Watching President Trump’s second term assault on the federal government reminds me of The Bizarro World that I read about in Superman comics as a kid.
In Bizarro World everything is the opposite of life on Earth. As Superman observes of the inhabitants, “These pathetic creatures have a crazy sense of values!”
That “crazy sense of values” has been mirrored in Donald Trump’s rhetoric, politics, and policies, evident in Trump’s reposting of the following meme: “January 6th will go down in history as the day the government staged a riot to cover up the fact that they certified a fraudulent election.”
To pretzel this bold faced lie into the shape of the truth, Trump has pardoned convicted, violent criminals, whom he absurdly described as “hostages” and “patriots,” after they had assaulted police, vandalized the Capitol and interfered with the lawful transition of power. In true Bizarro fashion, Trump also declared the violent and deadly riot as “a day of love.”
This subversion of values reminded me of a Bizarro episode when Superman generously repaired the broken-down homes of the Bizarro people only to be arrested and “convicted for behaving like good, decent folks!” And just as Superman was criminally convicted of repairing people’s broken-down houses, the January 6th Committee members, who attempted to repair the damage done to the People’s House, found themselves under criminal investigation for investigating the Capitol attack. In the name of law and order, Trump perversely promotes crime and chaos.
In another Bizarro World episode, a mayor appoints a Bizarro detective to investigate a crime “because you are stupider than the entire Bizarro police force put together.” This ironic qualification for law enforcement leadership seems to correspond well with Trump’s rationale in choosing inexperienced, incompetent, misinformed, and dangerous persons to his administration.
In the ironic name of “merit,” he chose to lead The Department of Health, a vaccine denier and science skeptic; for FBI Director, a conspiracy theorist who wants not only to investigate FBI agents that investigated the January 6th riots but also to shut down the FBI altogether; for Secretary of the Department of Education, a multi-millionaire who never taught a class and wants to privatize public education and to shut down the Department of Education; as the head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, a businessman that fired federal workers and civil servants who ensure the government continues both to function for the American people and to operate within the law; and as head of “election integrity” at the Department of Homeland Security, a 2020 election denier who spread disinformation to undermine Biden’s legitimate victory.
In short, Trump’s Bizarro-like idea of meritocracy amounts to a patronage system of blatant incompetency.
In further opposition to reason, fact, and science, Trump considers climate change a hoax, despite the torrent of deadly wildfires, lengthy droughts, increased flooding, frequent tornados, stronger hurricanes, and the highest recorded temperatures in history. His Bizarro response to climate catastrophes is to “drill baby drill” for more fossil fuels whose burning will only increase the magnitude of these calamities. Rather than trying to solve the problem, he’s chosen to exacerbate it, by firing EPA employees working to reduce air pollution and to enforce environmental laws. Trump’s response to climate change amounts to Bizarro World firemen spraying gasoline on burning homes.
As for Trump’s destruction of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs, I suppose it makes Bizarro sense to believe that white males, not minorities, are present victims, rather than the long-term benefactors of 250 years of racial and gender discrimination. By such backward thinking, Trump revoked the Equal Employment Opportunity order signed in 1965 by then-President Lyndon B. Johnson and ordered federal workers to report colleagues seeking to continue DEI programs. Rather than enforcing equal opportunity under the law, he’ll facilitate further inequality and injustice.
And to ensure our children have a Bizarro education, Trump insists they must be kept ignorant about America’s racist past and its impact on our present society. Not only does he wish to eliminate The Department of Education, but he wants no federal funds supporting public education that fosters free speech, critical thinking, and accurate history, all of which Trump contrarily calls “radical indoctrination.”
His campaign to “restore truth and sanity to American History” is to whitewash the historical record with lies of omission. Complaining the Smithsonian museums focus too much on “how bad slavery was,” the President instead wants to “celebrate American exceptionalism, [and] “remove divisive or partisan narratives.” Trump’s Bizarro view of American history amounts to jingoistic propaganda devoid of critical facts.
And as for Trump’s vaunted business acumen, like the Bizarro salesman selling bonds “guaranteed to lose money for you,” Trump is slapping tariffs on trading partners and adversaries, guaranteed to increase inflation and cost consumers more money.
Overall Trump’s second term seems nothing short of an attempt not only to rewrite history but to overturn reality. As an Earthling, I’m finding it truly bizarre.
Thomas Cangelosi is a retired teacher who lives in Avon.
