins with this quote from the Preface to the Second Edition of The Essence of Christianity

But for the present age, which prefers the sign to the thing signified, the copy to the original, representation to reality, appearance to essence, ... truth is considered profane, and only illusion is sacred. Sacredness is in fact held to be enhanced in proportion as truth decreases and illusion increases, so that the highest degree of illusion comes to be seen as the highest degree of sacredness.

 

MAGA is held captive by the illusions Trump has created for them.

[Michael Hardner]

When people start citing Debord, we are really close to the end of MAGA😂

[robosmith]

1 hour ago, Radiorum said:

 

MAGA is held captive by the illusions Trump has created for them.

Trump was never a brilliant business manager, but he did play one on TV and mastered the CON.

[Radiorum]

I'm reminded of Trump's comment after he and Vance were so incredibly disrespectful to Zelenskyy in the oval office, a few months back. "This will make good television," Trump said.

[WestCanMan]

2 hours ago, Radiorum said:

We live in an age in which spectacle replaces reality. MAGA is goo-goo-ga-ga for the shows Trump puts on.

Do you really think that what you're saying works, when it's just coming from a CNN cultist?

You watched Russian collusion with bated breath, you watched the covid-death ticker and parroted all of CNN's "Bad Twumpie" narratives, you pretended that Biden adding 4 SCJ's was a normal consideration, you pretended that Floyd and Brown were gentle giants and then cheered on years worth of rioting and murders because of their stupidity, you cried manly tears of justice-rage for Jussie, you pretended to see a "pandemic of the unvaccinated" when the vaxed were dropping like flies, and you pretended that Biden was mentally healthy for years when he was clearly not...

And now you wanna call other people credulous 🤣

Buddy, I've taken sh1ts with more intelligence than your whole family. And I don't just mean your immediate family, I'm including your cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, plus the ones who identify as dragons and kittens.  

[Radiorum]

1 minute ago, WestCanMan said:

from a CNN cultist?

You mean me? I don't watch CNN. I don't even subscribe to it, can't get it on my TV.

2 minutes ago, WestCanMan said:

You watched Russian collusion with bated breath, you watched the covid-death ticker and parroted all of CNN's "Bad Twumpie" narratives, you pretended that Biden adding 4 SCJ's was a normal consideration, you pretended that Floyd and Brown were gentle giants and then cheered on years worth of rioting and murders because of their stupidity, you cried manly tears of justice-rage for Jussie, you pretended to see a "pandemic of the unvaccinated" when the vaxed were dropping like flies, and you pretended that Biden was mentally healthy for years when he was clearly not...

WTF? 

2 minutes ago, WestCanMan said:

Buddy, I've taken sh1ts with more intelligence than your whole family. And I don't just mean your immediate family, I'm including your cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, plus the ones who identify as dragons and kittens.  

Lol! Struck a nerve with someone!

So, do you have anything of intelligence to counterpoint what was posted in the OP? 

[WestCanMan]

1 minute ago, Radiorum said:

You mean me? I don't watch CNN. I don't even subscribe to it, can't get it on my TV.? 

There isn't a left4rd here who admits to watching CNN, yet you all parrot all of their talking points verbatim. Hmmmm...

Quote

WTF? 

Huh?

Shiver me timbers!

Gosh golly!

Quote

Lol! Struck a nerve with someone!

Lol! Kinda like the Brown/Floyd false narratives struck a nerve with you, right? 🤣

I see what's going on here dude: you can't talk about all the times that you got played by CNN, so you have to evade the topics entirely. 

Quote

So, do you have anything of intelligence to counterpoint what was posted in the OP

The OP wasn't intelligent or meaningful, it was all just mindless drivel that was predicated on your own false assertions, so why should I address your random imaginings? 

You accused conservatives of being boondoggled by Trump, and then alluded to some BS from your imagination, so I brought up countless examples of actual "news" headlines that were blatantly false, yet which you believed with all your heart and soul.

I'm sorry that you've been played, non-stop, for 20 years now. But at some point your answer has to be "OK, I will take a moment to consider what I see on CNN now", instead of "NOPE!!! THEY WERE RIGHT ALL ALONG! BIDEN WAS STILL A GENIUS IN 2024!!!!!"

[Radiorum]

Just now, WestCanMan said:

There isn't a left4rd here who admits to watching CNN, yet you all parrot all of their talking points verbatim. Hmmmm...

I don't even watch TV. ever.

1 minute ago, WestCanMan said:

Huh?

Shiver me timbers!

Gosh golly!

You went off on some sort of alternative universe tangent there.

2 minutes ago, WestCanMan said:

Kinda like the Brown/Floyd false narratives struck a nerve with you, right? 

Do you have any other tricks  beside whataboutism? Like, a reasonable response that follows from what was posted

2 minutes ago, WestCanMan said:

got played by CNN

I think CNN lives in your head way way more than mine.

3 minutes ago, WestCanMan said:

You accused conservatives of being boondoggled by Trump

Giving other examples of boondogglery (not that I have ever been boondoggled) does not provide any meaningful rebuttal to what I posted.  

[Barquentine]

16 hours ago, WestCanMan said:

You accused conservatives of being boondoggled by Trump

Have you seen the asslicking all his cabinet members give him at the start of every meeting?

[WestCanMan]

16 hours ago, Radiorum said:

I don't even watch TV. ever.

That makes it even worse, because you're accessing a source which has all the information that you need, but you're using it like a pigeon with a Rubik's Cube.

Quote

You went off on some sort of alternative universe tangent there.

Again, it was an appropriate reply to your "WTF?"

Quote

Do you have any other tricks  beside whataboutism? Like, a reasonable response that follows from what was posted

It's called turnabout, silly boy. Don't cry. 

Quote

I think CNN lives in your head way way more than mine.

CNN owns your head. They're the ones flapping your gums for you.

It literally says "Kultist" above your eyebrows. 

Quote

Giving other examples of boondogglery (not that I have ever been boondoggled) does not provide any meaningful rebuttal to what I posted.  

Buddy, this thread is just nothing but your opinion, and I just showed what your opinion is actually worth.

When Trump said that Biden was mentally finished, people like you said that he was wrong, and that it was actually Trump that was senile. You guys were even saying that he was senile during his first term, and clearly that has not come to pass yet. 

^^That^^ paragraph, right ^^there^^, is a perfect example of just what your opinion is actually worth.

In case you forgot, RadioDumb, Biden's diminished mental capacity was on full display during the debates. With him being left out in the open like that, on live TV, it left no room for debate: his goose-brain was cooked.

Prior to that, his team had done a good job of limiting his weekly appearances to a single pre-scripted, carefully choreographed ice cream cone question (it's like a softball question, only easier) in front of a bunch of actors, so that he could attempt his weak answer on multiple takes. Maybe it was enough to fool rubes like you, or maybe you were lying because you were happy to have nameless, faceless DNC powerbrokers pulling all the strings, but in either case, your credibility is entirely shot. Your opinions are known to be completely useless. 

Sorry bro, you're the one who said all that shit, now your chickens have come home to roost.

[Shady]

19 hours ago, Radiorum said:

We live in an age in which spectacle replaces reality.

Agreed.  See the Trudeau government for the best example.

[Moonbox]

19 hours ago, Radiorum said:

We live in an age in which spectacle replaces reality. MAGA is goo-goo-ga-ga for the shows Trump puts on. He keeps the base occupied while he goes about his dishonest, corrupted way and turns the country upside-down.

This was a phenomenon first described almost 2000 years ago by the Roman poet Juvenal.  It's called, "Bread and Circuses".  

[Radiorum]

3 minutes ago, Moonbox said:

It's called, "Bread and Circuses".  

But the internet has taken it to new heights.

[robosmith]

17 hours ago, WestCanMan said:

Do you really think that what you're saying works, when it's just coming from a CNN cultist?

 

17 hours ago, Radiorum said:

You mean me? I don't watch CNN. I don't even subscribe to it, can't get it on my TV.

WTF? 

Lol! Struck a nerve with someone!

So, do you have anything of intelligence to counterpoint what was posted in the OP? 

You'll find that WCM is so OBSESSED with CNN that he is convinced every left winger is, too.

[WestCanMan]

7 hours ago, Barquentine said:

Have you seen the asslicking all his cabinet members give him at the start of every meeting?

Buddy, did you see the ass-licking CBC gave Trudeau, after the billions of election-time/public-purse-dollars (those are also known as bribery dollars, just FYI) he gave to them and other members of the MSM? 

Buddy, did you see the ass-licking CBC gave Trudeau while they were busy ignoring his scandals? 

Buddy, did you se the ass-licking CBC and CNN gave Biden, when he was clearly daft?

Buddy, you accused all Trump supporters of being CNN-level cultists, not just a few cabinet members. 

Edited December 9, 2025 by WestCanMan

[robosmith]

1 hour ago, WestCanMan said:

Buddy, you accused all Trump supporters of being CNN-level cultists, not just a few cabinet members. 

The vast majority of MAGA denies and/or defends Trump's EVERY FRAUD and CRIME.

As you've been told many times, Trump is a CON MAN and you've BEEN CONNED because you TRY (and fail) to defend his prolific LIES.

[WestCanMan]

2 hours ago, robosmith said:

The vast majority of MAGA denies and/or defends Trump's EVERY FRAUD and CRIME.

STFU, dummy. They're not actually "crimes" if there is no conviction, and/or victim, and Russian collusion was just a witch-hunt, your alleged victim in the bank case said that they weren't a victim in any way. 

Quote

As you've been told many times, Trump is a CON MAN and you've BEEN CONNED because you TRY (and fail) to defend his prolific LIES.

LMAO. Trump isn't a con-man, whiner.

Trudeau was the only actual con-man/traitor elected in Canada or the US recently.

Carney probably is, at least he seems to be one, and his conflicts of interest are quite extreme, but it's too early to say that he actually is one yet.

 

If the worst you've got on Trump is the 99% accurate and completely inconsequential "lie": "He said that it didn't rain but a high-def camera showed that it drizzled for approximately 15 seconds out of 17 minutes 😭", then you ain't got shit.

Here's an example of an actual "lie". And not just a lie, but one of consequence (2, I guess): Carney said that "he played no role in moving Brookfield to NY", he also said that "it happened after he left". The truth is that he was the chairman of the board when they unanimously voted to move, and he also wrote a letter to shareholders advising them to ratify it. 

That's not like your assertion that "99% accuracy for Trump constitutes a lie", Carney's statements were both 100% false. They were textbook lies right out of the dictionary. Fabrications, to be exact. He made up a story he knew was 100% false and told it to the media. And there's no chance that he was just wrong, because what he was talking about was extremely significant and had happened only recently. 

 

The difference between me and you is that when I say that someone is a liar, they are an actual liar, and have been caught red-handed lying. When you call someone a liar, it means that you don't like something that they said but you either can't refute it, or know that it is true. 

By leftist standards you're about average, but by conservative standards, your credibility has been reduced to zero by the frequency & severity of your lies. 

[robosmith]

13 minutes ago, WestCanMan said:

STFU, dummy. They're not actually "crimes" if there is no conviction, and/or victim, and Russian collusion was just a witch-hunt, your alleged victim in the bank case said that they weren't a victim in any way. 

LMAO. Trump isn't a con-man, whiner.

Trudeau was the only actual con-man/traitor elected in Canada or the US recently.

Carney probably is, at least he seems to be one, and his conflicts of interest are quite extreme, but it's too early to say that he actually is one yet.

 

If the worst you've got on Trump is the 99% accurate and completely inconsequential "lie": "He said that it didn't rain but a high-def camera showed that it drizzled for approximately 15 seconds out of 17 minutes 😭", then you ain't got shit.

Here's an example of an actual "lie". And not just a lie, but one of consequence (2, I guess): Carney said that "he played no role in moving Brookfield to NY", he also said that "it happened after he left". The truth is that he was the chairman of the board when they unanimously voted to move, and he also wrote a letter to shareholders advising them to ratify it. 

That's not like your assertion that "99% accuracy for Trump constitutes a lie", Carney's statements were both 100% false. They were textbook lies right out of the dictionary. Fabrications, to be exact. He made up a story he knew was 100% false and told it to the media. And there's no chance that he was just wrong, because what he was talking about was extremely significant and had happened only recently. 

 

The difference between me and you is that when I say that someone is a liar, they are an actual liar, and have been caught red-handed lying. When you call someone a liar, it means that you don't like something that they said but you either can't refute it, or know that it is true. 

By leftist standards you're about average, but by conservative standards, your credibility has been reduced to zero by the frequency & severity of your lies. 

You don't understand that Trump is a PROLIFIC and PATHOLOGICAL LIAR.

It rains and you pretend it's just "drizzle" to DEFEND HIM. LMAO 

[User]

13 minutes ago, robosmith said:

You don't understand that Trump is a PROLIFIC and PATHOLOGICAL LIAR.

It rains and you pretend it's just "drizzle" to DEFEND HIM. LMAO 

I understand you are a PROLIFIC and PATHOLOGICAL LIAR. 

[Nationalist]

Meh...Trump is starting a tour to promote his actions to date...and the Libbies are pissy-pants about it. Before this tour is done, they'll be so outraged that they'll be doing laundry daily.

It'll be fun guys...youll see. 😇

[herbie]

10 hours ago, Moonbox said:

This was a phenomenon first described almost 2000 years ago by the Roman poet Juvenal.  It's called, "Bread and Circuses". 

PArades of Golden Tanks instead of purple robed elephants. Chicken nuggets instead of bread. Foreigners to the lions!

[Nationalist]

1 hour ago, herbie said:

PArades of Golden Tanks instead of purple robed elephants. Chicken nuggets instead of bread. Foreigners to the lions!

And a case o' beer for me. Don't forget the essentials. 

[CdnFox]

On 12/8/2025 at 12:30 PM, Radiorum said:

We live in an age in which spectacle replaces reality. MAGA is goo-goo-ga-ga for the shows Trump puts on. He keeps the base occupied while he goes about his dishonest, corrupted way and turns the country upside-down.

That Americans are susceptible to spectacle is well established – Consider the “American saves the day” literary trope.

The MAGA movement is hypnotized by spectacle more than anyone else. (Must be that lack of critical thinking skills) Get them narco-terrorists!

Trump is the president of spectacle – images meant to capture attention – like blowing up of boats in the ocean and the cruelty dealt on the city streets by masked ICE – all meant to divert attention away from the decimation of programs that help American people and the Epstein files and Trump’s corruption.

And Trump continues to make a spectacle of himself – posting himself as the pope, or a superhero, or a movie star.

It seems like so much of the Trump administration’s spectacle is a nonstop, never-ending monologue of self-praise.

In his 1967 book, The Society of Spectacle, Guy Debord makes the case that spectacle – propaganda – is one of the most important tools of the authoritarian.

The book begins with this quote from the Preface to the Second Edition of The Essence of Christianity

But for the present age, which prefers the sign to the thing signified, the copy to the original, representation to reality, appearance to essence, ... truth is considered profane, and only illusion is sacred. Sacredness is in fact held to be enhanced in proportion as truth decreases and illusion increases, so that the highest degree of illusion comes to be seen as the highest degree of sacredness.

 

MAGA is held captive by the illusions Trump has created for them.

So this would be another example of the dispassionate and reasoned debate and discussion that you're hoping to have and so disappointed that other people don't seem interested in?

I think I may have identified your problem  

[robosmith]

5 hours ago, Nationalist said:

Meh...Trump is starting a tour to promote his actions to date...and the Libbies are pissy-pants about it. Before this tour is done, they'll be so outraged that they'll be doing laundry daily.

It'll be fun guys...youll see. 😇

Hilarious that you believe "libbies" are paying ANY ATTENTION to Trump's RANTS.

That's MAGA ONLY territory. Enjoy it while it lasts. LMAO

1 hour ago, Nationalist said:

And a case o' beer for me. Don't forget the essentials. 

Keep killing yourself.

[Barquentine]

13 hours ago, WestCanMan said:

Trump isn't a con-man, whiner.

Now that's the biggest lie and the stoopidest thing anybody has said on this forum!

Anybody who thinks Trump isn't a conman has lost touch with reality!